Short Range Order Signature in Crystalline and Amorphous GeSbTe Xanes Spectra

A new implementation of XANES spectra calculations within DFT and PAW potentials is used to compute the XANES spectra of various amorphous and crystalline GeSbTe structures. A clear correlation between the local order, either tetrahedral or distorted octahedral, and the shape of the XANES signal is observed. These calculations provide a new interpretation of past XANES measurements, relating essentially the phase change mechanism to a moderate modification of the local environment of the Ge atoms.