Pressure induced semiconductor—metal transition in TmSe0.17Te0.83

Abstract In the TmSe 1− x Te x pseudobinary compounds a transition from semiconductor to metal (SMT) with intermediate Tm valence is observed in function of composition. Here, we investigate the pressure induced SMT for TmSe 0.17 Te 0.83 in a continuous measurement of the electrical resistivity and the specific volume on the same single crystal up to 3.5 GPa (= 35 kbar). The SMT around 2 GPa is continuous and above this pressure the Tm ions are in an intermediate valent metallic state.