Influence of Te doping on the dielectric and optical properties of InBi crystals grown by directional freezing

Stoichiometric pure and tellurium (Te) doped indium bismuthide (InBi) were grown using the directional freezing technique in a fabricated furnace. The X-ray diffraction profiles identified the crystallinity and phase composition. The surface topographical features were observed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The energy dispersive analysis by X-rays was performed to identify the atomic proportion of elements. Studies on the temperature dependence of dielectric constant (ɛ), loss tangent (tanδ), and AC conductivity (σ_ac) reveal the existence of a ferroelectric phase transition in the doped material at 403 K. When InBi is doped with tellurium (4.04 at%), a band gap of 0.20 eV can be achieved, and this is confirmed using Fourier transform infrared studies. The results thus show the conversion of semimetallic InBi to a semiconductor with the optical properties suitable for use in infrared detectors.