Electrical switching in chalcogenide liquid semiconductors

Reversible electrical switching from a higher resistance off-state to a lower resistance on-state has been observed in several chalcogenide semiconductor alloys both in the solid and liquid phases. Experiments conducted between 100 and 500°C showed that the threshold switching voltage decreases with increasing ambient temperature, and that the on-state resistance remains relatively constant up to the melting region but generally increases thereafter. The alloy Se_0.77Te_0.13S_0.10 shows a preserved on-state which can be maintained using 60 Hz ac in both the solid and liquid phases. The on-state can be reversed to the off-state by decreasing the applied field, and hence is not a conventional memory state. Below the melting region (250°C) the on-state I–V curve has a distinct knee or barrier voltage above which the current increases steeply. Above the melting range the knee becomes less clearly defined and occurs at a lower voltage. Below 345°C the above alloy has an activation energy of 0.37 eV. At this temperature an abrupt slope change or a discontuinity exists in the temperature dependence of off-state resistance, threshold field, threshold power and on-state resistance.     

Electrical and optical properties of CdS nanocrystalline semiconductors

II‐VI semiconductor nanoparticles have recently attracted a lot of attention due to the possibility of their application in various devices. In the present study, chemical method has been used in synthesis of CdS nanoparticles and thiophenol was used as capping agent. X‐ray diffraction studies of both samples were done. The dc conductivity of CdS increases at a lower rate or is approximately constant upto 500K and thereafter the conductivity increases at a rapid rate. Beyond T_c it is seen that the portion of the σ_dc versus 1000/T is almost a straight line showing an Arrehenious behaviour. The dielectric constant of nanoparticles of CdS is found to be larger than the corresponding values of CdS crystals. It is clearly observed that at lower wavelengths nanocrystalline samples show a blue‐shift. The three peaks of sample (S2), A, Band C can be ascribed to the transition from Cd‐O complex donor formed by adsorbed oxygen to the valance band, Cd ‐ excess acceptor and the surface states, respectively. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrical,structural and optical properties of amorphous carbon

The planar and transverse electrical resistivity of amorphous carbon (a-C) films getter-sputtered at low temperature (77–95 K) is well-fitted by the expression $\text{? = ?}{}_0\text{exp}\text{(T}{}_0\text{/T)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ The exponent T₀ being approximately the same in both cases (≈ 7 × 10⁷ K) suggests that the amorphous films are isotropic. Films thinner than 600 Å display a two-dimensional hopping conductivity from which one deduces a density of states N(E_F) at the Fermi level of 10¹⁸ eV^?1 cm^?3 and a radius of the localized wave functions (a) of 12 Å. Tunneling experiments and optical absorption measurements are consistent with a pseudogap of approximately 0.8 eV. Electron diffraction experiments indicate that a-C films consist of a mixture of diamond and graphite bonds; this fact taken in the light of the other experiments would suggest that the graphite bonds act as the localized conduction states.     

Optical properties of amorphous semiconductors

The density of states and the dielectric constant of electrons in crystalline solids can be discussed easily by using the band structure scheme. This is due to the fact that a crystal is defined by both a short range order and a long range order of atoms. If the long range order is relaxed this procedure no longer works and one has to calculate the measurable quantities directly, which involves some configurational averaging process.     

Femtosecond optical Kerr effect study of amorphous chalcogenide films

The non-resonant third-order non-linear optical properties of some amorphous chalcogenide films were studied experimentally by the method of the femtosecond optical heterodyne detection of the optical Kerr effect. The real and imaginary parts of the complex third-order optical non-linearity could be effectively separated and their values and signs could be also determined. Amorphous chalcogenide films showed a very fast response in the range of 200 fs under ultrafast excitation. The ultrafast response and large third-order non-linearity are attributed to the ultrafast distortion of the electron orbitals surrounding the average positions of the nucleus of chalcogen atoms. The high third-order susceptibility and a fast response time of amorphous chalcogenide films make them promising materials for application in advanced techniques especially in optical switching.     

Some predicted properties of amorphous semiconductors with undulatorily-graded band edges

After a brief review of the theory proposed by Inglis and Williams¹), some properties predictable from the model are discussed. The probable origin of the graded compositional or structural inhomogeneities is considered. The temperature- and field-dependent conductivity is formulated. The application of the theory is outlined for several types of amorphous semiconductors, for an associated liquid, and for materials unidirectionally-graded undulatorily.     

High E-field microwave properties of bulk amorphous semiconductors

The effects of high microwave electric fields on bulk amorphous semiconductors were studied at room temperature. Samples of eight different glasses were mounted in the center of a reduced height, X-band waveguide in a sandwich geometry parallel to the electric field of the dominant mode. Samples were 90 mil (2.286 mm) square by 8.5 mil (0.2159 mm) thick with thin-film CrAu electrodes. The microwave conductivity remained constant at field strengths below a critical value near 10⁴V/cm. Above this value, which depends upon the microwave pulse length, switching to a low-resistance state was observed with the thermal breakdown as the switching initiation mechanism.     

Investigation of anisotropy in as-evaporated amorphous chalcogenide thin films by optical waveguiding

Intrinsic birefringence in as-evaporated As_xS_1−x amorphous films have been measured by means of waveguiding technique. The anisotropy is between the directions in the film plane and the perpendicular ones. Dark relaxation, annealing behavior as well as compositional dependence of the optical anisotropy in fresh amorphous films are used for analysis of the effect in terms of the microscopic model proposed. A simple phenomenological model, based on distinct structural sites in chalcogenides, is shown to qualitatively explain some aspects of this phenomenon.     

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power in amorphous As2Se3Tlx semiconductors

Dc conductivity and thermopower measurements as a function of temperature have been performed on solid As₂Se₃Tl_x glasses with x ranging from 0 to 1.99. Investigations have been extended to low temperatures. By substitution of Tl the conductivity can be increased by more than 5 orders of magnitude without changing the type of transport mechanism. Band-like conduction is observed with holes being the dominant charge carriers. The three-dimensional network of As₂Se₃ is assumed to be modified by the Tl atoms; this leads mainly to a decrease in the activation energy.     

Conducting filaments and switching phenomena in chalcogenide semiconductors

The sizes of the conducting filaments formed after switching operations in chalcogenide semiconductors have been measured as functions of input power in the on-state and specimen thickness using a scanning electron microscope. The experimental results show that the threshold switching involves double injection from both metallic contacts in the sandwich structure, and the combination of the electrothermal and the electronic processes. The conducting filament responsible for the switching consists of two permanent portions, one started from the anode and the other from the cathode, which have undergone a permanent change in material composition and structure after even one switching operation; and one temporary portion between the ends of the two permanent portions, which has not undergone any change in material composition or structure after many switching operations. The size of each portion depends strongly on the current level in the on-state, at which the filament is formed.     

Electronic-thermal switching and memory in chalcogenide glassy semiconductors

A constant value of the activation energy of direct current conductivity in chalcogenide glassy semiconductors is a strong evidence of the existence of negative-U centers in these materials. Multiphonon tunnel ionization of negative-U centers in strong electric fields is the cause of current-voltage characteristic nonlinearity. Taking into account the Joule heating allows to obtain electronic-thermal instability and then form an S-shaped current-voltage characteristic. The model described in this paper is in good agreement with the available experimental data on chalcogenide glassy semiconductors.     

State and prospects of investigations of chalcogenide vitreous semiconductors

The paper reports on the most interesting studies of the doping, transport, optical and luminiscence properties of chalcogenide vitreous semiconductors (ChVS) and reversible structural transformations in ChVS. Some prospects of applications of ChVS are analyzed.     

Electrical and optical properties of CuGaTe2

The electrical and optical properties of CuGaTe₂ single crystals were investigated by resistivity and Hall effect measurements in the temperatur range T = 77… 300 K and optical transmission measurements in the temperature range T = 20… 300 K at photon energies hν = 1.15…1.50 eV. All samples were p-type conducting due to shallow acceptors with ionization energies E_A1 ≈︁ 10⁻³ eV and concentrations N_A1 ≈︁ p = (2…4). 10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The absorption spectra could be described by simultaneous consideration of acceptor - to - conduction band transitions with E_A2 = 360 meV and N_A2 ≈︁ 10²² cm⁻³ and valence band - to - conduction band transitions with E_G = 1.24 eV at room temperaure. The temperature coefficient of the fundamental edge is dE_G/dT = −4.0. 10⁻⁴ eV/K. The results are discussed with regard to some general trends found in the Cu-III–VI₂ compounds.     

The electrical and optical properties of amorphous germanium-gallium alloys

The paper extends an earlier study of the far infrared properties of a series of evaporated amorphous GeGa alloys. The results of temperature dependent dc resistivity and near infrared and visible optical experiments are presented. Since the properties of amorphous films are dependent on the preparation conditions, a technique has been developed in which four samples of varying composition are prepared in the same evaporation. The far infrared data indicate that a significant fraction of Ga atoms dissolve in a-Ge with four-fold coordination. However, there is also indirect evidence of mixed valence.     

Electrical properties of amorphous and crystalline InSb and InAs thin films

Amorphous films of indium antimonide (0.02–0.26 μm) and indium arsenide (0.03–0.3 μm) were formed on goldseal glass, freshly cleaved mica and NaCl substrates by using a “flash evaporation” technique. The post-deposition heat treatment was carried out on these films when the amorphous → crystalline transformation was observed. The transformation was characterized by a sudden and large fall in the resistance of the film at a particular temperature depending on the thickness. This transformation was confirmed by transmission electron micrographs and diffraction patterns obtained on the films before and after heat treatment. The transformation temperatures lie between 495–525 K for indium antimonide and 550–575 K for indium aresenide, for the thickness range involved in our investigations. The electrical conductivity measurements showed a temperature dependent activation in the high temperature region and hopping conduction in the low temperature region (Mott's theory). The activation energies, at different temperatures for various thicknesses were calculated and presented. While no Hall mobility could be observed in as-deposited films, very low mobilities were observed in annealed thick films (t > 2000 Å). Thermoelectric power for InSb films was found to vary from 0.075–0.17 mV/K for films of thickness ranging from 1000–2300 Å, whereas for InAs films, its value varied from 0.09–0.27 mV/K for the thickness range, 1250–2500 Å. These measurements indicated the conductivity to be n-type and supported the hopping conduction mechanism observed in low temperature conductivity measurements.