High pressure X-ray absorption and diffraction study of InAs

we have performed X-ray absorption (XAS) and diffraction (XRD) measurements at high pressure on samples of powdered InAs, up to 50 and 80 GPa, respectively. In the lower pressure range, our data are consistent with the following structural sequence: Zincblende-->NaCl-->Cmcm. The first order transition from the semiconducting Zincblende phase to the metallic NaCl phase is clearly seen by the shift in the absorption onset at the As K-edge and the strong modifications of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) due to the changes in the local structure from a 4-fold to a 6-fold coordinated environment. XAS shows the high pressure phase to be locally site-ordered. The diffraction data, analized by Rietveld fitting, gives a volume discontinuity of DeltaV/V-0 similar to0.18 for the first order transition. There is no apparent volume discontinuity associated to the NaCl --> Cmcm transition.