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X-Ray Correlation of the A-B Layer Order of Cadmium Selenide with the Sign of the Polar Axis

Abstract

CADMIUM selenide (CdSe) is typical of the hexagonal semiconducting compounds formed from elements of Group II and Group VI of the Periodic Table. It possesses the wurtzite structure and contains a unique polar axis (the c-axis). Compression along this axis produces opposite electric charges on the basal faces, which also differ in their response to etching and in other properties. An examination of the crystal structure as shown in Fig. 1 shows the polarity clearly. Viewed normal to the c-axis, pairs of closely spaced cadmium–selenium layers are seen. The ‘cadmium side’ and the ‘selenium side’ are defined in Fig. 1.

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ZARE, R., COOK, W. & SHIOZAWA, L. X-Ray Correlation of the A-B Layer Order of Cadmium Selenide with the Sign of the Polar Axis. Nature 189, 217–219 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/189217b0

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