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Structural Metastability in Chalcogenide Semiconductors: The Role of Chemical Bonding
Author(s) -
Kolobov Alexander V.,
Saito Yuta,
Fons Paul,
Krbal Milos
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.202070040
Subject(s) - chalcogenide , metastability , van der waals force , materials science , chemical physics , semiconductor , amorphous solid , crystallography , lone pair , chemical bond , phase (matter) , tellurium , picosecond , chalcogen , condensed matter physics , chemistry , optoelectronics , molecule , optics , physics , metallurgy , laser , organic chemistry
Due to their electronic configuration, chalcogenides (materials that contain sulphur, selenium or tellurium) can form different bonding geometries with the creation of metastable phases. Thus, the presence of lone‐pair electrons in chalcogenide glasses results in their ability to undergo reversible photostructural changes, while resonant (metavalent) bonding in phase‐change alloys is responsible for fast crystal–amorphous transition with a pronounced property contrast. Of special interest is the ability of chalcogenides to form two‐dimensional structures with van der Waals gaps, where excitation‐induced phase‐transformation takes place on a sub‐picosecond time scale. Mixing different bonding types in the amorphous phase may be a promising way to design chalcogenides with pre‐determined properties. An overview of the structural metastability in chalcogenides is given in the Feature Article by Alexander V. Kolobov et al. (article number 2000138 ).