Effect of excess tin on the electrical properties of SnTe thin films
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of temperature and thickness on the electrical transport properties of 10% excess tin-doped polycrystalline SnTe thin films were investigated and it was concluded that the material exhibits a p-type degenerate behaviour.
Abstract: The influence of temperature and thickness on the electrical transport properties of 10% excess tin-doped polycrystalline SnTe thin films were investigated. From the observed variation of electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient it is concluded that the material exhibits a p-type degenerate behaviour. Using the size effect data, different physical parameters such as Fermi energy, effective mass and scattering parameter were evaluated and compared with the results on SnTe thin films to understand the effect of excess tin.
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TL;DR: In this article, the synthesis and development of new Dirac materials by disturbing the SnTe symmetry was accomplished by substitution of a Sn vacancy by P that maintains the intrinsic band inversion at the L point but also the direct bandgap reduction upon the incorporation of spin orbit coupling.
Abstract: SnTe has recently emerged as a 3D crystalline topological insulator exhibiting band inversion at the L point where certain crystalline symmetries allow the protection of robust topological surface states. Synthesis and development of new Dirac materials by disturbing the SnTe symmetry was accomplished by substitution of a Sn vacancy by P that maintains the intrinsic band inversion at the L point but also the direct bandgap reduction upon the incorporation of spin orbit coupling. The exotic morphology of the synthesized P-doped SnTe microneedles produces signal amplification arising from the topological surface states due to the alteration of surface area to volume ratio. Moreover, the modified effective mass, lattice imperfection, and conductivity results in a large memory window ∼3.1 V for field effect transistors accompanied by a large change in current within a certain potential range.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the electronic properties of SnTe under pressure were studied using first-principles calculations and it was shown that the band gap energy changes non-monotonically with pressure, gradually reducing to zero, then rising.
7 citations
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TL;DR: The mean free path of electrons in metals has been studied in this paper, where the authors show that electrons follow a straight line along the path of the electron in the metal atom.
Abstract: (2001). The mean free path of electrons in metals. Advances in Physics: Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 499-537.
2,273 citations
IBM1
TL;DR: In this paper, the total resistivity of a thin metal film is calculated from a model in which three types of electron scattering mechanisms are simultaneously operative: an isotropic background scattering (due to the combined effects of phonons and point defects), scattering due to a distribution of planar potentials (grain boundaries), and scattering by the external surfaces.
Abstract: In this paper, the total resistivity of a thin metal film is calculated from a model in which three types of electron scattering mechanisms are simultaneously operative: an isotropic background scattering (due to the combined effects of phonons and point defects), scattering due to a distribution of planar potentials (grain boundaries), and scattering due to the external surfaces. The intrinsic or bulk resistivity is obtained by solving a Boltzmann equation in which both grain-boundary and background scattering are accounted for. The total resistivity is obtained by imposing boundary conditions due to the external surfaces (as in the Fuchs theory) on this Boltzmann equation. Interpretation of published data on grain-boundary scattering in bulk materials in terms of the calculated intrinsic resistivity, and of thin-film data in terms of the calculated total resistivity suggests that (i) the grain-boundary reflection coefficient in Al is \ensuremath{\approx} 0.15, while it is somewhat higher in Cu; (ii) the observed thickness dependence of the resistivity in thin films is due to grain-boundary scattering as well as to the Fuchs size effect; and (iii) the common observation that single-crystal films possess lower resistivities than polycrystalline films may be accounted for by grain-boundary effects rather than by differences in the nature of surface scattering.
1,842 citations
01 Jan 1938
TL;DR: In this paper, the conductivity of thin films of the alkali metals has been measured in the H. W. Wills Physical Laboratory, Bristol and the experimental results were compared with a formula derived on the basis of this hypothesis.
Abstract: The conductivity of thin films of the alkali metals has recently been measured in the H. W. Wills Physical Laboratory, Bristol*. It was found that as the thickness of the film is decreased to that of a few atomic layers the conductivity drops below that of the bulk metal. In the papers quoted the hypothesis was put forward that this effect is due to the shortening of the mean free paths of the conduction electrons of the metal by collisions with the boundaries of the film. The experimental results were compared with a formula derived on the basis of this hypothesis. This formula was, however, obtained subject to a number of simplifying assumptions, and it is the first purpose of this paper to obtain a more accurate formula. I also compare this formula with experiment, and make certain deductions about the surfaces of thin films.
1,812 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model for estimating effects due to electron scattering from grain boundaries, occurring simultaneously with background scattering, was developed for polycrystalline metal films in which a very fine-grained structure is often found.
Abstract: A model is developed for estimating effects due to electron scattering from grain boundaries, occurring simultaneously with background scattering. Since grain‐boundary effects are negligible in bulk materials, the model is particularly relevant to polycrystalline metal films in which a very fine‐grained structure is often found. It is shown by solution of the appropriate Boltzmann equation, that the total resistivity can be strongly dominated by grain‐boundary scattering. If grain size increases with film thickness, a marked dependence of resistivity on thickness exists, even when scattering from external surfaces is negligible or is completely specular.
393 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors measured the apparent hole concentration at 300° and 77°K for single crystals saturated with Sn or Te between 550° and 797°C and quenched.
205 citations