Luminescence due to lattice-mismatch defects in ZnTe layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Abstract
Two sharp and intense emission bands with the maxima of 2.185 and 2.150 eV and a weak phonon coupling were investigated in the heteroepitaxial ZnTe layers. The study of the ZnTe layers grown on different substrates with thicknesses of 0.5–3.2 μm has shown that this luminescence is produced in the interface region that contains a high density of structural defects. The temperature dependence of these bands reveals the excitonic character of the recombination. We propose that the observed bands originate from the recombination of excitons localized at structural defects such as dislocations and associated defects.