Relation between Debye temperature and energy band gap of semiconductors

Abstract

The work addresses an unresolved topic in solid-state physics, i.e., the dependence of the Debye temperature (TD) on the energy band gap (Eg) of semiconducting materials. The systematic calculation of TD by using the ratio of sound velocity and lattice constant from the literature resulted in the relation TD∝exp(Eg). The exponential relationship is confirmed by a theoretical model based on the microscopic analysis of the electrical conductivity in metals and semiconductors.