The Short-Range Atomic Order in Amorphous and Liquid ZnSnAs2

The short-range atomic order in amorphous and liquid ZnSnAs 2 has been studied with electron diffraction and neutron diffraction. It has been shown that the local structure in amorphous ZnSnAs 2 maintains the crystalline chalcopyrite structure, in which a central As atom is tetrahedrally surrounded by two Zn and two Sn atoms, while, its crystalline atomic order is markedly broken in the liquid phase, accompanying a change of the bonding nature. The structure in the liquid phase is considered to be similar to that in liquid metals. The structural and bonding differences in solid and liquid phases correspond reasonably to a rapid increase of the electrical conductivity and paramagnetic susceptibility on melting. The short-range structure in amorphous and liquid ZnSnAs 2 has been discussed referring to the related crystalline lattices.