Mn-Te bond in the rocksalt Sn1-xMnxTe alloys and octahedral radius of Mn:: X-Ray absorption- and diffraction study

The studies of local atomic structure in Sn1-xMnxTe (x < 0.07) alloys, with an attention to the nature of Mn-Te bond, were performed for the first time with use of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, supplemented by photoelectron measurements. XRD unanimously indicated a single phase NaCl-type structure of these compounds. Analysis of Mn K-edge EXAFS data provided us with the bond length and Debye-Waller (DW) factor for Mn-Te bond in octahedral coordination of rocksalt Sn1-xMnxTe. The magnitude of DW factor suggested a moderate ionicity of Mn-Te bond (in the host SnTe matrix) indicative of its mixed covalent-ionic character. The determined value of Mn-Te bond length in Sn1-xMnxTe enabled us to estimate the octahedral covalent radius of Mn. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.