High-pressure synthesis of metastable ternary solid solutions between tetrahedral semiconductors

Amorphous Ge-GaSb, Ge-InSb, and GaSb-InSb solid solutions were prepared by high-pressure liquid quenching followed by solid-stare amorphization. In th e eutectic systems Ge-GaSb and Ge-InSb at 8-9.5 GPa, continuous series of s olid solutions are obtained. It is shown, using the Ge-GaSb system as an ex ample, that complete miscibility of the components occurs in the stability field of high-pressure phases. Amorphous Ge-GaSb materials were obtained at Ge concentrations from 0 to 80 at. %. In the (Ge-2)(1 - x)(InSb)(x) and (G aSb)(1 - x)(InSb)(x) solid-solution systems, the composition range of amorp hization is narrower, 0.2 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.8 . Melt quenching and pressure release at 160 K yield crystalline (Ge-2)(1 - x)(GaSb)(x) (x = 0.1 and 0.15) solid solutions with an unidentified struct ure similar to that of R8 Si.