Features of an intermetallic n-ZrNiSn semiconductor heavily doped with atoms of rare-earth metals

Journal Article · Mon Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Semiconductors

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063782610030048· OSTI ID:21562337

Fruchart, D; Hlil, E K ^[1]; Gladyshevskii, R E ^[2]; Gignoux, D ^[1]; Romaka, V V; Kuzhel, B S ^[2]; Krayjvskii, R V ^[3]

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1. CNRS, Institute Neel (France)
2. Ivan Franko Lviv National University (Ukraine)
3. Lvivska Politechnika National University (Ukraine)

The crystal structure, density of electron states, electron transport, and magnetic characteristics of an intermetallic n-ZrNiSn semiconductor heavily doped with atoms of rare-earth metals (R) have been studied in the ranges of temperatures 1.5-400 K, concentrations of rare-earth metal 9.5 x 10{sup 19}-9.5 x 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3}, and magnetic fields H {<=} 15 T. The regions of existence of Zr{sub 1-x}R{sub x}NiSn solid solutions are determined, criteria for solubility of atoms of rare-earth metals in ZrNiSn and for the insulator-metal transition are formulated, and the nature of 'a priori doping' of ZrNiSn is determined as a result of redistribution of Zr and Ni atoms at the crystallographic sites of Zr. Correlation between the concentration of the R impurity, the amplitude of modulation of the bands of continuous energies, and the degree of occupation of potential wells of small-scale fluctuations with charge carriers is established. The results are discussed in the context of the Shklovskii-Efros model of a heavily doped and compensated semiconductor.

• OSTI ID: 21562337
• Journal Information: Semiconductors, Vol. 44, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1134/S1063782610030048; Copyright (c) 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; ISSN 1063-7826
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ATOMS
CHARGE CARRIERS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
DENSITY
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRONS
FLUCTUATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
RARE EARTHS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SOLID SOLUTIONS
SOLUBILITY
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES
LEPTONS
MATERIALS
METALS
MIXTURES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SOLUTIONS
VARIATIONS