ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTION MECHANISMS IN FEF3 THIN-FILMS

This paper deals with the electrical conductivity of FeF3 crystallized thin films. It is shown that for temperatures ranging from 77-500 K the conductivity is the result of an electronic transfer between localized states in the gap; a corresponding optical absorption line has been observed. The density of these states can be correlated with a small fluorine deficiency which was demonstrated by backscattering and α-X measurements. For T < 200 K, a tunnelling or hopping process predominates whereas between 250 and 500 K the electron jumps over the potential barrier between the states are thermally activated and the experimental results agree well with the Poole model. © 1979.