Room temperature, local tailoring of electronic properties of Hg _0.3Cd_0.7Te by applying an external electric field

Electronic properties of initially homogeneous (Hg,Cd)Te samples have been modified on a local scale, in a stable manner at room temperature, by reverse biasing of small-area Schottky contacts on them. This was shown, after the bias voltage had been lifted, by current-voltage measurements and by electron beam-induced current scans. The creation of a clear diodelike structure in the vicinity of the Schottky contact on a scale of about hundred μm could be explained by electromigration of electrically active ions and/or by generation of point and line defects. The latter type of defect was revealed by chemical etch after application of the field.