Intrinsic concentration dependences in the HgCdTe quantum well in the range of the insulator-semimetal topological transition

Abstract

The band structure and dependences of the intrinsic concentration in the mercury-cadmium-telluride (MCT) Hg₀.₃₂Cd₀.₆₈Te/Hg₀ Cd₀ Te/Hg₀.₃₂Cd₀.₆₈Te quantum wells in the framework of the 8x8 k.p envelope function method on the well width L and composition x were calculated. Modeling of the energy spectra showed that the intrinsic concentration can vary about an order of magnitude with variation of the well width and chemical composition in the range of x < 0.16 and well width L < 20 nm at the liquid nitrogen temperature. These strong variations of the carrier concentration are caused by the insulator-semimetal topological transition.