Study of defects in CdTe heterostructures using imaging confocal photoluminescence and photoluminescence intensity measurements

Confocal photoluminescence is shown to be a powerful tool for analyzing defect structure in epitaxial CdTe appropriate for photovoltaic applications. Non-radiative defects such as dislocations are easily mapped and quantified. Photoluminescence intensity measurements are shown to be a valuable tool for quantifying interface state density. Very low dislocation density and twin content can be achieved for epitaxial CdTe, and low interface state densities result from using CdMgTe barriers.