Determination of CdTe bulk carrier lifetime and interface recombination velocity of CdTe/MgCdTe double heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The bulk Shockley-Read-Hall carrier lifetime of CdTe and interface recombination velocity at the CdTe/Mg0.24Cd0.76Te heterointerface are estimated to be around 0.5 mu s and (4.7 +/- 0.4) x 10(2) cm/s, respectively, using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Four CdTe/MgCdTe double heterostructures (DHs) with varying CdTe layer thicknesses were grown on nearly lattice-matched InSb (001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. The longest lifetime of 179 ns is observed in the DH with a 2 mu m thick CdTe layer. It is also shown that the photon recycling effect has a strong influence on the bulk radiative lifetime, and the reabsorption process affects the measured PL spectrum shape and intensity. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.