Electrical activity of dislocations and point defects of deformation origin in CdxHg1−xTe crystals

The generation of dislocations with even a relatively low density (Ndis≤107cm−2) leads to significant variations in the kinetic coefficients of CdxHg1−xTe (x=0.20–0.21) crystals. In n-type crystals, a substantial decrease in electron mobility takes place along with a marked growth in electron concentration. For p-type crystals, the transition from the activation conductivity to the metal one is observed in the low-temperature range of 4.2–40 K, as is the alternating-sign behavior of the Hall coefficient RH depending on temperature and magnetic-field strength. A dominant role in the observed modifications is played by electronic states of point defects formed during the dislocation motion rather than the dislocations themselves. The totality of the data can be explained in terms of the formation of connected channels of an opposite-type conductivity in the form of a three-dimensional dislocation network in the matrix of the main crystal.