Determination of the optical energy gap of Ge1−xSnx alloys with 0<x<0.14

Abstract

The optical energy gap of Ge1−xSnx alloys has been determined from transmittance measurements, using a fast-Fourier-transform infrared interferometer. Our results show that the change from indirect to direct band gap occurs at a lower critical Sn concentration (xc) than the value predicted from the virtual crystal approximation, tight binding, and pseudopotential models. However, a close agreement between the experimental results and the predictions with deformation potential theory is observed. The concentration xc, which is theoretically expected to be 0.09, actually it is observed to lie between 0.10<xc<0.13.