Positron chemical potential and diffusion constant in AlSb crystal compound under compression

Abstract

The positron characteristics such as chemical potential, affinity, effective mass and diffusion constant in AlSb indirect band-gap semiconductor are investigated at zero pressure and under compression. The calculations are mainly performed in the framework of a pseudopotential approach. We follow the evolution of all features of interest as a function of pressure. Our results show that upon compression, the positron becomes thermalized in a time longer than that at zero pressure. Moreover, its affinity decreases with raising pressure indicating that it annihilates differently from zero pressure. A close inspection of the positron diffusion constant suggests that the positron diffuses better under applied pressure. The present contribution can be a useful support for studying positron annihilation in indirect band gap semiconducting materials.