Analysis of carrier concentration, lifetime, and electron mobility on p-type HgCdTe

Minority carrier transport characteristics of vacancy-doped p-type HgCdTe such as carrier concentration, lifetime, and mobility are investigated. In the calculation of the carrier concentration two acceptor levels—a donor level and a trap level—were taken into account. The acceptor levels have been described by two models—two independent singly ionized levels and a divalent level with two ionization energies. When each model was examined by calculating electron mobility as a function of temperature, the latter was found to be more accurate. Electron mobility as a function of majority carrier concentration was also presented for both n-type and p-type HgCdTe with 0.225 Cd mole fraction. Steady state electron lifetime was computed assuming the acceptor levels and the trap level would act as Schokley–Read–Hall type recombination centers. The calculated results using the divalent acceptor model were in good agreement with the experimental data.