Static compression of silicon in the [100] and in the [111] directions

Abstract

High pressures were generated using a diamond indentor technique. The phase transition in silicon loaded in the [100] direction and silicon loaded in the [111] direction under high pressure was studied. From the behavior of electrical resistance of silicon loaded in the [100] direction, it was found that it becomes metallic at about 12.0 GPa in agreement with the previously reported results on silicon using different techniques. However, silicon loaded in the [111] direction becomes metallic at a lower pressure. The silicon transition is highly sensitive to the type of stress applied.