Composition Limits of Stability of PbTe

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Abstract
Single crystals of PbTe have been heat‐treated in evacuated silica tubes in the presence of Pb‐ or Te‐rich ingots. At the heat‐treatment temperatures, which ranged between 404° and 885°C, the ingot compositions were such that solid PbTe, liquid, and vapor phases coexisted. At a given temperature, the PbTe crystals were therefore as rich in Pb or Te as possible at equilibrium. After quenching the crystals, the resistivity and Hall constant were measured at room temperature and 77°K. Below about 860°C, crystals heated with Pb‐rich ingots were n type. Those heated with Te‐rich ingots were p type at all heat‐treatment temperatures. The difference in the concentrations of electrons and holes at room temperature was taken as equal to the difference in concentration of lead and tellurium atoms at the heat‐treatment temperature and was used to construct the PbTe solidus lines. The range of stability of PbTe is a maximum near 775°C and is between 49.994 and 50.013 at.% Te, corresponding to carrier concentrations of 3.3×1018 electron/cm3 and 7.6×1018 holes/cm3, respectively.

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