Tin telluride

Tin telluride is a compound of <a href="/facts/Tin_(element)/obW9mqc3">tin</a> and <a href="/facts/Tellurium/v7QvfIvS">tellurium</a> (SnTe); is a IV-VI <a href="/facts/Narrow-gap_semiconductor/dlHrXvMx">narrow band gap semiconductor</a> and has direct <a href="/facts/Band_gap/IjIeh95l">band gap</a> of 0.18 eV. It is often alloyed with lead to make lead tin telluride, which is used as an <a href="/facts/Infrared_detector/pK7SfsEv">infrared detector</a> material.
Tin telluride normally forms p-type semiconductor (<a href="/facts/Extrinsic_semiconductor/d9GPL5tV">Extrinsic semiconductor</a>) due to tin vacancies and is a low temperature
superconductor.
SnTe exists in three crystal phases. At Low temperatures, where the concentration of hole carriers is less than 1.5x1020 cm−3 , Tin Telluride exists in rhombohedral phase also known as α-SnTe.
At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, Tin Telluride exists in NaCl-like cubic crystal phase, known as β-SnTe.
While at 18 kbar pressure, β-SnTe transforms to γ-SnTe, <a href="/facts/Orthorhombic_crystal_system/3zo4F8P0">orthorhombic phase</a>, <a href="/facts/Space_group/2XQx0J7M">space group</a> Pnma. This phase change is characterized by 11 percent increase in density and 360 percent increase in resistance for γ-SnTe.
Tin telluride is a thermoelectric material. Theoretical studies
imply that the n-type performance may be particularly good.

Tin telluride open-in-new

Tin telluride