Electrical properties of semiconducting glasses in the quasi-binary CdGeAs2-CdSiAs2 system

The electrical properties of melt quenched CdGe/sub 1-x/Si/sub x/As2 glasses and crystallized glasses were investigated. The activation energy for electrical conductivity of glasses followed Vergard's law in the composition range x = 0.5--1.0. Compositions with x<0.5 were inhomogeneous due to amorphous phase separation resulting in significant departures from Vegard's law. Crystallization of glasses by vacuum heat treatment resulted in reversal in the type of conductivity. Hall measurements suggest greater degeneracy and high conductivity of the x = 0.5 glass; this composition also showed the least temperature dependence of the electrical properties. The experimental data on phase stability, electrical and transport properties of the quasi-binary CdGeAs2-CdSiAs2 glasses are discussed in the context of potential device applications