Phase Diagram Evaluations: S e c t i o n II

The Ge-Ta S y s t e m
(Germanium-Tantalum)
By S.P. Garg a n d N. K r i s h n a m u r t h y
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay
and
M. V e n k a t r a m a n
N a v a l C h e m i c a l a n d M e t a l l u r g i c a l Laboratory, Bombay
and
s. RaJu
Indira Gandhi Centre f o r Atomic Research, K a l p a k k a m

Equilibrium Diagram Intermetallic Compounds

There were no systematic phase diagram studies of the Ta-Ge
system, and sufficient data is not available to construct a phase
diagram. Areview of the phase diagram and crystal structure data
of the Ta-Ge system was reported by [72Kub].
Solid Solubility
[59San] determined the solid solubility of Ta in (Ge) between 775
and 910 *C. The data are given in Table 1 and plotted in Fig. 1.
[62Mis] determined the solid solubility of Ta in single crystal Ge
at 860 *C using isotope Ta 182 and "/-ray scintillation counting
techniques. Their value (Table 1 and Fig. 1) essentially agrees
with the results of [59San]. A least squares analysis of the
solubility data of [59San] gives the following equation:
lOgXTa = (16 140 • 400) / T+ (11.30 • 0.40) (Eq 1)
where XTa is the Ta solubility in atom fraction and T is the
temperature in K.
Table I Solubility of Ta in Solid (Ge)
Temperature, Composition,
"C
775 ...............................................
800 ...............................................
825 ...............................................
850 ...............................................
875 ...............................................
910 ...............................................
860 ...............................................
Several intermetallic compounds were reported in the Ta-Ge sys-
tem. They are Ta3Ge, Ta5Ge2,Ta2Ge,Ta5Ge3, Ta2Ge2, TaGe, and
TaG-e2. However, the existence of only Ta3Ge, TasGe3, and
TaGe2 was confirmed under equilibrium conditions.
[44Wal] reported the presence of TaGe2 and Ta2Ge2 in the
system, based on X-ray diffraction studies. TaGe2 was found to be
isotypic with CrSi2. [54Cri] reported the presence of TaGe2,
Ta2Ge, and Ta5Ge2, based on X-ray diffraction and dissociation
pressure analyses. [54Cri] noted that Ta2Ge exists in four dif-
ferent allotropie modifications. [Hansen] reported that a phase,
Ta2Ge2, decomposes to Ta2Ge and G-e-richliquid at 1280 • 20"C.
[63Tay] reported another compound, TaGe, with two allotropic
modifications, a low-temperature cubic phase transforming to a
high-temperature rbombohedral phase. However, except for the
existence of the phase TaG-e2,these observations were not con-
firmed by subsequent investigations.
The compound, Ta5Ge3, was reported by [56Now] with two al-
lotropic modifications. The low-temperature phase aTasGe3
(isoptypic with Ti3P) transforms to the high-temperature phase
[3Ta5Ge3 (isotypic with Ni3P) at 1100 *C. Both the phases are
tetragonal but have different lattice parameters. The low-
temperature structure of aTasGe3 was also confirmed by [58Par].
at.% Ta Reference [56Now] also reported that another allotropic form of Ta5Ge3,
0.0079 [59San] isotypic with hexagonal Mn5Si3, can be stabilized by an addition
0.0158 [59San] of 5 at.% carbon. The role of carbon was, however, not estab-
0.0340 [59San] lished.
0.0790 [59San]
0.1470 [59San] A previously unidentified compound, Ta3Ge, was reported by
0.4500 [59San]
0.0700 [62Mis]
[64Sch]. This compound also exists in two modifications. The
transformation was studied in detail by [82Wil], who reported

Table 2 Ta-Ge Crystal Structure Data [Pearson3]

Composition, Pearson Space Stmkturbericht
Phase at.% Ge symbol group designation Prototype
(~I'a) .......................................................................... 0 ci2 Irn~m A2 W
~Ta3Ge ..................................................................... 25 t/32 /4 DOe Ni3P
aTa3Ge .................................................................... 25 tP32 P4z/n ... Ti3P
[3TasGe3 ................................................................... 37.5 ti32 14/mcm DSm W5Si3
ctTa~Ge3 ................................................................... 37.5 t/32 14/mcm D8I CrsB3
TaGe 2 ....................................................................... 66.7 h/a) P6222 C40 OrSi2
(oe).......................................................................... lOO cF8 F aeJm A4 C(diamond)

Journal of Phase Equilibria Vol. 12 No. 6 1991 661