Field Effect in the Linear and Nonlinear Conductivity of the Layered Quasi-One-Dimensional Semiconductor TiS3

Field-effect transistor structures based on whiskers of layered quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor TiS3 have been fabricated. The dependences of the conductivity σ on the gate voltage Vg, as well as the current-voltage characteristics of whiskers (“source-drain”) at different Vg values, have been measured in the temperature range of 4.2-300 K. As the temperature decreases, the sensitivity of the conductivity to the gate voltage, α ≡ 1/σdσ/dVg, increases in the range from 300 to 80 K and decreases sharply below 80 K, where the nonlinear conductivity begins to depend on Vg. The results can be explained by the formation of an electronic crystal at low temperatures.