The determination of the x value in doped Hg _1-xCd _xTe by transmission spectra

Variable-temperature transmission/absorption spectra are measured on As-doped Hg _1-xCd _xTe grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The nonlinear temperature-dependent shift of the absorption edge is also observed, which is similar to our previous report on V _Hg (unintentionally)- doped HgCdTe. By referring to the empirical formulas of E _g(x, T), the x value of the epilayer is calculated and its inconsistency between the extreme temperatures (e.g. 10 and 300 K) is discussed. The results confirm the assumption of the effect of shallow levels on the shift of the absorption edge, and suggest that the x value (or E _g) in intrinsic/extrinsic-doped HgCdTe should be determined by referring to as low a temperature as possible (e.g. 10 K), and not the commonly used temperatures of 77 or 300 K, when the transmission spectrum should be employed. This can give brief guidelines for fabricating HgCdTe-related devices.