Skip to main content
Log in

Density-of-states anomaly and tunneling conductance of Au/p-GaAs0.94Sb0.06 contacts near the metal-insulator transition

  • Electronic and Optical Properties of Semiconductors
  • Published:
Semiconductors Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The tunneling-current anomaly in Au/p-GaAs0.94Sb0.06 contacts at zero bias voltage (V) → 0) is investigated. Epitaxial layers of the solid solution GaAs0.94Sb0.06 are doped with germanium and have a conductivity close to that at the metal-insulator transition. The square-root dependence of the differential conductance G(V)=(dV/dI)−1 at small values of eV>kT TT predicted by the Al’tshuler-Aronov theory of quantum corrections to the density of states at the Fermi level in disordered conductors is observed. Satisfactory agreement between the experimental data and theory is observed at hole densities (p) in the layers greater than the critical density for the metal-insulator transition p c , but the relative magnitude of the anomaly is sharply smaller at p<p c . This confirms the specificity of the condition k F l⩾1 (instead of

) for applicability of the theory for the density-of-states anomaly appearing as a result of electron-electron interactions in a three dimensional electron gas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tunneling Phenomena in Solids, edited by E. Burstein and S. Lundqvist (Plenum Press, New York, 1969; Mir, Moscow, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  2. B. L. Altshuler and A. G. Aronov, Physica B 126, 314 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  3. B. L. Altshuler and A. G. Aronov, in Electron Interactions in Disordered Systems, Elsevier (1985), Chap. 1, p. 1.

  4. P. A. Lee and T. V. Ramakrishman, Rev. Mod. Phys. 57, 287 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. B. L. Altshuler and A. G. Aronov, Solid State Commun. 30, 115 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. B. I. Shklovskii and A. L. Efros, Electronic Properties of Doped Semiconductors (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1984; Nauka, Moscow, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  7. R. C. Dynes and J. P. Garno, Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 137 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. R. Sood, Phys. Rev. B 25, 6064 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Y. Imry and Z. Ovadyahu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 841 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. W. L. McMillan and J. Mochal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 556 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. G. Hertel, D. J. Bishop, E. G. Spencer, J. M. Rowell, and R. C. Dynes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 50, 743 (1971).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. N. A. Mora, S. Bermon, and J. J. Loferski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 664 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. G. Mahan and J. W. Conley, Appl. Phys. Lett. 11, 29 (1967).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. N. A. Mora, S. Bermon, and F. N. Pollak, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 225 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. N. A. Mora, J. J. Loferski, and S. Bermon, in Proceedings of the International Conference on Radiation, Damage, and Defects in Semiconductors, Reading, Berkshire, England, 19–21 July 1972, Institute of Physics (1973), p. 103.

  16. K. P. Abdurakhmanov, Sh. Mirakhmedov, A. Tashabaev, and S. S. Khudaiberdiev, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 10, 658 (1976) [Sov. Phys. Semicond. 10, 393 (1976)].

    Google Scholar 

  17. T. Yu. Allen, T. A. Polyanskaya, Kh. G. Nazhmudinov, and I. G. Savel’ev, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 579 (1998) [Semiconductors 32, 517 (1998)].

    Google Scholar 

  18. T. Yu. Allen, T. A. Polyanskaya, Kh. G. Nazhmudinov, S. G. Yastrebov, and I. G. Savel’ev, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 574 (1998) [Semiconductors 32, 513 (1998)].

    Google Scholar 

  19. V. G. Karyaev, Kh. G. Nazhmudinov, M. V. Egorova, and I. G. Savel’ev, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 20, 1634 (1986) [Sov. Phys. Semicond. 20, 1025 (1986)].

    Google Scholar 

  20. L. V. Sharonova, T. A. Polyanskaya, Kh. G. Nazhmudinov, V. N. Karyaev, and L. A. Zaitseva, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 22, 93 (1988) [Sov. Phys. Semicond. 22, 57 (1988)].

    Google Scholar 

  21. T. Yu. Bil’gil’deeva, V. N. Karyaev, and T. A. Polyanskaya, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 22, 381 (1988) [Sov. Phys. Semicond. 22, 235 (1988)].

    Google Scholar 

  22. T. Yu. Bilgildeeva and T. A. Polyanskaya, Phys. Status Solidi B 149, 649 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  23. T. Yu. Allen and T. A. Polyanskaya, Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 31, 587 (1997) [Semiconductors 31, 496 (1997)].

    Google Scholar 

  24. A. H. Wilson Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 136, 487 (1932).

    ADS  MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. J. Conley and G. Mahan, Phys. Rev. 161, 681 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. W. L. McMillan and J. M. Mochel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 556 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. G. Vignale and W. Hanke, Phys. Rev. B 36, 2924 (1987).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 1424–1431 (December 1998)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Allen, T.Y., Nazhmudinov, K.G. & Polyanskaya, T.A. Density-of-states anomaly and tunneling conductance of Au/p-GaAs0.94Sb0.06 contacts near the metal-insulator transition. Semiconductors 32, 1270–1276 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1187613

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1187613

Keywords

Navigation