Electrical and thermoelectrical properties of SnTe-based films and superlattices

SnTe-based films and superlattices (SLs) were prepared and their electrical properties were measured. A EuTe/SnTe SL exhibited a hole mobility of 2720 cm(2)/V s, which is the highest value reported for any semiconductor material at room temperature. The SnEuTe film also exhibited high hole mobility in contrast to the PbEuTe system. These properties are explained in terms of the band offsets of EuTe/SnTe heterojunction and a decrease in the number of Sn vacancies. In addition, SnTe/PbSe and SnTe/PbS SLs with thin SnTe layers displayed n-type conduction with Seebeck coefficients comparable to those for PbSe and PbS. These properties reflect the type II heterostructures. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3236541]