A contribution to the phase diagram of the system Ge–Sn–Te and the conditions of (Sn, Ge)Te crystal growth

Phase relations in the GeTe–Te–SnTe region of the Ge–Sn–Te system have been studied with DTA, XRD and EPMA. In addition, a static method based on determination of composition of the solid and liquid phases at equilibrium at a given temperature was applied. The positions of the liquidus isotherms, the iso-mole-fraction lines which show the liquid composition at equilibrium with solid solution Sn 1− x Ge x Te of given x, and the two-phase crystallization lines for Sn 1− x Ge x Te + Te were determined. Finally, the conditions of Sn 1− x Ge x Te crystal growth from the melt by means of normal freezing and vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) technique yielding crystals with uniform distribution of GeTe mole fraction are discussed.