Electrical resistance of CdSe and CdTe at elevated temperatures and pressures

The electrical resistance of polycrystalline CdSe and CdTe was measured as a function of temperature (up to 560 K) and pressure (up to 5.5 GPa). The resistance change across the phase transition and the transition onset pressure were found to decrease linearly with increasing temperature. The band gap of the low-pressure phases of CdSe and CdTe decreases with increasing pressure. The rapid reduction in the resistance change with increasing temperature restricts the use of CdSe and CdTe as high-temperature pressure calibration standards.