Composition and Properties of Layered Compounds in the GeTe–Sb2Te3System

The 620-K section of the Ge–Sb–Te phase diagram was mapped out using x-ray diffraction, microstructural analysis, and microhardness measurements. The transport properties of the layered tetradymite-like compounds nGeTe · mSb₂Te₃(n, m= 1–4) were studied in wide temperature ranges (Hall effect and electrical resistivity, from 77 to 800 K, and thermoelectric power, from 90 to 450 K). The results show that the nGeTe · mSb₂Te₃compounds are degeneratep-type semiconductors with a fairly high hole concentration due to the high density of intrinsic point defects. The temperature dependences of the Hall coefficient and resistivity exhibit anomalies related to solid-state phase transitions. The room-temperature lattice thermal conductivity ofnGeTe · mSb₂Te₃is fairly low, in the range 8–10 mW/(cm K).