Anomalies in the electrical properties of bismuth-antimony alloy thin films. I. Changes in the properties with varying composition
Аннотация
Changes in the electrical resistivity, in the magnetoresistivity coefficient, and in the Hall coefficient with varying composition of Bi1−x Sbx alloys were studied at 4.2°K on specimens in the form of epitaxial thin films. The antimony content x was varied from 0.01 to 0.20 and the thickness of specimens was varied from 3000 to 20,000 Å. A departure from expected changes in the properties of films was found within the semimetal range and an absence of transition to the semiconducting state at x ≈ 0.065, unlike in the case of certain properties characterizing bulk crystals of Bil−xSbx alloys. These anomalies are explained by curving of the film potential near the surface and, consequently, are attributable to the boundedness in one dimension of these alloy thin-films.