Study of Short-Range Ordering in SnTe〈In〉 Semiconductor Solid Solutions by 119Sn Mössbauer Spectroscopy

The dependences of the isomer shift δ and the resonant absorption peak area S on the Te content (49.9–51.4 at%) in the SnTe〈In〉 semiconductor alloys at the fixed indium concentration (3 at%) were investigated at 300 K using the Mössbauer spectroscopy. Maxima of S and inflection points in the δ curves were detected at the Te concentrations corresponding to the condition CIn/Cv = 2, where CIn and Cv are the atomic concentrations of In and non‐stoichiometric vacancies, respectively. The observed non‐monotonous character of the δ and S dependences on the degree of deviation from stoichiometry was attributed to the processes of recharging In impurity atoms (In1+ → In3+) by introducing non‐stoichiometric vacancies and formation of molecular complexes as a result of interactions between intrinsic defects and impurity atoms.