ISSN:
1572-9486
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Abstract Conductivity, photoconductivity, thermoelectric, Hall and photothermoelectric measurements have been carried out on vacuum evaporated, air exposed PbTe films of different thickness in the temperature range 300 K-130 K to probe into the mechanism of conduction and photoconduction in these films. The dark electronic transport properties have been explained considering accumulation layers on the free surface and substrate-film interface and also the diffusion of oxygen inside PbTe microcrystals. It appears that both bulk and potential barrier scattering predominate in the high temperature region (300 K-250 K) and only barrier scattering can explain the low temperature carrier mobility at lower temperatures (250 K-130 K). Photoconductivity can be described with trapping of minority carriers within the PbTe microcrystals in the low temperature region and in the high temperature region with diffusion of minority carriers to the surface. The same oxygen trap situated at a depth of 0·06 eV from the conduction band is found to be responsible for both conduction and photoconduction in the low temperature region.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01596746
