TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF PHASE TRANSFORMATION PRESSURE IN SILICON

In this experimental work the pressure induced phase transformation of silicon and Germanium has been studied. It was shown that at a particular value of applied pressure, (Pt), depending on the sample temperature, the electrical resistance of the specimen falls off to a metallic state. The main goal of this study was to find out how the phase transformation pressure, Pt, for a p-type silicon varies with the sample temperature. The results show that, the value of Pt decreases linearly as the temperature of the sample increases. Meanwhile, other related results including the rate of resistance change in accordance with applied pressure on the sample at different temperatures (~270-350K), both for the semiconductor and the metallic state of the specimen were determined. In another effort, the amount of Pt for an n-type germanium, but only at room temperature, was also determined.