Soliton Photoconduction in the Charge-Density-Wave Conductor Orthorhombic TaS3

JETP Letters - The effect of uniaxial strain on low-temperature conduction and photoconduction of the Peierls conductor orthorhombic TaS3 is studied. A consistent increase in the conductance and...     

Electric-field-dependent energy structure of quasi-one-dimensional conductor <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-TaS<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Energy structure of the Peierls gap in orthorhombic TaS₃ is examined by spectral study of photoconduction. The gap edge and energy levels inside the Peierls gap are observed. The amplitude of the energy levels is found to depend on both the temperature and the electric field. The electric field of the order of 1–10 V/cm affects the energy levels and leads to the redistribution of intensity between peaks. The small value of the electric field indicates participation of the collective state in formation of the energy levels inside the Peierls gap. Published in Russian in Pis’ma v Zhurnal éksperimental’noĭ i Teoreticheskoĭ Fiziki, 2009, Vol. 89, No. 10, pp. 607–611. The article was translated by the authors.     

The Peierls system in a light field

This paper studies the behavior of the low-temperature phase of the Peierls system in a quasimonochromatic time-independent random light field whose frequency is much lower than the frequency of the lower edge of band-to-band transitions. The density matrix method in the dipole approximation is used to derive equations for the band gap. A dependence between the band gap and the light-field intensity is established in an approximation in which the concentration of the nonequilibrium electrons in the conduction band is low. The possibility of, and the conditions for, the existence of a light-induced semiconductor-semiconductor phase transition and cavityless optical bistability with increasing absorption are established. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 1398–1409 (April 1997)     

Influence of material design parameters on radiative recombination in GaAs doping superlattices grown by MBE

The specific luminescence process in GaAs doping superlattices arises from recombination of electrons populating low-index conduction subbands with holes in the acceptor impurity band across the indirect gap in real space. The luminescence peak energy thus directly reflects the actual value of the tunable gap for the photoexcited state of the superlattice. We have studied the tunability of the effective gap, the recombination rate, and the relative quantum efficiency on superlattice specimen of different material design parameters by means of low-temperature photoluminescence measurements. For optimized design parameters the ratio between luminescence and excitation intensity remains nearly constant over the entire tunability range of the effective gap.     

Impurity band conduction in CdHgTe crystals

Electrical conduction at 77 K in Cd_xHg_1−xTe, with the composition x ⩽ 0.2, is by electrons in the conduction band, by holes in the valence band and by holes in the impurity band. In samples with zero energy gap, x < 0.14, electrical conduction by holes in the valence band is comparable to electrical conduction by holes in the impurity band. In the open energy gap CdHgTe, electrical conduction by holes in the valence band is negligible in comparison to electrical conduction by holes in the impurity band. In CdHgTe samples, electrical conduction in the impurity band is described by the “Fermi Glass” model.     

Hopping photoconduction and its long-time kinetics in a heterosystem with Ge quantum dots in Si

The effect of interband-transition-inducing illumination on the hole hopping conduction along a two-dimensional array of Ge quantum dots in Si was studied. It is found that the photoconductance has either positive or negative sign depending on the initial filling of quantum dots with holes. In the course of illumination and after switching off the light, long-time photoconduction kinetics was observed (10²?10⁴s at T=4.2 K). The results are discussed in terms of a model based on the spatial separation of nonequilibrium electrons and holes in a potential relief formed by positively charged dots. The effect of equalization of potential barrier heights as a result of photohole capture by the charged quantum dots during the process of illumination and relaxation is suggested as an additional factor for explaining the phenomenon of persistent conduction.     

Polaron defects in a charge density wave: a model for lightly doped BaBiO3

A model for BaBiO₃ was introduced by Rice and Sneddon, which treats this material as a simple three-dimensional version of a Peierls insulator, where the insulating gap is a consequence of the ordered distortion of the oxygen atoms. Charge accumulates on half the atoms and depletes from the other half. Experimentally, when holes are added to BaBiO₃ by doping, it remains insulating until a very large hole concentration is reached, at which point it becomes superconducting. In the Rice-Sneddon model, at large enough electron-phonon coupling, a mechanism for insulating behavior of doped samples is formation of small polarons or bipolarons which trap carriers in bound states in the Peierls gap. A variational calculation of the polaron binding in this model is given, and compared with “exact” numerical results on large clusters with periodic boundary conditions.     

Photoinduced superstructure in the low-temperature phase of a Peierls system

This paper is a theoretical study of the properties of the low-temperature phase of a Peierls system when nonequilibrium electron-hole pairs are excited in the phase. A microscopic theory is developed to show that at low temperatures a spatially nonuniform periodic structure with a modulated band gap forms in the thermodynamically nonequilibrium system considered. The critical temperature of formation of such a superstructure, the critical electron-hole pair concentration, the spatial period, and the percentage modulation are calculated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1297–1314 (April 1999)     

DC conduction processes and electrical parameters of the organic semiconducting zinc phthalocyanine, ZnPc, thin films

Electronic conduction in thermally evaporated thin films of organic semiconductor zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) has been investigated in a broad temperature range using gold Ohmic contacts. Electronic conduction by charge carrier hopping was dominated at low temperatures and for all applied voltages. At higher temperatures and at voltages just below 2 V conduction was found to obey Ohm's law, while at higher voltages space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) was the dominated mechanism, which was controlled by hole-trapping states distributed exponentially within the band gap.In freshly prepared samples adsorbed oxygen was responsible for lower hole mobility and higher charge carrier concentrations. Prolonged heating of ZnPc films at 425 K resulted in lower defect state density, and thus reduced trap concentration and higher charge carrier mobility.     

Photoconductivity in mixtures of methylene iodide with diethyl ether

The photoconductivity of this system differs from that of other liquid organic semiconductors on account of the long lifetime of the predissociated state. New evidence is presented on the absorption spectra and photoconduction kinetics to show that there is a regular transition from negative conduction to positive as the concentration of the iodide and the wavelength are varied. The kinetic equations are employed to derive the photoconduction parameters (concentration and lifetime of the binary complexes and charge carriers). The activation energy for the carriers is less than that for viscous flow, which points to hole conduction. Calculations on the model agree with experiment.     

Effects of long range Coulomb interaction on the Peierls instability

The Peierls instability is studied for a one-dimensional tight-binding model of conduction electrons in the half-filled case. The long range Coulomb interaction as well as the electron-phonon coupling are taken into account. It is found that the Peierls distortion is hindered by the long wavelength charge fluctuations due to the Coulomb interaction.     

Dynamical singlets and correlation-assisted Peierls transition in VO2

A theory of the metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide from the high- temperature rutile to the low- temperature monoclinic phase is proposed on the basis of cluster dynamical mean-field theory, in conjunction with the density functional scheme. The interplay of strong electronic Coulomb interactions and structural distortions, in particular, the dimerization of vanadium atoms in the low-temperature phase, plays a crucial role. We find that VO2 is not a conventional Mott insulator, but that the formation of dynamical V-V singlet pairs due to strong Coulomb correlations is necessary to trigger the opening of a Peierls gap.     

Zener tunneling in one-dimensional organic semiconductors

Tunneling effect in one-dimensional organic semiconductors in the presence of an external electric field is studied within the framework of a tight-binding model and a nonadiabatic dynamical method. It is found that under a high electric field, electrons can transit from the valence band (VB) to the conduction band (CB), which is demonstrated to be Zener tunneling in organic semiconductors. The results also indicate a field-induced insulator-metal transition accompanied by the vanishing of the energy gap. It is found that, after the field is turned off, the Peierls phase cannot be recovered.     

On the effect of the cubic anharmonicity of the interatomic interaction on the low-temperature phase of a peierls system

The low-temperature phase of a Peierls system is studied theoretically taking into account the cubic anharmonicity of the interatomic interaction. It is shown that at a transition into the semiconductor phase a uniform deformation of the system occurs simultaneously with the atoms approaching one another in pairs. The cubic anharmonicity of the interatomic interaction (with a negative anharmonicity constant) produces a large increase in the band gap in the electronic spectrum and the order parameters—the reduced amplitude of the static phonon at the edge of the Brillouin zone and the relative uniform deformation of the atomic chain—of the metal-semiconductor phase transition. An interpretation of the experimental data on the metal-semiconductor phase transition in vanadium dioxide is given on the basis of the results obtained.     

High-pressure thermopower of sulfur

First measurements of the thermopower and transverse magnetoresistance of sulfur at ultrahigh pressures of up to ～40 GPa are reported. The conductivity of sulfur, as that of other elemental Group VI semiconductors (Te, Se), is shown to be due to valence band holes. The variation of band gap width is derived from the pressure dependence of thermopower. The observed negative magnetoresistance of sulfur at P ～ 30 GPa indicates a low hole mobility and suggests the existence of an indirect minimum gap in the electronic spectrum. The pressure-induced variation of the electronic structure of sulfur is discussed in terms of the Peierls lattice instability model.     

Photoconduction in tunnel-coupled Ge/Si quantum dot arrays

The photoconduction in a tunnel-coupled Ge/Si quantum dot (QD) array has been studied. The photoconductance (PC) sign can be either positive or negative, depending on the initial filling of QDs with holes. The PC kinetics has a long-term character (10²?10⁴ s at T = 4.2 K) and is accompanied by persistent photoconduction (PPC), whereby the PC value is not restored on the initial level even after relaxation for several hours. These phenomena are observed upon illumination by light with photon energies both greater and smaller than the silicon bandgap. A threshold light wavelength corresponding to a long-term PC kinetics depends on the QD filling with holes. A model describing the observed PC kinetics is proposed, according to which the main contribution to the PC is related to the degree of QD filling with holes. By applying the proposed model to the analysis of PC kinetics at various excitation levels, it is possible to determine the dependence of the hopping conductance on the number of holes per QD. The rate of the charge carrier density relaxation exponentially depends on the carrier density.     

Effect of radiation on the Peierls transition

The effect of radiation on the Peierls transition in a one-dimensional metal is investigated. It is pointed out that an external radiation field satisfying appropriate frequency conditions reduces the width of the Peierls gap.     

Influence of dilute nonmagnetic impurities on the peierls instability in one-dimensional conductors

It is shown that dilute nonmagnetic impurities influence the transition temperature and the energy gap of the Peierls phase in the same way as magnetic impurities change the corresponding quantities in a BCS superconductor. The Peierls system is mapped to the superconductor and some results are discussed with respect to (TTF) (TCNQ).     

Hysteresis in the electrical properties of orthorhombic tantalum trisulphide: Evidence for an incommensurate-commensurate charge-density wave transition?

A study of electrical conduction in orthorhombic TaS₃ has revealed the existence of thermal hysteresis throughout the temperature range 55 K < T < 205 K. This is attributed to variability in the wavevector q of the charge-density wave (CDW) which develops below T_p = 215 K, and confirms the recent finding, from electron diffraction, that at temperatures not too far below T_p the CDW is incommensurate with the underlying lattice. Evidence that q becomes commensurate, at least along the chain direction at 55 K is provided by the vanishing of hysteresis at that temperature, and also by a rise in the threshold field for continuous motion of the CDW.From its dependence on temperature it is concluded that between T_p and 55 K the conduction in the linear regime is better described as that of a Peierls semi-metal, rather than that of a Peierls intrinsic semiconductor. At most temperatures within that range electrical hysteresis also is observed, and a detailed study of this leads to the tentative conclusion that translation of the CDW conveys negative charge, carried presumably by negatively-charged discommensurations. The mechanisms of conduction below 55 K remain uncertain.     

Mechanism of conduction in TTF and TMTSF organic conductors from a study of their vibrational spectra

The charge transfer complexes of organic donors TTF and TMTSF have been prepared and studied with infrared spectroscopy. The nature of transition has been studied by analyzing features of absorption. TTF-TCNQ was found to be a Peierls semiconductor and not metallic. This shows that the mean field transition temperature is operative in TTF-TCNQ. TMTSF-TCNQ and TMTSF-DDQ showed lesser band gap than that of TTF-TCNQ. TTF-DDQ and TTF-I₂ also showed very small band gap and were more conducting than TTF-TCNQ. The band gaps could be assigned to either the Peierls gap or the pinning gap of charge density waves.