Local structure of amorphous tellurium studied by EXAFS

The local structure of an amorphous tellurium (a-Te) film was investigated by extended X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis. The covalent bond length shortens and the Debye-Waller factor of the intra-chain decreases in a-Te compared with trigonal Te (t-Te). The value of the intra-chain coordination number is close to two, which is the value for t-Te, and the inter-chain interaction weakens. These results suggest that the primary chain structure remains intact, but the secondary structure is disrupted. The decrease in the inter-chain interaction strengthens the intra-chain interaction.