Graphite/CdMnTe Schottky diodes and their electrical characteristics (Vol. 45 No.2)

Comparison of the calculation results (solid lines) with the measured I-V curves (circles) of the graphite/CdMnTe diode at different temperatures.

CdTe is a basic material for X- and γ-ray detectors, which are widely used in various areas. However, the leakage current in these devices at room temperature is too large, which precludes a high energy resolution in the measured spectra. In the 1990s, Cd_1-xZn_xTe alloy with a wider band gap was proposed as a solution, but hopes pinned on it were not fully fulfilled. The search for new materials for the detectors continues and Cd_1-xMn_xTe is considered a promising material. The main obstacle hindering the application of Cd_1-xMn_xTe in the detectors is the lack of Cd_1-xMn_xTe-based diodes. In this paper we show that Schottky diodes fabricated by the deposition of colloidal graphite have good rectifying properties and low reverse currents. Their I-V curves are described analytically in terms of the generation-recombination theory based on the Shockley-Read-Hall statistics. It is shown that tunneling is responsible for the increase of the leakage currents at higher voltages and ways of its elimination are proposed.

L. A. Kosyachenko, R. Yatskiv, N. S. Yurtsenyuk, O. L. Maslyanchuk and J. Grym, “Graphite/CdMnTe Schottky diodes and their electrical characteristics”, Semicond. Sci. Technol., 29, 015006 (2014)
[Abstract]