Comprehensive research of the structural, optical and electrical properties of a PbTe/CaF 2 /Si(1 1 1) epitaxial system after anodic electrochemical treatment in a Norr solution electrolyte with a low current density of 6 mA cm −2 was carried out. It is shown that the anodizing results in the increase of the band gap and resistivity and in the decrease of the refractive index of lead telluride. Using secondary ion mass spectrometry, a specific change of the C, K, H element distribution in depth of PbTe films after electrochemical treatment was detected. It is demonstrated that the set of presented experimental results can be explained from the standpoint of the formation of a mesoporous structure of lead telluride with a porosity value of about 50%. The effective radius of PbTe nanoparticles is equal to 13 nm. Triple-crystal x-ray diffractometry results analysis showed that the pores have spherical voids with an average dimension of 40 nm.

X-ray, Auger-electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy investigations of the Pb 1−x Eu x Se film structure with variation of x from 0.00 to 0.16 were carried out. The 2-4 µm thick films were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates with a CaF 2 buffer layer by molecular beam epitaxy. We show that the films have a high structural perfection degree for all x values. Triangular terraces and exit pits of threading dislocations were found on the film surfaces. The x-ray peaks of CaF 2 (1 1 1) and Si (1 1 1) are distinguished and correlated with the Eu penetration into the volume of the thin buffer layer. A tensile in-plane strain ε II in the Pb 1−x Eu x Se films is calculated to be equal to 0.15%-0.24%. The microstrain value ε in the Si near-surface layers was found to be equal to (4.2 ± 1.0) × 10 −5 . The surface morphology of the films changes after high-density inductively coupled argon plasma processing is described. The role of threading dislocations and terraces on the morphology modification of the surface during plasma treatment is shown.

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