Temperature dependence of the elastic constants of gallium antimonide

Abstract

The adiabatic elastic stiffness constants of single crystal gallium antimonide were measured as a function of temperature from 4·2°K to 300°K by the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. A pure ( p-type) and a doped ( n-type) sample were used. Both samples have carrier concentrations of the order of 10 17 cm −3. There was no significant difference between the elastic constants of these samples. The elastic constants of the pure sample at 4·2°K (in unit of 10 11 dyn-cm −2) are as follows: C 11=9·092, C 12=4·148, C 44=4·440 The Debye temperature was calculated using the values of elastic constants at 4·2°K. The result is 269 ± 3°K which agrees well with the 269·5°K from specific heat data.