Electric current and heat induced acoustic emission in cadmium sulfide

Acoustic emission (AE) induced by the electric current passing through a ca dmium sulfide (CdS) single crystal was studied. In the temperature range T= 300-450 K, the intensity of the AE signals excited in the CdS crystal expo sed to a constant electric field increases with the current density. It is suggested that AE in CdS is due to the dislocations breaking off and moving under the action of direct electric current and thermoelastic stresses. Th e activation energy for this process (E-a = 0.35 +/- 0.5 eV) was estimated for a current density in the range of j = (1-7) x 10(5) A/m(2). (C) 2000 MA IK "Nauka/Interperiodica".