Electrical properties of thin PbTe films on Si substrates

An attempt was made to reduce the carrier concentration in thin PbTe films on Si substrates by optimizing deposition conditions. A modified hot-wall m ethod was used for reproducible growth of p-type films with 5 x 10(15) < p( 77 K) < 5 x 10(17) cm(-3) and n-type films with 3 x 10(15) < n(77 K)< 5 x 1 0(16) cm(-3). The IR irradiation was found to have a significant effect on the temperature variation of film resistance. The activation energy of the IR-sensitivity centers was determined to be 0.11 +/- 0.005 eV at room tempe rature and 0.18 +/- 0.005 eV between 150 and 180 K.