About the Role of Minority Carriers in the Impurity Conduction of GaSb

Abstract

AbstractMeasurements are made of electrical conductivity, Hall coefficient (R), and thermo‐e.m.f. (α) in GaSb crystals doped with Zn and Te over a wide range of concentrations from 80 to 600 °K. In the pure n‐type samples an anomalous temperature dependence of R is observed, which is considered to be due to a higher subband. In compensated p‐type samples the inversion of the signs of R and α occurs at lower temperatures than in pure p‐GaSb. This is explained by the mixed nature of the conductivity. In compensated p‐type and lightly doped n‐type samples the contribution of minority carriers to α and R is more important than in heavily doped n‐type samples. It is supposed that in pure p‐type crystals of GaSb, uncontrolled compensating impurities cause the contribution of minority carriers to R to be large. This decreases the effective value of the Hall coefficient.