Pt coldfinger improves quality of Bridgman-grown Cd0.9Zn0.1Te:Bi crystals

Cadmium zinc telluride (Cd1−xZnxTe) crystals have many applications in optoelectronics and as room-temperature detectors. We grew bismuth-doped CZT crystals by the standard Bridgman Oscillation Method, and compared them with such crystals grown in the thermal environment of a furnace modified with a Pt coldfinger (metal rod). The coldfinger serves as a tool for stabilizing the solid–liquid interface by extracting heat from the as-grown crystal, and thereby improving the ingot's crystalline quality. We detailed the crystal's quality via high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence (μSXRF) images, as well as by etch-pit density (EPD) measurements. Our results demonstrated that the Pt coldfinger is an effective tool for improving the quality of CZT bulk material.