Charge transport mechanisms in Schottky diodes based on low-resistance CdTe:Mn

CdTe:Mn crystals with a resistivity of $\sim$ 1 $\Omega$ cm at 300 K and Schottky diodes based on them are investigated. The electrical conductivity of the material and its temperature variations are explained in terms of the statistics of electrons and holes in semiconductors with allowance for the compensation processes. The ionization energy and the degree of compensation of the donors responsible for the conductivity are determined. It is shown that, in the case of forward connection and low reverse biases, the currents in Au/CdTe:Mn Schottky diode are determined by generation-recombination processes in the space-charge region. At higher reverse biases (above 1.5–2 V) the excess current is caused by electron tunneling from the metal to the semiconductor, and at even higher voltages ($>$ 6–7 V) an additional increase in the reverse current due to avalanche processes is observed.