Thermoelectric properties and phase transitions of II–VI semiconductors at high pressure

The high‐pressure phase transitions in II–VI semiconductors (HgTe, HgSe, HgS, HgO, CdTe, CdSe, CdS, ZnTe, ZnSe, ZnS, ZnO) are analyzed in light of recent findings. A contribution is emphasized of the thermoelectric power (Seebeck effect) technique to registration of new electronic phases and to prediction of their related structural modifications. A novel thermopower study of ZnX (X–Te, Se, S) revealed a difference between the high‐pressure NaCl phases of ZnSe and ZnS and the orthorhombic Cmcm phase of ZnTe. Mechanisms of the pressure‐induced transitions in ZnX and other II–VI compounds are discussed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)