Skip to main content
Log in

A physical explanation to the controversial Urbach tailing universality

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal Plus Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Doping-related behavior divergence of some crystalline materials has raised doubts about Urbach tailing universality. In this paper, we infer the atomic scale interpretation of this divergence on the basis of experimental records and comparative studies. We focus on a widely known würtzite structured crystal and find that Urbach tailing was inhibited once doping charged loci succeeded to establish local coordinated donors networks or so-called topological filaments. The case of doping-free and saturated ZnO networks unexpected Urbach tailing features has been discussed. All the observed behaviors confirm the Urbach tailing universality despite their controversial aspect.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. F. Urbach, Phys. Rev. 92, 1324 (1953)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. N.F. Mott, Nobel Prize Lecture (1977)

  3. N.F. Mott, Conduction in non-crystalline materials, $2{\ab{nd}}$ ed (Calrendon Press, Oxford, 1993)

  4. N.F. Mott, Metal-insulator transitions (Taylor&Francis, London, 1974)

  5. W. Martienssen, J. Phys. Chem. Solids 2, 257 (1957)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. N.F. Mott, E.A. Davis, Electronics Processes in Non-Crystalline Materials (Clarendon, Oxford, 1979)

  7. C.C.F. John, J.B. Frank, J. Electrochem. Soc.: Solid-State. Sci. Technol. 122, 1719 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  8. H. Demiryont, K.E. Nieternig, Sol. Energy Mater. 19, 79 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Biljana Pejova, Mater. Chem. Phys. 119, 367 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. S.W. Xue, X.T. Zu, W.L. Zhou, H.X. Deng, X. Xiang, L. Zhang, H. Deng, J. Alloy Compd. 448, 21 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Y. Pan, F. Inam, M. Zhang, D.A. Drabold, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 206403 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. T. Ratana, P. Amornpitoksuk, T. Ratana, S. Suwanboon, J. Alloy Compd. 470, 408 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. F. Yakuphanoglu, Y. Caglar, S. Ilican, M. Caglar, Physica B 394, 86 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. P.P. Sahay, R.K. Nath, Sens. Actuators B 134, 654 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Q. Li, D. Zhu, W. Liu, Y. Liu, X. Ma, Appl. Surf. Sci. 254, 2922 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. A. Tiburcio-Silver, J.C. Joubert, M. Labeau, J. Phys. III 2, 1287 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Sreetama Dutta, S. Chattopadhyay, A. Sarkar, Mahuya Chakrabarti, D. Sanyal, D. Jana, Prog. Mater. Sci. 54, 89 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. W. Sritrakool, V. Sayakanit, H.R. Glyde, Phys. Rev. B 33, 1199 (1986)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. S. John, C. Soukoulis, M.H. Cohen, E. Economou, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 1777 (1986)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. S.M. Wasim, C. Rincon, G. Marin, P. Bocaranda, E. Hernandez, I. Bonalde, E. Medina, Phys. Rev. B 64, 195101 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. M. Niehus, P. Sanguino, R. Schwarz, A. Fedorov, J.M.G. Martinho, M.J. Soares, T. Monteiro, F. Wünsch, M. Kunst, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 338, 460 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Niehus, R. Schwarz, S. Koynov, M. Heuken, D. Meister, B.K. Meyer, C. Main, S. Reynolds, Mater. Sci. Eng. B 82, 206 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. P.A. Fedders, D.A. Drabold, S. Nakhmanson, Phys. Rev. 58, 15624.92 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  24. H.C. Kang, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 261, 169 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. R. Atta-Fynn, P. Biswas, D.A. Drabold, Phys. Rev. B 69, 245204 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. T.A. Abtew, M Zhang, D.A. Drabold, Phys. Rev. B 76, 045212 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. J.C. Phillips, Phys. Rev. B 75, 214503 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. A. Boukhachem, S. Fridjine, A. Amlouk, K. Boubaker, M. Bouhafs, M. Amlouk, J. Alloy Compd. 501, 339 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. K.B. BenMahmoud, M. Amlouk, Mater. Lett. 63, 991 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. C. Khelia, M. Amlouk, K. Boubaker, Fizika A (Zagreb) 18, 2,81 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  31. A. Amlouk, K. Boubaker, M. Amlouk, J. Alloy Compd. 482, 164 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. S. Dabbous, T. Ben Nasrallah, J. Ouerfelli, K. Boubaker, M. Amlouk, S. Belgacem, J. Alloy Compd. 487, 286 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. A. Amlouk, K. Boubaker, M. Amlouk, M. Bouhafs, J. Alloy Compd. 485, 887 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. R.A. Street, Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 2002)

  35. R.W. Kelsall, I.W. Hamley, M. Geoghegan (Editors), Nanoscale Science and Technology (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, 2005)

  36. Y. Chen, X.L. Xu, G.H. Zhang, H. Xue, S.Y. Ma, Physica B 404, 3645 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  37. A. Amlouk, K. Boubaker, M. Bouhafs, M. Amlouk, to be published in J. Alloy Compd., DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.12.154

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Boubaker.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Boubaker, K. A physical explanation to the controversial Urbach tailing universality. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 126, 10 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2011-11010-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2011-11010-4

Keywords

Navigation