Structure of crystalline and amorphous Ge probed by X-ray absorption and diffraction techniques

International audienceResults of experiments dedicated to the study of the structure under high pressure of amorphous Ge (a-Ge) and crystalline Ge (c-Ge) are reported. Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements of c-Ge have been collected at the DW11A beamline (DCI, LURE) using a heatable diamond anvil cell as pressure device up to 500 K. The aGe measurements have been performed at the ESRF, using the advanced setup available at the BM29 beamline, which allows the simultaneous collection of X-ray absorption spectroscopy data and diffraction patterns used to monitor pressure and crystallization of a sample in a Paris-Edinburgh large-volume cell. The new structural data allowed us to obtain a reliable determination of the lattice parameters as a function of pressure and temperature in c-Ge and of the first-neighbor distance distribution in aGe