Dynamics of Metal–Semiconductor and Inverse Semiconductor–Metal Phase Transitions in SmS Thin Films Induced by Mechanical and Thermal Impacts

The results of a complex study of the dynamics of phase transitions in thin SmS films—the semiconductor–metal transition, induced by mechanical polishing, and the inverse thermally induced metal–semiconductor transition—are presented. It is found that the inverse phase transition occurs during sample cooling in the temperature range of 408–373 K. A change in the phase and elemental compositions of thin films is observed within the surface layer during the aforementioned phase transitions. The data obtained suggest that thin SmS films can be considered as structures with predictable and required dynamics of reversible phase transitions, making them promising candidates for engineering functional materials and elements of wide-range pressure sensors.