Scaling of the Conductivity with Temperature and Uniaxial Stress in Si:B at the Metal-Insulator Transition

TL;DR

This study investigates how uniaxial stress influences the electrical conductivity of Si:B near the metal-insulator transition, revealing scaling behavior with temperature and stress that characterizes both phases.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel application of uniaxial stress to tune Si:B through the transition and derives scaling functions for conductivity in both phases.

Findings

Conductivity scales with temperature and stress near the transition

Scaling functions accurately describe metallic and insulating phases

Reliable determination of critical temperature dependence

Abstract

Using uniaxial stress to tune Si:B through the metal-insulator transition we find the conductivity at low temperatures shows an excellent fit to scaling with temperature and stress on both sides of the transition. The scaling functions yield the conductivity in the metallic and insulating phases, and allow a reliable determination of the temperature dependence in the critical regions on both sides of the transition.