Evidence for a large valence-band offset at HgTe-CdTe heterojunctions

Most theoretical and experimental studies of HgTe-CdTe interfaces have found a valence-band offset of 20.35 eV, and in many cases much lower. Here it is suggested that the available theoretical calculations can equally well be interpreted as indicating a valence-band offset of nearly 0.5 eV, which is apparently consistent with the limited experimental evidence available. © 1989 The American Physical Society.