HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY-DIFFRACTION STUDIES OF SHORT-PERIOD CDTE MNTE SUPERLATTICES/

We have investigated the elastic properties of epitaxial MnTe layers u sing triple axis high resolution x-ray diffraction and reciprocal spac e mapping, A series CdTe/MnTe superlattices (SLs) grown by molecular b eam epitaxy and nearly strain compensated, were deposited on [001] Cd1 -xZnxTe substrates. In order to obtain the MnTe content of these SLs w ithout an a priori knowledge of the elastic properties of cubic MnTe, annealing experiments were performed to interdiffuse the individual la yers into a mixed Cd1-xMnx Te alloy layer. For a precise analysis of t he data, it was found to be important to determine the: in-plane strai n of the superlattice layers using reciprocal space maps around symmet ric and asymmetric reciprocal lattice points. The value for the Poisso n ratio of zinc-blende MnTe was determined to be nu = C-11/2C(12) = 0. 77 +/- 0.15. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.