Metastable impurity bands: Conduction in Si1−xCox and Si1−xNix alloy films

Conductivity data for silicon-nickel and silicon-cobalt films prepared by electron beam evaporation shows a hopping conduction at metal concentrations in the range of 1 to 6 at.%. A semiconductor-to-metal transition was observed at metal concentrations of 15 at.% Co for SiCo and 13 at.% Ni for SiNi films.