Growth of cadmium telluride from the vapor phase under low gravity conditions

We present a review of the vapor phase growth of cadmium telluride under conditions of reduced gravity in space. Particular emphasis is paid to the growth in a closed system by sublimation THM. Structural and electrical properties of the material grown under microgravity ((mu)-g) and earth gravity (1-g) conditions are reviewed and compared. A positive influence of (mu)-g conditions on CdTe crystal quality is reported. A brief literature survey of the vapor growth of other semiconductors (GeTe, HgI2, CdHgTe, ZnSe) in a (mu)-gravity environment is also presented.