Organometallic synthesis of II-VI semiconductor materials. I. The reactions of ditellurides with elemental mercury.

Owing to the high mobility and high vapor pressure of mercury, mercury-containing materials must be prepared at comparatively low temperatures. Organic ditellurides (RTeTeR, where R is some organic substituent) are convenient sources of tellurium in the low-temperature synthesis of II-VI materials such as mercury telluride. Since the mechanistic details of many of the chemical reactions involved in organometallic vapor phase epitaxy are not well-understood, we have initiated the study of the reaction paths leading from ditellurides to II-VI materials. We have found that bis(organyitelluro)mercury compounds (RTeHgTeR), which are prepared from ditellurides and elemental mercury, decompose cleanly at low pyrolysis temperatures to give mercury telluride and diorganyitellurium compounds. Details of these reactions are discussed, and reaction mechanisms proposed.