Simple theoretical analysis of the thermoelectric power in quantum dot superlattices of non-parabolic heavily doped semiconductors with graded interfaces under strong magnetic field

We study theoretically the thermoelectric power in the presence of a large magnetic field (TPM) in heavily doped III–V, II–VI, PbTe/PbSnTe, strained layer and HgTe/CdTe quantum dot superlattices (QDSLs) with graded structures on the basis of newly formulated electron energy spectra and compare the same with that of the constituent materials. It has been found, taking heavily doped GaAs/Ga_1−xAl_xAs, CdS/CdTe, PbTe/PbSnTe, InAs/GaSb and HgTe/CdTe QDSLs as examples, that the TPM increases with increasing inverse electron concentration and film thickness, respectively, in different oscillatory manners and the nature of oscillations is totally band structure dependent. We have also suggested the experimental methods of determining the Einstein relation for the diffusivity–mobility ratio, the Debye screening length and the electronic contribution to the elastic constants for materials having arbitrary dispersion laws.     

The thermoelectric power in superlattices of III–V semiconductors with graded structures under strong magnetic quantization

Summary An attempt is made to formulate the thermoelectric power under strong magnetic quantization (TPM) in superlattices (SLS) of III–V semiconductors with graded structures and to compare the same with that of the forming materials. It is found, taking Ga_0.8In_0.14P_0.78Sb_0.22/GaAs SL as an example, that the TPM increases with increasing quantizing magnetic field and decreases with increasing electron concentration respectively in an oscillatory manner. The TPM in SL with graded structures is greater than that of the constituent bulk materials for III–V SL.     

Influence of quantum confinement on the photoemission from superlattices of optoelectronic materials

We study the photoemission from quantum wire and quantum dot superlattices with graded interfaces of optoelectronic materials on the basis of newly formulated electron dispersion relations in the presence of external photo-excitation. Besides, the influence of a magnetic field on the photoemission from the aforementioned superlattices together with quantum well superlattices in the presence of a quantizing magnetic field has also been studied in this context. It has been observed taking into account HgTe/Hg_1−xCd_xTe and In_xGa_1−xAs/InP that the photoemission from these nanostructures increases with increasing photon energy in quantized steps and exhibits oscillatory dependences with the increase in carrier concentration. Besides, the photoemission decreases with increasing light intensity and wavelength, together with the fact that said emission decreases with increasing thickness exhibiting oscillatory spikes. The strong dependences of the photoemission on the light intensity reflects the direct signature of light waves on the carrier energy spectra. The content of this paper finds six applications in the fields of low dimensional systems in general.     

IV–VI compound compositional and doping superlattices

Structural, electronic, optical and magnetooptical investigations on compositional superlattices (mainly PbTe/PbSnTe, PbTe/PbEuSeTe) are summarized. Recent results on transport and magnetooptical effects in PbTe doping superlattices are presented and examples for an excellent photoconductivity response of these structures in the 5μm region are given.     

Influence of quantization of band states on the effective electron mass in quaternary alloys

Summary An attempt is made to study the effective electron mass in quaternary alloys, taking a In_1−x Ga _x As _y P_1−y lattice matched to InP, by using the three-band Kane model under different physical conditions,e.g. bulk specimens, magnetic quantization, cross-field configuration, quantum well, electric-field-aided quantum well, magnetic-field-aided quantum well, quantum well under cross fields, quantum well wires, electric-field-aided quantum well wires, magnetic-field-aided quantum well wires and quantum well wires under cross fields by formulating the respective expressions. We have plotted the effective Fermi level mass with various physical variables under different conditions. In the presence of a quantizing magnetic field the effective mass depends on the spin splitting of Landau levels due to the spin-orbit splitting parameter of the valence bands. Under cross-field configuration and the various quantum confined low-dimensional systems, the effective masses depend on the respective quantum numbers in addition to the Fermi energies even for parabolic models because of the inherent features of such systems. In addition, the corresponding results for relatively wide-gap materials have also been obtained from our generalized formulations under certain limiting conditions.     

Einstein relation in n-i-p-i and microstructures of nonlinear optical, optoelectronic and related materials: Simplified theory, relative comparison and suggestions for an experimental determination

We investigate the Einstein relation for the diffusivity-mobility ratio (DMR) for n-i-p-i and the microstructures of nonlinear optical compounds on the basis of a newly formulated electron dispersion law. The corresponding results for III-V, ternary and quaternary materials form a special case of our generalized analysis. The respective DMRs for II-VI, IV-VI and stressed materials have been studied. It has been found that taking CdGeAs₂, Cd₃As₂, InAs, InSb, Hg_1−xCd_xTe, In_1−xGa_xAs_yP_1−y lattices matched to InP, CdS, PbTe, PbSnTe and Pb_1−xSn_xSe and stressed InSb as examples that the DMR increases with increasing electron concentration in various manners with different numerical magnitudes which reflect the different signatures of the n-i-p-i systems and the corresponding microstructures. We have suggested an experimental method of determining the DMR in this case and the present simplified analysis is in agreement with the suggested relationship. In addition, our results find three applications in the field of quantum effect devices.     

Piezoelectric coefficients of multilayer Pb(Zr,Ti)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films

Sol–gel techniques were used to prepare thin films of Pb(Zr _x ,Ti_1−x )O₃ (PZT) with three different Zr/Ti ratios and a graded PZT film with three different compositional layers. A Michelson interferometer was used to measure the thickness strains due to an applied ac electric field. Effective d ₃₃ piezoelectric strain coefficients were computed from the experimental data. Interfacial pinning caused these coefficients to differ from the true ones. They were corrected for the pinning using both an analytical model and finite-element analysis. The corrected coefficients of the PZT (52/48) sample were in excellent agreement with values of bulk materials. The coefficients of the multilayer sample were very low, probably due to insufficient poling or domain switching.     

Carrier mobility in nonstoichiometric n-Bi2Te3−x Sex solid solutions

A study has been made of the thermoelectric and galvanomagnetic properties of n-Bi₂Te_3−x Se_x solid solutions (x=0.3 and 0.36) in the temperature range 80–300 K. The lowest carrier concentrations, (0.8–1)×10¹⁸ cm⁻³, were obtained by displacing the solid solution from the stoichiometric to a Te-rich composition. At such carrier concentrations, the second subband in the conduction band of n-Bi₂Te_3−x Se_x is not filled, which results in a growth of mobility because of the absence of interband scattering, and brings about an increase of thermoelectric efficiency in the 80–120-K range. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 483–487 (March 1997)     

Role of surface phenomena in the magnetoresistivity of polycrystalline manganites La1−x CaxMnO3

The dc electrical resistivity and magnetoresistivity of polycrystalline manganites La_1−x Ca_xMnO₃ (x=0–0.3) are investigated as functions of the temperature, magnetic field and electric field, along with the microwave surface resistance. The investigations show that the dc electrical resistivity and magnetoresistivity are governed by the surface properties of the intergranular boundaries. The dc electrical resistivity is observed to decrease substantially (tenfold) for a comparatively small electric field (E⋟100 V/cm). Estimates are obtained for the internal electrical resistivity of the granules, the thickness of the contact layer (which depends on the temperature and the magnetic field), and the height of the potential barrier between the interfaces separating the surface layer and inner layer of a granule. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1881–1884 (October 1998)     

Effect of constant-energy surface anisotropy on the thermoelectric figure-of-merit of the n-Bi2 (Te,Se,S)3 solid solutions

A study is reported of the thermoelectric and galvanomagnetic properties of n-Bi₂Te_3−x−y Se_xSe_y solid solutions for 0.12⩽x⩽0.36 and 0.12⩽y⩽0.21 within the 80–300 K temperature region. The thermoelectric figure-of-merit Z has been found to correlate with the parameters of the many-valley energy-band model including anisotropic carrier scattering. It is shown that a decrease in the constant-energy surface anisotropy and scattering anisotropy results in a growth of Z for optimum carrier concentrations in the solid solution. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 187–192 (February 1999)     

Thermoelectric Properties of the TlBiS<Subscript>2</Subscript>-PbS Alloys

High efficiency of thermoelectric conversion can be achieved by using materials with a high Seebeck coefficient, high electrical conductivity, and low thermal conductivity. Mass-difference-scattering of the phonons is one of the most effective way for reducing the thermal conductivity in bulk thermoelectric materials. Investigations of transport phenomena in (TlBiS₂)_1-x (2PbS)_x alloys system have shown that in solid solutions of the (A³B⁵C ₂ ⁶ )_1-x (2A⁴B⁶)_x type at cation substitution according to scheme 2A⁴⁽⁺²⁾ A ³⁽⁺¹⁾ + B⁵⁽⁺³⁾ occurs a strong decrease of the lattice thermal conductivity. In the vicinity of x = 0. 50 the lattice part of thermal conductivity of (TlBiS₂)_1-x (2PbS)_x alloys decreases down to 0. 26 W/mK, i. e., it approaches the theoretical minimum. As a result, the thermoelectric figure of merit for these alloys ( 25%) exceeds the respective value for lead sulfide at room temperature.     

Anomalies of the electronic properties of alloys in the presence of variation of the local magnetic moments

The concentration dependences of the electronic properties (residual electrical resistivity, diffusion thermoelectric power, normal Hall effect, and low-temperature specific heat) and the magnetic characteristics (magnetization and paramagnetic susceptibility) of quasibinary (Pd_xPt_1−x )₃Fe, Pt₃Mn_xFe_1−x , (Pd_xAu_1−x )₃Fe, and Sc_xTi_1−x Fe₂ alloys are investigated. A relationship is established between the anomalous behavior of the kinetic properties and the variation of the local magnetic moments. The absence of corresponding anomalies in the concentration dependence of the specific heat indicates that the density of states at the Fermi level does not change significantly and, therefore, that the conventional Mott two-band model cannot be used to describe the anomalies in the properties of the alloys in question. A single interpretation of the sum-total of the experimental results is given on the basis of the theory of local fluctuations of the electron spin density in metal magnets. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1257–1262 (July 1997)     

Optical and magnetooptical properties of granular alloys with giant magnetoresistance in the IR region of the spectrum

The features of the optical and magnetooptical properties of granular alloys with giant magnetoresistance in the IR region are examined in reference to the magnetorefractive effect and the equatorial Kerr effect. Calculations are performed within the semiclassical approximation with consideration of spin-dependent scattering in the bulk of the granules and on their surfaces (interfaces). The expressions obtained for σ _xx(ω) and σ _xy(ω) are found to be sensitive to scattering on the surfaces and in the bulk of the granules, as well as to granule size, the type of impurities trapped on the interfaces, the frequency of the incident light, and the external magnetic field. For granular thin films exhibiting giant magnetoresistance, the theory predicts significant relative changes in the optical reflection and transmission coefficients when the sample is magnetized to saturation (0.02% and 20%, respectively, for giant magnetoresistance of the order of 20%), as well as Kerr and Faraday effects that are nonlinear with respect to magnetization. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1762–1769 (November 1999)     

Thermoelectric performance in pseudo-ternary (PbTe)0.95-x(Sb2Se3)x(PbS)0.05 system with ultra-low thermal conductivity via multi-scale phonon scattering

Among the intermediate temperature (500–900 K) thermoelectric materials, both the p- and n-type lead telluride (PbTe) compounds have attracted extensive interests. Till date various approaches were adopted to enhance the thermoelectric performance of n-type PbTe-based materials as they show greater potential space for further improvement compared to p-type ones. Herein, a pseudo-ternary n-type (PbTe)_0.95-x(Sb₂Se₃)_x(PbS)_0.05 system was designed and a large value of ZT = 1.61 at 850 K in case of x = 0.01 was achieved. Two factors are responsible for the improved thermoelectric performance. The incorporation of lead sulfide is the key factor to maintain a high level of power factor above 700 K and the multi-scale hierarchical architectures yield ultra-low thermal conductivity.     

Influence of Y3+ doping on the high-temperature transport mechanism and thermoelectric response of misfit-layered Ca3Co4O9

The high-temperature transport and thermoelectric characteristics of Ca_3−x Y _x Co₄O₉ (x=0–0.75) series were studied up to 1000 K. The results reveal that the substitution of Y³⁺ for Ca²⁺ not only increases resistivity but also gradually alters the transport mechanism. The localization of carriers narrows bandwidth, which induces the evolution of the system from metal to variable-range hopping semiconductor and then to thermally activated semiconductor. The increasing thermopower with doping originates from the reduction of carrier concentration along with enhanced electronic correlations. Thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of Ca₃Co₄O₉ system is improved by Y doping. However, the optimal thermoelectric performance is found to only exist at the critical doping level where doping-induced metal–semiconductor transition occurs. This result suggests an intrinsic correlation between transport mechanism and thermoelectric response in this system.     

Growth of the magnetic semiconductor Fe2? x Ti x O3± δ thin films by pulsed laser deposition

The understanding and control of the ilmenite–hematite solid solutions (Fe_2−x Ti _x O_3±δ or IH) thin film structure and properties are crucial for spintronics applications. Good quality films of Fe_2−x Ti _x O_3±δ on Al₂O₃(0001) substrates were obtained by pulsed laser deposition. For the studied compositions (x=1, 0.7, 0.5) in a wide oxygen pressure range all the films were epitaxial, with flat interfaces, and without secondary phases. Unconventional lattice strain relaxation with the increase of in-plane lattice parameter above its relaxed bulk value was observed for different film compositions, oxygen pressures, substrate temperatures, and film growth rates. This phenomenon is most likely explained by the buckling of a few first film monolayers because of a significant compressive stress induced on the film by the sapphire substrate. The IH thin films with x=0.7 and 0.5 exhibited the properties of a room temperature magnetic semiconductor. The resistivity changed over three orders of magnitude in the studied pressure range, thus clearly demonstrating the important role of oxygen stoichiometry in the creation of carriers.     

Convection in the bridgman growth of narrow-gap semiconductors

Summary The free convection in the melt during the crystal growth of small-gap semiconductors, and its influence on the electrical properties are discussed. Dimensionaless parameters of the fluid flow, electrical properties of PbTe, Pb_1−x Sn _x Te and Hg_1−x Cd _x Te single crystals, grown by vertical Bridgman technique at very low velocity, and some structures, found in these materials, support the presence of free convection.     

Far-infrared spectral studies of magnesium and aluminum co-substituted lithium ferrites

Polycrystalline Mg_xAl_2xLi_0.5(1−x)Fe_2.5(1−x) O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7) ferrites were prepared by standard ceramic method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The spectra show two significant absorption bands in the wave number range of 400–1000 cm⁻¹ arising from interatomic vibrations in the tetrahedral and octahedral coordination compounds. The decrease in intensity and increase in broadness of bands with concentration (x) are explained on the basis of cation distribution. The force constants and bulk modulus are found to decrease with Mg-Al content (x) which suggested weakening of interatomic bonding. An alternate method for the determination of bulk modulus, longitudinal and transverse velocities is suggested. The magnetic and electrical properties of these compounds are explained in the light of structural and optical properties.     

Spin resonant optical four wave mixing in Pb1−xSnxTTe epitaxial layers and in Pb1−xSnx/PbTe superlattices

Spin resonances of the third-order non-linear susceptibility of epitaxial layers of n- and p-type Pb_1?xSn_xTe and Pb_1?xSn_xTe/PbTe superlatttices have been observed by four photon mixing of the radiation of two CO₂-lasers. Precise data on the effective g-values of the electrons and holes of Pb_1?xSn_xTe were obtained. These data and the results of magneto-optical interband absorption measurements are used to obtain k·p parameters within the Mitchell and Wallis band model. In the Pb_1?xSn_xTe/PbTe superlattices, the same g-values for electrons as in the Pb_1?xSn_xTe films with the same composition x are found. Consequently, the electrons in the superlattices are confined within the Pb_1?xSn_xTe layers. Therefore the Pb_1?xSn_xTe/PbTe system forms a type I and not a staggered superlattice.