Crystallographic structure of ternary semiconducting alloys

Recent EXAFS experiments have revealed that the crystallographic structure of semiconducting ternary alloys is considerably distorted in comparison with zinc-blende structure. We have used the Valence-Force-Field model and the Monte-Carlo simulation properties of constituents the lattice distortion of these alloys at any arbitrary concentration. These results form the basis of the detailed interpretation of the EXAFS data. All the experimental features, including the radial distribution function broadening and the multi-modal behaviour, can be reproduced with high accuracy. We show that the distortion of the mixed sublattice is, contrary to expectations, quite large. The estimate of the elastic contribution to the enthalpy of mixing is given for both InGaAs and CdZnTe