Abstract
Sb–Te and Bi–Te compounds are key components of thermoelectric or phase change recording devices. These two binary systems form commensurately/incommensurately modulated long-period layer stacking structures known as homologous phases that comprise discrete intermetallic compounds and X phases. In the latter, the homologous structures are not discrete but rather appear continuously with varying stacking periods that depend on the binary composition. However, the regions over which these X phases exist have not yet been clarified. In this study, precise synchrotron X-ray diffraction analyses of various specimens were conducted. The results demonstrate that the X phase regions are located between Sb20Te3 and Sb5Te6 in the Sb–Te system and between Bi8Te3 and Bi4Te5 in the Bi–Te system.
Highlights
Compounds in the Sb–Te and Bi–Te systems have been widely used as base materials for optical disks and thermoelectric materials, and many studies have attempted to discern their phase diagrams and crystal structures
The recording films in these media are predominantly composed of GeTe–Sb2 Te3 (GST)
The thermoelectric properties of these compounds have been examined so as to improve their performance [3,4,5], and research has been performed with Ge–Bi–Te compounds obtained by the addition of Ge [6]
Summary
Compounds in the Sb–Te and Bi–Te systems have been widely used as base materials for optical disks and thermoelectric materials, and many studies have attempted to discern their phase diagrams and crystal structures. Compounds, or Ag–In–Sb–Te (AIST) compounds, which are produced by adding a small amount of Ag and In [2] Both materials allow the recording or rewriting of data as a result of a reversible transition between crystalline and amorphous phases in response to temperature changes due to irradiation with laser light. The thermoelectric properties of these compounds have been examined so as to improve their performance [3,4,5], and research has been performed with Ge–Bi–Te compounds obtained by the addition of Ge [6] The properties of these materials are highly correlated with their crystal structures; the improvement of these compounds will require a good understanding of their structures, temperature characteristics and phase changes. Our own group has primarily focused on the crystal structure of Sb–Te-based and Bi–Te-based group 15–16 compounds [7,8,9,10]
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