Thermal expansion and characteristic features of the strength of interatomic bonds in melts of III-V compounds (AlSb, GaSb, InSb, GaAs, InAs)

The temperature dependence of the specific volume of melts of III-V compounds has been studied thermometrically and with penetrating gamma radiation. The thermal expansion of these melts has been estimated at various temperatures. Based on the similarity of the structure of the melts and the elastic continuum, the characteristic Debye temperatures and rms dynamic displacements of the atoms in the close-range-order structure of these melts have been calculated from the estimated thermal expansion. A considerable change in the indicated characteristics is observed at the transition from the solid state to the liquid state, indicating significant changes in the vibrational spectrum of III-V compounds upon melting. The thermal expansion of the melts is observed to increase upon heating, indicating a further loss of strength of the interatomic bonds in the melts with growth of temperature. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.