Hopping conductivity in polycrystalline photoconductive Pb3O4 layers

Ac conductivity has been studied in polycrystalline Pb₃O₄ layers in the frequency range f = 10²–10⁵ Hz at temperatures of 293–370 K; the conductivity has been measured in the dark and under illumination. Specific features of the charge-transport process are discussed. Analysis of the experimental data in terms of the Mott theory shows that the conduction is by the hopping mechanism and the charge transport occurs in the energy gap near the Fermi level. Microscopic parameters governing the conduction process, such as density of localized states and the average carrier’s hopping distance, are determined for different temperatures.