Crystallization of the chalcogenide compound Sb8Te3.

The crystallization of a sputtered Sb(8)Te(3) film was examined in an X-ray powder diffraction experiment. An as-sputtered, amorphous Sb(8)Te(3) film crystallized during heating into a structure of Sb-Te homologous series modulated along the stacking direction. During heating the lattice parameters and the modulation period γ were found to change significantly and continuously; this observation suggests a continuous change in the stacking sequence. A superspace analysis revealed that with heating the modulation period γ increased to a value that seemed to be determined by the atomic composition. Once γ reached this value it remained unchanged with cooling. A three-dimensional projection of the converged four-dimensional superspace structure corresponded to the homologous Sb(8)Te(3) structure.