CaF2 surface passivation of lead selenide grown on BaF2

A new method of surface passivation of PbSe epitaxial layers by growing a thin epitaxial CaF2 layer is proposed. Improvement in photoluminescence (PL) intensity is observed when the PbSe layer is passivated. The minority carrier lifetime (τ), measured by photo-current decay method corroborates PL measurements and shows a consistent, albeit not considerable, improvement in the lifetime of PbSe samples after surface passivation. The positive effect of surface passivation, especially at low heat-sink temperature, offered by a new passivating material is critically important for IV-VI material-based infrared detector and sensor applications.