Research Progress on Postgrowth Annealing of Cd1−xMnxTe Crystals

Abstract Cadmium manganese telluride (Cd 1− x Mn x Te, abbreviated CMT) crystals have high resistivity, wide bandgap and good carrier transport properties, as well as being superior to traditional CdZnTe crystals in some respects. Therefore, CMT crystals are promising materials for room‐temperature nuclear radiation detectors. However, as‐grown CMT crystals usually include many defects dominated by Te inclusions. These defects greatly affect the device performance. In this paper, main defects such as point defects, dislocations, and inclusions in CMT materials are summarized and discussed. Postgrowth annealing is used to reduce and eliminate defects. It is a great method to improve the properties of as‐grown crystals. Annealing process includes annealing method, atmosphere, temperature, and time. The research progress of annealing process on crystal quality, photoelectric properties, and detector performance is reviewed.