A. G. Gavriliuk, N. V. Kazak, S. G. Ovchinnikov, I. S. Lyubutin, “Electronic transitions in the VBO<sub>3</sub> single crystal at high pressures”, Pis'ma v Zh. Èksper. Teoret. Fiz., 2008, Volume 88, Issue 11,Pages <nobr>877

This article is cited in 3 papers

CONDENSED MATTER

Electronic transitions in the VBO₃ single crystal at high pressures

A. G. Gavriliuk^ab, N. V. Kazak^c, S. G. Ovchinnikov^cd, I. S. Lyubutin^a

^a Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 59, Moscow, 119333, Russia
^b Institute for High Pressure Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow region, 142190, Russia
^c Kirensky Institute of Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Akademgorodok, Krasnoyarsk, 660036, Russia
^d Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, 660041, Russia

Abstract: Optical absorption spectra of single crystals of the ferromagnetic semiconductor VBO₃ are studied at high pressures up to 70 GPa achieved in a diamond-anvil cell. An electronic transition accompanied by sharp changes in the optical parameters and a decrease in the optical gap from E ₀ = 3.02 eV to 2.25 eV is found at the pressure P _C ~ 30 GPa. The gap does not disappear in the high-pressure phase and its value becomes typical of semiconductors. This is indicative of a semiconductor-semiconductor transition. The transition to the metallic state may occur at the critical pressure P _met ≈ 290 GPa.

PACS: 74.62.Fj, 75.50.-y, 78.70.En, 81.40.Rs

Received: 30.10.2008