(001)-ORIENTED LEAD SELENIDE FILMS GROWN ON SILICON SUBSTRATES

Lead selenide epitaxial films were grown on silicon substrates using a thin (less than or equal to 100 nm) YbS buffer layer. The films were (001)-oriented and had structural, electrical and photoelectrical prop erties comparable with those of PbSe bulk crystals. The X-ray rocking curve halfwidths were of 100-200 arcsec which are within similar value s for PbSe/BaF2(CaF2)/Si films, thoroughly investigated for infrared d etector array applications. The films investigated exhibit relatively large photosensitivity in the temperature range T = 80-300 K. Minority carrier lifetime values tau approximate to 10(-6) s at 80 K and their temperature dependencies are preferably determined by the Schockley-R ead-Hall recombination mechanism through the deep levels in the band g ap.