Contactless thermally stimulated lifetime measurements in detector-grade cadmium zinc telluride

Contactless thermally stimulated lifetime measurements were performed on de tector-grade Cd1-xZnxTe (x similar to 0.1) crystals using a pulsed laser mi crowave cavity perturbation method. The carrier lifetime decreased from app roximately 30 mu s at 110 K to 4 mu s at 160 K, and then remained relativel y constant from 160 to 300 K. The sudden drop in carrier lifetime within a particular temperature range is consistent with the thermal activation of a charge trap with a detrapping time longer than the carrier lifetime. The m aximum trap activation temperature and the minimum detrapping time are esti mated from the lifetime versus temperature curve to be approximately 160 K and 10(-6) s, respectively. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021- 8979(00)03605-7].