Thermally assisted variable range hopping in Tl4S3Se crystal

Abstract

In this study, a modified model for the application of the thermionic and hopping current conduction mechanisms in the presence of continuous mixed conduction is investigated, discussed, experimented and simulated. It is observed that there exists a contribution from the hopping conductivity to the total conduction even at temperature ranges where the thermionic emission is mainly dominant. The contribution weight of a specific mechanism at particular temperature range is estimated. In addition, a modification to the Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) transport parameters like density of localized state near the Fermi level, the average hopping range and the hopping energy in the presence of mixed conduction mechanism is also reported. This new approach corrects the evaluated electrical parameters that are necessary for the construction of electronic devices like absorption layers in solar cells. This proposed model is also used to explain the conduction mechanism and investigate the electrical conduction thermionic and Mott's VRH parameters in Tl4S3Se crystals and in CuAlO2 thin films.