Electrical resistance and thermoelectric power of the metastable phases in tellurium-base alloys

[摘要] By using techniques of rapid quenching from the melt, metastablephases have been obtained in ternary alloys which contain tellurium as amajor component and two of the three noble metals (Cu, Ag, Au) asminor components. The metastable phases found in this investigationare either simple cubic or amorphous. The formation of the simplecubic phase is discussed. The electrical resistance and the thermoelectricpower of the simple cubic alloy (Au₃₀Te₇₀) have been measuredand interpreted in terms of atomic bondings. The semiconductingproperties of a metastable amorphous alloy (Au₅Cu₂₅Te₇₀) have beenmeasured. The experimental results are discussed in connection witha theoretical consideration of the validity of band theory in an amorphoussolid. The existence of extrinsic conduction in an amorphous semiconductoris suggested by the result of electrical resistance and thermoelectricpower measurements.

[发布机构] University:California Institute of Technology;Department:Engineering and Applied Science

[关键词] Materials Science