Temperature-dependent ordering phenomena in single crystals of germanium antimony tellurides

The temperature-dependent behavior of quenched single-crystalline (GeTe){sub n}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} (n~2.8, n~5 and n~11) was investigated by semiquantitative modeling of diffuse X-ray scattering. The structure at room temperature exhibits trigonal twin domains, each comprising a stacking-disordered sequence of distorted rocksalt-type slabs with variable thicknesses. Ge and Sb share the cation position and vacancies are partially ordered in defect layers (van der Waals gaps) between the slabs. The average structure determined with resonant diffraction data corresponds to a rocksalt-type structure whose cation position is split along the stacking direction. Upon heating, cation ordering leads to a metastable superstructure of the rocksalt type at ~400 °C, which transforms to a rocksalt-type high-temperature phase with randomly distributed cations and vacancies at ~500 °C; this structure was also refined using resonant diffraction. Cooling at high or intermediate rates does not yield the long-range ordered phase, but directly leads to the twinned disordered phase. - Graphical abstract: Development of the diffraction patterns of (GeTe){sub ~11}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} upon heating; the insets symbolically sketch the real structure at the corresponding temperatures. - Highlights: • The structure of disordered (GeTe){sub n}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} is described as a function of temperature. • Structural changes are tracked by modeling diffuse X-ray scattering. • Quenched crystals exhibit distorted NaCl-type slabs with different thicknesses. • Vacancy ordering upon heating leads to a metastable superstructure of the NaCl type. • Further heating leads to an undistorted disordered NaCl-type high-temperature phase.