Influence of the electron-phonon interaction on the temperature dependence of the phonon mode frequency in the II-VI compound solid solutions

We present an experimental investigation of the temperature dependence of the TO-phonon mode frequencies for the HgTe-based II-VI semiconductor solid solutions. In the case of the ternary Hg0.9Zn0.1Te solid solution was shown a discontinuity in the temperature dependence of the HgTe-like T-0-mode and of the ZnTe-like T-1-mode, similar to the Hg0.85Cd0.15Te system [Sheregii et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 045504 (2009)]. A generalization of the theoretical temperature shift of the phonon mode frequency as analytic equation is derived that includes both the anharmonic contribution and the electron-phonon e-p interaction which in this case is returnable-the electron subsystem effect on the phonon one. Data show that our equation satisfactorily describes the temperature shift of both Hg0.85Cd0.15Te and Hg0.90Zn0.10Te containing Dirac point (Eg equivalent to Gamma(6) - Gamma(8) = 0) although one of the two constants describing the anharmonic shift of the HgTe-like mode should be positive what is abnormal too. In the case of the Hg0.80Cd0.20Te and Hg0.763Zn0.237Te solid solution, the role of the returnable e-p contribution is negligible but a positive temperature shift for the HgTe-like modes occurs. This result does not allow to explain the positive temperature shift of these modes merely by the contribution of the (e-p) interaction. Indeed, the relativistic contribution to the chemical bonds induces an abnormal temperature shift of the electron states in Hg-based semiconductors-the effect is expected since the Hg d spin-orbit split contribution to chemical bonds may lead to an abnormal temperature shift of the HgTe-like modes. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.