Dense Si(x)Ge(1-x) (0 < x < 1) materials landscape using extreme conditions and precession electron diffraction.
High-pressure and -temperature experiments on Ge and Si mixtures to 17 GPa and 1500 K allow us to obtain extended Ge-Si solid solutions with cubic (Ia3) and tetragonal (P4(3)2(1)2) crystal symmetries at ambient pressure. The cubic modification can be obtained with up to 77 atom % Ge and the tetragonal modification for Ge concentrations above that. Together with Hume-Rothery criteria, melting point convergence is employed here as a favored attribute for solid solution formation. These compositionally tunable alloys are of growing interest for advanced transport and optoelectronic applications. Furthermore, the work illustrates the significance of employing precession electron diffraction for mapping new materials landscapes resulting from tailored high-pressure and -temperature syntheses.
School of Engineering and Centre for Materials Science, University of Edinburgh , Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, EH9 3JL Edinburgh, U.K.
George
G
Serghiou
Gang
G
Ji
Monika
M
Koch-Müller
Nicholas
N
Odling
Hans J
HJ
Reichmann
Jonathan P
JP
Wright
Paul
P
Johnson