Isothermal close space sublimation for II-VI semiconductor filling of porous matrices

Isothermal close space sublimation, a simple and low-cost physical vapour transport technique, was used to infiltrate ZnTe and CdSe semiconductors in porous silicon. The structure of the embedded materials was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis while Rutherford backscattering spectra allowed determining the composition profiles of the samples. In both cases, a constant composition of the II-VI semiconductors throughout the porous layer down to the substrate was found. Resonance Raman scattering of the ZnTe samples indicates that this semiconductor grows in nanostructured form inside the pores. Results presented in this paper suggest that isothermal close space sublimation is a promising technique for the conformal growth of II-VI semiconductors in porous silicon.