Abstract
We report the experimental observation of the novel phenomenon of the resistivity decrease in porous PbTe layers during the pore formation process. Investigations were performed on the n-PbTe films with 2.3-μm thickness, which were near the point of the conductivity-type inversion at room temperature. Anodic electrochemical treatment for the porous layers with 41% to 52% porosity fabrication was performed using a KOH-based Norr electrolyte solution. For the porous lead telluride layers, the resistivity value at 300 K decreased 2.5 to 3 times. For the explanation of the observed phenomenon, a physical model is proposed which takes into account the Pb/Te ratio change during the anodic treatment.