Terbium silicide is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
of the rare earth metal
terbium with
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...
having
chemical formula
In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...
TbSi
2. It is a gray solid first described in detail in the late 1950s.
The metallic
resistivity and low
Schottky barrier
A Schottky barrier, named after Walter H. Schottky, is a potential energy barrier for electrons formed at a metal–semiconductor junction. Schottky barriers have rectifying characteristics, suitable for use as a diode. One of the primary char ...
of TbSi
2 (on
n-type doped silicon) make it a potential candidate for applications such as
infrared detectors,
ohmic contacts,
magnetoresistive devices, and
thermoelectric devices.
It exhibits
antiferromagnetism at 16K.
References
{{Silicides
Transition metal silicides
Terbium compounds