Band alignment at the interface of PbTe/SnTe heterojunction determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We report the determination of band alignment of PbTe/SnTe (111) heterojunction interfaces using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Multiple core levels of Pb and Sn were utilized to determine the valence band offset (VBO) of the heterojunction. The XPS result shows a type-III band alignment with the VBO of 1.37 +/- 0.18 eV and the conduction band offset (CBO) of 1.23 +/- 0.18 eV. The experimental determination of the band alignment of the PbTe/SnTe heterojunction shall benefit the improvement of PbTe/SnTe-related optoelectronic and electronic devices. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2016