Rearrangement of electronic structure of Pb1-x-ySnxVyTe under pressure

Abstract

The galvanomagnetic properties in weak magnetic fields (4.2≤T≤300 K, B≤0.07 T) and the Shubnikov-de Haas effect (T = 4.2 K, B≤7 T) in the single crystal Pb1-x-ySnxVyTe (x = 0.05-0.20, y≤0.01) alloys at atmospheric pressure and under hydrostatic compression up to 15 kbar have been investigated. We found that the increase of the vanadium impurity content leads to the p-n-conversion, transition to the insulating phase and to the pinning of Fermi level by the deep impurity level, lying under the bottom of the conduction band. Under pressure a decrease of the activation energy of the vanadium level, the n-p-inversion of the conductivity type at low temperatures and an insulator-metal transition occur. The pressure and the temperature coefficients of vanadium deep level energy are determined and the diagram of the electronic structure rearrangement for Pb1-x-ySnxVyTe under pressure is proposed.