Some features of the conduction band structure, transport and optical properties of n-type Mg/sub 2/Si-Mg/sub 2/Sn alloys

• Published in: Twenty-First International Conference on Thermoelectrics, 2002. Proceedings ICT '02 pp. 151 - 154
• Main Authors: Zaitsev, V.K., Fedorov, M.I., Burkov, A.T., Gurieva, E.A., Eremin, I.S., Konstantinov, P.P., Ordin, S.V., Sano, S., Vedernikov, M.V.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2002
• Subjects: Conducting materials; Materials reliability; Optical materials; Optical reflection; Plasma properties; Plasma temperature; Silicon alloys; Solids; Thermoelectricity; Tin
• ISBN: 0780376838; 9780780376830
• DOI: 10.1109/ICT.2002.1190287

Mg/sub 2/Si/sub x/Sn/sub 1-x/ alloys are the perspective material for thermoelectric generators at moderate temperature. However the absence of reliable data on their band structure parameters does not permit to estimate a possible limit thermoelectric efficiency of these materials. According to the phase diagram there are two wide regions of solid solutions in pseudo-binary system Mg/sub 2/Si/sub x/Sn/sub l-x/ near the Mg/sub 2/Si and Mg/sub 2/Sn compounds. They are separated by a two-phase range (0.4 < x < 0.6). Here we shall report the results of the complex study of Hall and Seebeck coefficients (80 - 850 K), and optical spectra in plasma reflection interval (250 - 4500 cm/sup -1/) for n-type samples of various composition. The properties of each composition with different x were investigated in carrier concentration range varying from 5/spl middot/10/sup 18/ to 5/spl middot/10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3/. Combined analysis of kinetic and optical properties resulted in determination of conduction band basic parameters.