Impact of the nanosecond volume discharge in atmospheric pressure air on the distribution of the surface potential of epitaxial HgCdTe

In this paper we present the results of our research of the impact of nanosecond volume discharge on the electronic properties of the near-surface region of epitaxial Hg1−x Cd x Te films. We show that the distribution of the surface potential and, as a consequence, the material composition of the individual crystal grains that form V-defects possess a complex structure and contain regions with elevated content of both mercury and cadmium. The volume discharge treatment of the film surface leads to a decrease of the mercury content in individual crystal grains compared to the bulk of Hg1−x Cd x Te epitaxial film. This indicates a higher mercury desorption rate from the V-defect region.