1995 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 27-
Ternary chalcogenide Si-As-Te amorphous semiconductors have been fabricated under a microgravity environment in the Spacelab J. The objective of the flight experiment was to fabricate homogeneous multi-component amorphous semiconductors in the microgravity en vironment in space, and to make a series of comparative characterizations of the amorphous structures as well as their electronic properties for materials prepared in space and under terrestrial gravity environment. In this paper, firstly the reasons for selecting this material system for FMPT (First Material Processing Test) experiment are explained, and discussed in association with essential advantages of Six(As2Te3) 1- x system in basic physics research and technological applications. Secondly, some details of the FMPT experimental procedure including a comprehensive description of tested materials are described. Finally, preliminary results on the electrical and optical properties as a new type of synthetic semiconductor are presented and discussed with a particular emphasis on the difference from terrestrial materials.
