A Study of S doped ZnSb

TL;DR

This study explores sulfur doping in ZnSb, a thermoelectric material, revealing low solubility and effects on electrical properties, with potential implications for thermoelectric performance.

Contribution

First report on sulfur doping in ZnSb, analyzing its solubility and impact on electrical properties across a wide temperature range.

Findings

S has low solubility (<0.1%) in ZnSb.

S introduces neutral scattering centers for holes.

Hole concentration increases due to defect reactions involving Zn vacancies.

Abstract

We report on S-doping of ZnSb for S concentrations ranging from 0.02 at% to 2.5 at%. There are no previous reports on S-doping. ZnSb is a thermoelectric material with some advantages for the temperature range 400 K - 600 K. The solid solubility of S in ZnSb was estimated to be lower than 0.1% from observations of precipitates by scanning microscopy. Hall and Seebeck measurements were performed as a function of temperature from 6K to 623 K. The temperature dependence of the electrical properties suggests that S introduces neutral scattering centers for holes in the p-type material. An increase in hole concentration by S is argued by defect reactions involving Zn vacancies.