Electrical Resistance and Thermoelectric Power of an Amorphous Te70Cu25Au5 Alloy

Abstract

The electrical resistance and the thermoelectric power of an amorphous ${\mathrm{Te}}_{70}$ ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{25}$ ${\mathrm{Au}}_5$ alloy obtained by rapid quenching from the liquid state have been measured in the range of 80 to 300°K. The results suggest that the bonding between tellurium atoms is covalent, as in crystalline tellurium. The amorphous alloy is a $p$-type semiconductor with an intrinsic energy gap of 0.21±0.01 eV. The results also establish the existence of extrinsic conduction in an amorphous alloy with a discrete localized energy level of 0.09±0.015 eV above the top of the valence band.