Electron and lattice stages in the valence transition in SmTe under a high hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

The results of precision measurements of the resistivity, thermopower, volume, and thermal conductivity of the compound SmTe under truly hydrostatic pressure conditions at room temperature are reported. High quality stoichiometric and doped (n-type, n ≈ 8 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³) single crystals are studied. It is found that the valence transition occurs as consecutive stages of rearrangement of the electron subsystem and the crystal lattice, which take place under different pressures. At the initial stage of the transition, metallization is observed, which is accompanied by anomalies in kinetic coefficients; the curve describing the pressure dependence of the volume deviates from the curve corresponding to the initial semiconductor phase only slightly. The next stage is accompanied by a substantial change in the sample volume (lattice collapse); in this pressure range, however, the resistivity and thermopower become independent of pressure. At the final stage of the transition, the sample compressibility decreases; the resistivity and thermopower become again functions of pressure; and a state emerging in the sample in this case corresponds to the “golden” phase of SmS in all the properties being measured.