PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF THIN-FILM RARE-EARTH BORIDES

In this paper we describe the peculiarities of the properties of thin films of LaB6, PrB6 and SmB6 obtained by electron beam evaporation in a vacuum. The structure of the condensates is polycrystalline, the lattice has a CsCl-type structure and the values of the lattice parameters are nearly the same as those for the corresponding starting materials. We carried out a comparative reflection spectrum analysis of the MeB6 compounds, together with a study of some of the optical and dielectric properties determined according to a Kramers-Kronig analysis. We found that within the films the values of the relaxation time and of the mobility of free charge carriers are lower than those for the bulk materials of the MeB6 compounds. This is because of the effect of the integrain boundaries on the kinetic properties of the carriers. © 1979.