STRUCTURE OF 2 LIQUID SEMICONDUCTORS AG1-XSEX AND AG0.67TE0.33

Neutron diffraction measurements have been carried out on Ag1-xSex and Ag0.67Te0.33 alloys to investigate possible structural causes for the differences in electrical transport properties observed in the two al loys. Ag1-xSex was measured for three compositions, x = 0.30, 0.33 and 0.36, at temperatures just above the liquidus (1045, 915 and 855-degr ees-C, respectively), and for x = 0.33 at three temperatures (915, 985 and 1045 C). The Ag1-xTex system was measured at only one composition x = 0.33, just above the liquidus (985-degrees-C). At the level of th e average correlation function, the behaviour of liquid Ag-Se shows no unusual dependence on either concentration or temperature, and the se lenium and tellurium alloys show generally similar behaviour. There is no obvious structural connection with the anomalous concentration dep endence of the electrical conductivity in Ag1-xSex alloys or with the different behaviour in both electronic and ionic conduction observed i n the Ag-Se and Ag-Te systems.