Deflection of IR-radiation in n-InSb in the presence of temperature-electrical instability in a magnetic field

The formation of an S-shaped volt-ampere characteristic (VAC) during the heating of a specimen of n-type indium antimonide by a dc electric current in the presence of an external magnetic field is considered. In the calculation of the VAC the temperature dependences of the band gap width, the carrier density, the mobility, and the heat conductivity are taken into account. The angle of deflection of IR-radiation in indium antimonide is calculated using the density distribution over the cross section of the specimen derived from the integration of heat conductivity equation. The experimental and theoretical dependences of the deflection angle on the current are in agreement in order of magnitude and indicate that it is possible to use the temperature instability for the construction of laser radiation deflectors in the IR range.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 35–40, November, 1984.The authors are grateful to V. L. Bonch-Bruevich and I. P. Zvyagin for useful discussion and valuable critical remarks.