Pressure-induced phase transition of crystalline and amorphous silicon and germanium at low temperatures

X-ray diffraction has been measured for crystalline silicon, crystalline germanium, amorphous silicon and amorphous germanium at temperatures down to 100 K and pressures up to 20 GPa using a diamond anvil cell and synchrotron radiation. The structural phase transitions, including amorphization, take place in the pressure-temperature range. It has been found that the structures after the phase transitions strongly depend on the path in the pressure-temperature diagram through which the system undergoes the phase transitions. For any of the aforementioned four materials, the high-pressure phase with the p-Sn structure is quenched during a release of pressure at 100 K, and transforms into an amorphous state when heated up to around 2 GPa. The path dependence of the states is discussed in relation to the pressure dependence of the heights of the energy barriers which have to be overcome when phase transitions occur. The effect of a structural disorder on the phase transition is also discussed by comparing the experimental results for the crystalline and amorphous materials.