Morphology improvement of the Hg_1-xCd_xTe liquid-phase epilayers by meltback step

Some factors affect the surface morphology of Hg_1-xCd_xTe epilayers grown from Te-rich solution by a vertical dipping liquid phase epitaxy technique. One is the substrate contamination which occurs during the homogenization of the source ingot. A protecting coverage on the substrate during the homogenization period, a melt-etched substrate with suitable undersaturation, and an epilayer meltback step at the end of LPE growth can help to improve the surface morphology and crystal quality of the Hg_1-xCd_xTe epilayers.