Simple band model for amorphous semiconducting alloys

Amorphous covalent alloys particularly of group-IV, -V, and -VI elements are readily formed over broad ranges of composition.1–6 They have been described as low-mobility electronic intrinsic semiconductors with a temperature-activated electrical conductivity σ = σ 0×exp(-ΔE/kT) which sometimes extends well into the molten state.2,3,7 They remain intrinsic with changed ΔE when their composition is changed.1,5,7 These alloys transmit infrared light up to an exponential absorption edge from which an energy gap E g is estimated.1,2 The value of E g usually is smaller than 2ΔE, often by as much as 10–20%.7,8 Photoconductivity9 and recombination-radiation10 measurements have been interpreted as giving evidence for the presence of localized states in the gap.