The estimation of concentration fluctuations in liquid Ag–Si and Au–Si alloys

The specific electrical resistivity was measured for liquid states of Ag–Si and Au–Si with deep eutectic points for which the ‘electron atom ratio’ at the eutectic composition is 1.33 and 1.56, respectively. On lowering the temperature, the specific electrical resistivity deviates from the straight line, which was obtained by extrapolating its behavior from high to low temperatures. The concentration dependence of this deviation at the liquidus shows the largest value at the eutectic composition. The analysis based on the effective medium theory tells us that the volume fraction of concentration fluctuation in the homogeneous liquid phase is largest at the eutectic composition. The degree of concentration fluctuation was summarized on one systematic trend among metal–semiconductor eutectic systems. It is concluded that the large concentration fluctuation develops in the homogeneous liquid phase of eutectic systems. The possibility of the poor supercooling tendency of homogeneous liquids at the eutectic composition was revealed with relation to this concentration fluctuation.