Reassignment of oxygen-related defects in CdTe and CdSe

This thesis reassigns the OTe-VCd complex in CdTe and the OSe-VCd complex in CdSe to a sulfur-dioxygen complex SO2*, and the OCd defect in CdSe to a VCdH2 complex using Fourier transformed infrared absorption spectroscopy. The publications of the previous complexes were investigated by theoreticians who performed first-principle calculations of theses complexes. The theoreticians ruled out the assignments and proposed alternative defects, instead. The discrepancy between the experimentally obtained and theoretically proposed defects was the motivation of this work. Two local vibrational modes located at 1096.8 (v1) and 1108.3 cm-1 (v2) previously assigned to an OTeV_Cd complex are detected in CdTe single crystals doped with CdSO4 powder. Five weaker additional absorption lines accompanying v1 and v2 could be detected. The relative intensities of the absorption lines match a sulfur-dioxygen complex SO2* having two configurations labeled v1 and v2. A binding energy difference of 0.5+-0.1meV between the two configurations and an energy barrier of 53+-4 meV separating the two configurations are determined. Uniaxial stress applied to the crystal leads to a splitting of the absorption lines which corresponds to an orthorhombic and monoclinic symmetry for v1 and v2, respectively. In virgin and oxygen-doped CdSe single crystals, three local vibrational modes located at 1094.1 (gamma_1), 1107.5 (gamma_2), and 1126.3 cm-1 (gamma_3) previously attributed to an OSe-VCd complex could be observed. The signals are accompanied by five weaker additional absorption features in their vicinity. The additional absorption lines are identified as isotope satellites of a sulfur-dioxygen complex SO2* having three configurations gamma_1, gamma_2, and gamma_3. IR absorption measurements with uniaxial stress applied to the CdSe crystal yield a monoclinic C1h symmetry for gamma_1 and gamma_2. The SO2* complex is stable up to 600 C. This thesis assigns the v- lines in CdTe and gamma-lines in CdSe to local vibrational modes of a sulfur-dioxygen complex SO2*. A hydrogen-doped CdSe single crystal exhibits two absorption lines at 1992 (SeH$_\\parallel$) and 2001 cm-1 (SeH$_\\perp$). Both signals show a red-shift in frequency to 1454 (SeD$_\\parallel$) and 1461 cm-1 (SeD$_\\perp$) when hydrogen is replaced by deuterium. This frequency shift in combination with the fine structure of the absorption lines arising from Se isotopes yields a VCdH2 defect giving rise to SeH$_\\parallel$ and SeH$_\\perp$. This contradicts the previously assignment of the two absorptions lines to an OCd defect. The SeH$_\\parallel$ and SeH$_\\perp$ vibrational modes are found to be aligned parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis of the crystal, respectively. The VCdH2 defect is stable up to a temperature of 525 C