Preparation and characterization of tellurium surfaces

Abrasive methods of cutting and polishing tellurium single crystals are found to produce strong surface structural damage which cannot be entirely removed by annealing, even up to 400°C. Cutting and polishing by solvent methods, using chromic-hydrochloric and chromic-nitric acid mixtures, are readily carried out without producing surface defects. Structural defects can be indicated conveniently by etch pits produced using a chromic-phosphoric acid mixture. They can also be revealed by thermal etch pits, which have characteristically different shapes on the (1010) and (0001) surfaces.