GROWTH OF HG1-XCDXTE EPITAXIAL LAYERS ON (100) CDTE BY CHEMICAL-VAPORTRANSPORT UNDER NORMAL AND REDUCED GRAVITY CONDITIONS

Chemical vapor transport (CVT) growth of Hg1-xCdxTe epitaxial layers o n (100) CdTe substrates, using HgI2 as a transport agent, was performe d in closed ampoules under normal and microgravity conditions during t he USML-1 flight. The surface morphology, compositional homogeneity, s ingle crystallinity, and carrier mobility of the epitaxial layers grow n in microgravity are considerably improved relative to layers grown o n ground. These differences demonstrate the effects of convective flow on the transport and deposition processes of this solid-vapor transpo rt system. The properties of the Hg1-xCdxTe layers grown in microgravi ty environment compare quite favorably to those of layers obtained by other techniques.