Optical and Transport Properties of Epitaxial Pb0.74Sn0.26Te(In) Films with a Modifiable Surface

The results of studies of the optical and transport properties of epitaxial Pb0.74Sn0.26Te(In) films with a differently treated surface are presented. A comparative analysis of the results makes it possible to establish that the characteristic features of the photoconductivity spectra are defined by processes in the bulk while the surface states have practically no effect on the spectra. At the same time, the photoresponse kinetics and the rate of relaxation processes are heavily dependent on the state of the surface. The characteristic relaxation times of nonequilibrium charge carriers (about several milliseconds) are such that it is possible to use the methods of standard Fourier-transform spectroscopy to characterize optical transitions in the bulk.