This article is cited in 5 papers

Electronic properties of semiconductors

Features of the conduction mechanisms of the $n$-HfNiSn semiconductor heavily doped with the Co acceptor impurity

V. A. Romaka^ab, P. Rogl^c, Yu. V. Stadnyk^d, V. V. Romaka^b, E. K. Hlil^e, V. Ya. Krayovskyy^b, A. M. Horyn<sup>d

a</sup> Ya. S. Pidstryhach Institute for Applied Problems of Mechanics and Mathematics, NAS Ukraine, L'vov
^b Lviv Polytechnic National University
^c Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Wien, A-1090, Wien, Austria
^d Ivan Franko National University of L'viv
^e Institut Neel, CNRS, BP 166, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

Abstract: The crystalline structure, electron density distribution, energy and kinetic parameters of a HfNi$_{1-x}$Co$_x$Sn semiconductor heavily doped with a Co acceptor impurity are studied in the ranges $T$ = 80–1620 K and $N^{\mathrm{Co}}_A$ from 9.5 $\times$ 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$ (at $x$ = 0.05) to 7.6 $\times$ 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$ (at $x$ = 0.40). It is shown that variations in the activation energy of hopping conduction $\varepsilon^\rho_3(x)$ and the modulation amplitudes of continuous energy bands $\varepsilon^\alpha_1(x)$ are caused by the appearance of a donor source in the $n$-type HfNi$_{1-x}$Co$_x$Sn semiconductor. It is shown that the doping of $n$-HfNiSn with a Co acceptor impurity is accompanied by a change in the degree of compensation of the semiconductor due to the simultaneous generation of both structural acceptor-type defects during Ni atom substitution with Co atoms and structural donor-type defects during the partial occupation of Ni sites by Sn atoms. The results are discussed within the Shklovskii–Efros model for a heavily doped and compensated semiconductor.

Received: 30.01.2012
Accepted: 14.02.2012

 English version: Semiconductors, 2012, 46:9, 1106–1113

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