Deep level transient spectroscopy in Hg1−xCdxTe

We report the application of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) in Hg_1-xCd_xTe, demonstrating for the first time the utilization of DLTS techniques in a narrow band-gap semiconductor, E_g < 0.40 eV. DLTS measurements performed on an n⁺-p diode with E_g (x=0.21, T=30 K) =0.096 eV have identified an electron trap with an energy of E_v + 0.043 eV and a hole trap at E_v + 0.035 eV. Measurements of trap densities, capture cross sections, and the close proximity of the electron and hole trap locations within the band-gap suggest that DLTS may be observing both the electron and hole capture at a single Shockley-Read recombination center. The trapping parameters measured by DLTS predict minority carrier lifetime versus temperature data to be comparable with the experimentally measured values.     

Hole contribution to the elastic constants of SnTe

Ultrasonic wave velocities have been measured in SnTe single crystals with hole concentrations of 1.0 and 4.5 × 10²⁰/cm³. The shear elastic stiffness constant C₄₄ is sensitive to the hole concentration but $\text{1}\text{2}\text{(C}{}_{11}\text{? C}{}_{12}\text{)}$ is not, a result which is consistent with the valence band pockets being sited at the L points. The non-ellipsoidal, non-parabolic multivalley band model has been used to calculate the hole contribution to the elastic constants. The calculated difference between the shear constant C₄₄ (2.78 × 10¹⁰ dyne cm^-2) for the two crystals is in agreement with that measured experimentally (2.67 × 10¹⁰ dyne cm^-2). The shear deformation potential constant E_u for the SnTe valence band is 7.8 eV at 293°K.     

A Hall coefficient investigation of ferromagnetic Ga1−xMnxAs layers on (100) GaAs substrates

Ferromagnetic Ga_1−xMn_xAs epilayers with Mn mole fraction in the range of x≈2.2-4.4% were grown on semi-insulating (100) GaAs substrates using the molecular beam epitaxy technique. The transport properties of these epilayers were investigated through Hall effect measurements. The measured hole concentration of Ga_1−xMn_xAs layers varied from 4.4×10¹⁹ to 3.4×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ in the range of x≈2.2-4.4% at room temperature. From temperature dependent resisitivity data, the sample with x≈4.4% shows typical behavior for insulator Ga_1−xMn_xAs and the samples with x≈2.2 and 3.7% show typical behavior for metallic Ga_1−xMn_xAs. The Hall coefficient for the samples with x≈2.2 and 4.4% was fitted assuming a magnetic susceptibility given by Curie-Weiss law in a paramagnetic region. This model provides good fits to the measured data up to and the Curie temperature T_c was estimated to be 65, 83 K and hole concentration p was estimated to be 5.1×10¹⁹, 4.6×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ for the samples with x≈2.2 and 4.4%, respectively, confirming the existence of an anomalous Hall effect for metallic and insulating samples.     

Energy spectrum of (Sn0.65Pb0.35)0.95Ge0.05Te solid solutions

The paper reports the study on the resistivity ρ and thermoemf S of the (Sn_0.65Pb_0.35)_0.95Ge_0.05Te solid solution layers. The dependences of ρ and S on the hole concentrations in the range 3×10¹⁹–2×10²¹ cm^?3 exhibit jumps in the resistivity and thermoemf minima at close hole concentrations p ₁≈9×10¹⁹ cm^?3, p ₂≈2.5×10²⁰ cm^?3, and p ₃≈4.5×10²⁰ cm^?3. The observed jumps and minima suggest a complex structure of the valence band and the presence of critical points in the energy spectrum of holes. According to the data for SnTe, the critical points in the energy spectrum at the given hole concentrations are identified as the Σ-extremum, saddle point LΣ, and Δ-extremum, respectively.     

Valence and inner proton hole states in119in via the (d,3He) reaction

Proton holes states have been studied up toE _x=17 MeV andE _x=3.5 MeV in the¹¹⁹In nucleus via the¹²⁰Sn(d,³He)¹¹⁹In reaction respectively atE _d=108.4 MeV andE _d=51 MeV. DWBA analysis of angular distributions has allowedl attributions for a large number of new levels and the determination of valence and inner hole strength distributions. The first 1g _9/2, 2p _1/2 and 2p _3/2 levels only exhaust 40%, 60% and 32% of their respective sum rule limits. The missing strengths are shared among several low lying levels and significant higher lying contributions. The 1f strength, not identified in the previous experiments is spread fromE _x=1 MeV to about 17 MeV. The low lying levels aroundE _x=2.4 MeV could exhaust some 40% of the 1f _5/2 sum rule. The higher lying strength with a flat maximum aroundE _x=7.5 MeV could account for the 1f _7/2inner hole strength and the missing 1f _5/2 valence strength. The experimental strength functions compare rather well with the predictions of the quasiparticle-phonon model.     

Levelcrossing experiments in the first excited1 P 1 states of the alkaline earths

The hyperfine structure of the lowest¹P₁ state of²⁵Mg,⁴³Ca,⁸⁷Sr,¹³⁵Ba and¹³⁷Ba have been measured by the level-crossing and anticrossing technique. The magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole coupling constants determined by these measurements are²⁵Mg(3s3p¹P₁):A=? 7.7(5) MHz; 16 MHz>B>0 MHz,⁴³Ca(4s4p¹P₁):A=? 15.3(4) MHz; ¦B¦<12 MHz,⁸⁷Sr (5s5p¹P₁:A=? 3.4(4) MHz;B=39(4) MHz,¹³⁵Ba(6s6p¹P₁):A=? 97.5(1.0) MHz;B=31(9)MHz,¹³⁷Ba(6s6p¹P₁):A=?109.2(1.2) MHz;B=51(12)MHz. The results have been compared with the predictions of the Breit-Wills theory of the two-electron hyperfine structure using the experimental data on the³P states. Large discrepancies have been observed which are due to different radial wave functions of thes andp electron in the triplet and singlet system. This effect has been taken into account by fitting the data with the aid of two additional parameters. That this procedure is justified is shown by an analysis of the fine structure splitting, the life times, and the isotopic shifts in thesp configurations of group II elements.     

Femtosecond electron dynamics on solid surfaces probed by low energy ion scattering and stimulated desorption of secondary ions

The cations emission from condensed matter surfaces has been investigated on the basis of localization and delocalization of valence hole(s) in the femtosecond timescale. The yield of scattered H⁺ (E₀=100 eV), though negligibly small from the Pt(1 1 1) substrate, increases markedly when Ar is adsorbed on it, indicating the localization of a valence (H⁺ 1s) hole on the physisorbed Ar layer. However, the yield of H⁺ scattered from a thick H₂O layer is considerably small relative to that from Ar and CO layers. The delocalized nature of a valence hole in water ice is caused by some covalency in hydrogen bonds. Hydrated protons, H⁺(H₂O)_n, n=1,2,…,10, are emitted efficiently in electron stimulated desorption from water molecules adsorbed on the Ar layer; the ion yields are highest at the initial adsorption stage and decay steeply with increasing coverage. Coulombic repulsion between the hydrated protons confined in physisorbed nanoclusters is responsible for the explosive ion emission.     

Spectroscopy of the electron subbands on (1 1 1)-Si

We present measurements of infrared inter-subband absorption for electron subbands on (1 1 1)-Si for densities N_s up to ～ 10¹³ cm^?2 at 4.2 K for both parallel- and perpendicular-excitation geometries. Contrary to previously published work the depolarization shift is identified as a sizeable splitting of the resonance energies E^⊥₀₁ and E^z.dfnc;₀₁. The comparison with a recent calculations is given.     

New hole configurations in X-irradiated KTiOPO4 Crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance has been used to study the structure and thermostability of oxygen hole centers produced in KTiOPO₄ (KTP) crystals X-irradiated at 77 K. During the annealing of KTP crystals above 160 K the redistribution of charges took place. Four hole centers were observed at 40 K after the heating of the X-irradiated KTP crystal at different temperatures. The intensity of the hole center 1 decreased and new hole configurations (center 2 and center 3) appeared in the crystals. Theg-matrices were obtained from the angular dependencies of EPR spectra. The principalg-values for center 1 were 2.0040, 2.0209, and 2.0437. The principalg-values for centers 2 and 3 were 2.0053, 2.0204, 2.0431 and 2.0035, 2.0183, 2.0628, respectively. The transformation of Ti³⁺ spectra indicated that the trivalent titanium ions were involved into the recombination process. Subsequent annealing at temperatures above 220 K led to the formation of a new hole center 4 (g _a =2.0213,g _b =2.0236,g _c =2.0370).     

Exciton binding energy in GaAs quantum wells deduced from magneto-optical absorption measurement

Magneto-optical absorption spectra due to exciton states and Landau-levels were measured in GaAs/AlAs multi-quantum-wells. By extrapolating the photon energies of the absorption peaks to zero magnetic field, the lowest state (1S) heavy hole exciton binding energy, E^B_$\text{h}$(1S), was obtained as a function of well size L_z in the range $\text{58}\text{A}\text{?}\text{?}\text{L}{}_{\mathrm{z}}\text{?252}\text{A}\text{?}$. The L_z dependence of E^B_h showed the change of the exciton character from three-dimensional to two-dimensional with decreasing L_z. The diamagnetic shift observed for the heavy hole exciton peak was larger than that for the light hole exciton peak, showing the anisotropic nature of the Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian. The diamagnetic shift of the heavy hole exciton peak became smaller as L_z was decreased, suggesting the enhancement of the two-dimensional exciton character.     

Natural radiative lifetimes in the1 P 1 and1 F 3 sequences of Sr I

We have measured radiative lifetimes in the 5s n p ¹ P ₁ (n=5–29) and 5s n f ¹ F ₃ (n=4–11) Rydberg series in neutral strontium. The measurements were performed with single-step laser excitation starting from the ground state or from a metastable state populated by collisions. The decay photons were detected using delayed coincidence technique or a transient recorder. The presence of configuration interaction in the 5s n p ¹ P ₁ series can be observed aroundn=8. The perturbation in the 5s n f ¹ F ₃ series is not reflected in the behaviour of the lifetime values.     

The nature of anomalies in the magnetoresistance of antiferromagnetic YBa2Cu3O6+x

The characteristic d-type angular dependence of the in-plane magnetoresistance on the orientation of the external magnetic field in the (ab) plane for the antiferromagnetic tetragonal crystal YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x (x ～ 0.3) is considered theoretically. This dependence is interpreted in terms of the efficient hole transfer through the low-lying purely oxygen O 2pe _u doublet, which is not hybridized with the $b_{1g} (d_{{}_x2_ - {}_y2} )$ ground state. The external magnetic field determines the orientation of the strong exchange field acting on the b _1g e _u : ³ E _u triplet state of the hole-type CuO₄ center. The spin-orbit interaction results in orbital polarization of the E _u doublet, which is responsible for the d-type spatial anisotropy of the hole transport. The available experimental data make it possible to evaluate the parameter of the effective spin Hamiltonian. The influence of spin-vibronic effects on the hole transfer is analyzed.     

The laser-irradiated transformation of intrinsic and impurity defects in narrow-gap Pb1 − xSnxTe

Changes in the electrical and optical properties of the narrow-gap solid solution Pb_{1 − x}Sn_xTe (0 ⩽x⩽ 0.20) after IR laser radiation treatment were investigated. The considerable reduction (by a factor of ~10²) of hole concentration and a gain in hole mobility was established. Transformation of the EPR spectra of Mn doped PbTe was also observed.The observed changes in the properties of Pb_{1 − x}Sn_xTe single crystals are connected with the transformation of the intrinsic and impurity defect states of Pb_{1 − x}Sn_xTe and with the drop in the microinclusions enriched with metal components of Pb_{1 − x}Sn_xTe or metal impurities. The resulting thermodiffusion of the metallic atoms to the electrically active vacancies of Pb(Sn) in the Pb_{1 − x}Sn_xTe lattice explains the reduction of hole concentration and gain in mobility.     

The influence of AlN interlayers on the microstructural and electrical properties of p-type AlGaN/GaN superlattices grown on GaN/sapphire templates

AlN with different thicknesses were grown as interlayers (ILs) between GaN and p-type Al_0.15Ga_0.85N/GaN superlattices (SLs) by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). It was found that the edge-type threading dislocation density (TDD) increased gradually from the minimum of 2.5×10⁹?cm^?2 without AlN IL to the maximum of 1×10¹⁰?cm^?2 at an AlN thickness of 20 nm, while the screw-type TDD remained almost unchanged due to the interface-related TD suppression and regeneration mechanism. We obtained that the edge-type dislocations acted as acceptors in p-type Al _x Ga_1?x N/GaN SLs, through the comparison of the edge-type TDD and hole concentration with different thicknesses of AlN IL. The Mg activation energy was significantly decreased from 153 to 70?meV with a?10-nm AlN IL, which was attributed to the strain modulation between AlGaN barrier and GaN well. The large activation efficiency, together with the TDs, led to the enhanced hole concentration. The variation trend of Hall mobility was also observed, which originated from the scattering at TDs.     

Hall effect and conductivity in thin films of low temperature chalcocite Cu2S at 20°C as a function of stoichiometry

Thin films of Cu_xS with stoichiometric compositions between Cu_2.000S and Cu_1.995S, i.e. monoclinic chalcocite have been prepared by evaporation of Cu_1.8S and by reactive sputtering deposition from a Cu target in an Ar-H₂S-H₂, atmosphere. The hole concentration c_h and the hole conductivity σ_h have been determined as a function of the composition x of Cu_xS at 20°C using the van der Pauw method for Hall effect and electrical conductivity measurements. From the results the Hall mobility u_h for holes has been calculated. The values for Cu_1.999S are σ_h = 7Ω^?1 cm^?1, c_h = 1.5 × 10¹⁹cm^?3u_h = 3 cm²V^?1sec^?1, those for Cu_1.995S are σ_h=35Ω^?1cm^?1, c_h=1.0 × 10²⁰ cm^?3, u_h=2 cm² V^? sec^?1. Values for intermediate stoichiometries will be reported in the text.     

The Hall effect in selectively doped strained-layer Ge-Ge1−xSix superlattices superlattices

For the first time, research on the unique galvanomagnetic properties of the hole gas in the channels of selectively doped CVD Ge-Ge_1−XSi_X (X≤0, 2) superlattices with strained Ge layers was carried out. We have obtained a high value of the hole mobility 1.5 × 10⁴ cm²/V s (T = 4, 2 K) at a hole concentrations of (1–5) × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ in SLs channels. It is shown that the main contribution into the longitudinal conductivity of strained Ge-Ge_1−XSi_X SL due to light hole band splitting under the strains in Ge layers.     

Magnetic phase diagram simulation of La1−xCaxMnO3 system by using Monte Carlo, Metropolis algorithm and Heisenberg model

This work presents a critical temperature study of La_1−xCa_xMnO₃ manganites in bulk by means of Monte Carlo method thermal activated magnetic properties. The analysis was carried out for stoichiometries in the range of 0≤x≤1. The model is based on a three-dimensional classical Heisenberg-Hamiltonian involving the presence of Mn^3+eg, Mn^3+eg′ and Mn⁴⁺ ions, and their nearest neighbor interaction. For this modeling, simple cubic lattice samples of size L³, with L=6, 15 and 30 were used. The values of exchange parameters were determined by using LaMnO₃ (x=0), La_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ and CaMnO₃ (x=1) phases. Relationships between exchange parameters and anisotropy constants for different hole densities were found. Results of transition temperatures for each phase showed good agreement with experimental reports, especially for L=30 and L→∞.     

Stark effect investigations of the 4f 14 6s 6p 3 P 1 and1 P 1 levels of ytterbium

The tensor polarizabilities of the 4f ¹⁴ 6s 6p ³ P ₁ level were investigated for all stable Ytterbium isotopes by the method of optical double resonance. The tensor polarizabilities were deduced from the rf-resonance signals in parallel electric and magnetic fields. The value obtained for the even Yb isotopes is in good agreement with the results derived from the measurements on the odd isotopes. The mean value isα _ten(³ P ₁)0=5.99(34)kHz/(kV/cm)². The tensor polarizability of the 4f ¹⁴ 6s 6p ¹ P ₁ level of¹⁷¹Yb was measured by means of the level crossing technique with parallel electric and magnetic fields. The experimental result isα _ten(¹ P ₁)=?14.3(1.4)kHz/(kV/cm)². This is compared with the prediction of the LS coupling approximation using the experimental data of the³ P ₁ level. Only poor agreement is obtained which is due to the configuration mixing in the¹P₁ level.     

Physical properties of the delafossite LaCuO2

High-quality LaCuO₂, elaborated by solid-state reaction in sealed tube, crystallizes in the delafossite structure. The thermal analysis under reducing atmosphere (H₂/N₂: 1/9) revealed a stoichiometric composition LaCuO_2.00. The oxide is a direct band-gap semiconductor with a forbidden band of 2.77 eV. The magnetic susceptibility follows a Curie-Weiss law from which a Cu²⁺ concentration of 1% has been determined. The oxygen insertion in the layered crystal lattice induces p-type conductivity. The electrical conduction occurs predominantly by small polaron hopping between mixed valences Cu^+/2+ with an activation energy of 0.28 eV and a hole mobility (μ_300 K=3.5×10⁻⁷ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹), thermally activated. Most holes are trapped in surface-polaron states upon gap excitation. The photoelectrochemical study, reported for the first time, confirms the p-type conduction. The flat band potential (V_fb=0.15 V_SCE) and the hole density (N_A=5.8×10¹⁷ cm⁻³) were determined, respectively, by extrapolating the curve C⁻² versus the potential to their intersection with C⁻²=0 and from the slope of the linear part in the Mott-Schottky plot. The valence band is made up of Cu-3d orbital, positioned at 4.9 eV below vacuum. An energy band diagram has been established predicting the possibility of the oxide to be used as hydrogen photocathode.