Electrical conductivity and crystallization kinetics of amorphous Se0.81In0.19 films

• Published in: Physica. B, Condensed matter Condensed matter, 2005-09, Vol.366 (1-4), p.38-43
• Main Authors: ABDEL-WAHAB, F. A, EL-HAKIM, S. A, KOTKATA, M. F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amorphous semiconductors; glasses; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Physics
• ISSN: 0921-4526; 1873-2135
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physb.2005.05.018

The temperature dependence of the DC conductivity (a) of amorphous Se and Se0.81In0.19 thin films, prepared by thermal evaporation, has been studied. The incorporation of In atoms in a Se matrix leads to an increase in the electrical conductivity of Se0.81In0.19 and to a decrease in the thermal activation energy of conduction from 0.57 to 0.24 eV. The change in a with time during the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation is recorded for Se0.81In0.19 films at different isothermal temperatures in the range 343-373 K. The results indicate that the micro-heterogeneous structures of the films have a remarkable influence on the electrical conductivity during the amorphous-to-crystalline transition. The formal crystallization theory of Avrami has been used to calculate the kinetic parameters of crystallization. The activation energy of the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation is found to be 0.82 and 1.29 eV, respectively, for the two stages of crystallization during the time period of the transformation process. Ys: [e-mail]