Kinetic coefficients of the semiconducting phase of FeSi2 at low temperatures

The results of studying the kinetic coefficients of beta-FeSi2 in the temperature range 4.2-300 K are considered. The resistivity decreases upon heating in the entire temperature range under investigation. The temperature dependences of the resistivity and thermal conductivity exhibit a break at similar to 20 K. In the range of 4.2-20 K, the resistivity is a linear function of temperature. The thermo-emf increases rapidly upon cooling and attains values exceeding 15 mV/K. The temperature dependence of the thermo-emf exhibits a break at similar to 40 K. The observed set of temperature dependences of the kinetic coefficients apparently cannot be explained by a superposition of the known effects only. A new effect probably exists that is associated with a strong electron-phonon interaction in FeSi2 and which requires a further investigation. (C) 2000 MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica.