Solid Solubilities and Electrical Properties of Tin in Germanium Single Crystals

Abstract

The solid solubility of Sn in Ge has been determined in the range from 400°C to the melting point of Ge using conventional crystal pulling techniques and crystal growth from melts in a thermal gradient. The distribution coefficient changes from at the melting point of Ge to at the lower temperatures, corresponding to solid solubilities of up to about . X‐ray measurements substantiate the conclusion that these relatively large amounts of Sn are in solid solution. In spite of the presence of between 1019 and 1020 at./cc of Sn in the pulled crystals, resistivities as high as 40–50 ohm‐cm and minority carrier lifetimes as high as 100–200 µsec were obtained. These results confirm the electrical neutrality of Sn in Ge.