Preparation and electrical properties of TbSb films

Abstract

Thin polycrystalline TbSb films have been grown by thermal evaporation in vacuum from two separate sources on glass-ceramic, sapphire, and single-crystal silicon substrates. The substrate material has been shown to have no significant effect on the phase composition and crystallinity of the films. The optimal substrate temperature is 1120–1145 K. The films have a cubic structure (NaCl type), their composition is 49 ± 0.01 at % Tb + 50.1 ± 0.01 at % Sb, and their components are uniformly distributed both on the surface and in the bulk of the films. The resistivity, Hall coefficient, and thermoelectric power of the films have been measured as functions of temperature in the temperature range 95–700 K. It has been shown that charge carriers in the films are electrons, with a concentration of ~10²⁶ m^–3 and mobility of ~10^–3 m²/(V s). According to the electrical measurements, TbSb is a semimetal.