Mercury containment for liquid phase growth of mercury cadmium telluride from tellurium-rich solution

Claim 1

In a method of mercury containment in the liquid phase epitaxial growth of mercury cadmium telluride from a tellurium-rich solution having steps including, providing a slider type graphite boat for use in a liquid phase epitaxy growth furnace, providing a well through the graphite boat, providing a charge of Te-rich (Hg 1-x Cd x ) 1-y Te y into the well and providing a plug over the charge, providing a boat base-member having a recess therein and providing a semiconductor substrate in said recess, the base member and boat being slideably movable one with respect to the other to allow orientation of the well and recess when desired, so that when oriented, Hg 1-x Cd x Te can grown on said substrate, providing a graphite cover over the graphic boat, and heating the boat in the growth furnace; the improvement comprising the step of providing another mercury supplying charge beneath the cover to generate a Hg vapor pressure approximately equal to the Hg vapor pressure arising from the (Hg 1-x Cd x ) 1-y Te y charge to thereby contain and preclude loss of Hg from the charge of Te-rich (Hg 1-x Cd x ) 1-y Te y .