Description of vibrational properties of random alloy ZnTe 1–x Se x within the percolation model

We discuss the classification of the phonon type behavior of semiconductor alloys as apparent in the Raman and infrared spectra, i.e. in terms of types (i) 1‐bond→1‐mode and (ii) 2‐bond→1‐mode (both covered by the Modified Random Element Isodisplacement model, operating at the macroscopic scale), and also (iii) the modified 2‐mode type (exceptional), in the framework of the recent 1‐bond→2‐mode percolation model based on a description of the alloy disorder at the mesoscopic scale. The leading systems of types (i) and (iii), i.e., InGaAs and InGaP, respectively, were earlier shown to obey the percolation model. The aim of this work is to investigate whether the percolation model further extends to the leading system of the last type (ii), i.e. ZnTeSe. With this end in view, we perform a careful re‐examination of the Raman and infrared spectra of this alloy, as available in the literature. Special attention is awarded to the discussion and modeling of the puzzling multi‐mode infrared reflectivity spectra. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)