Structural phase transitions in Si and Ge under pressures up to 50 GPa

The crystal structures of Si and Ge were studied by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction at room temperature and pressures up to 50 GPa. Si transforms to a primitive hexagonal (Si-V) structure around 16 GPa, to an intermediate phase Si-VI between 35 and 40 GPa, and to hcp (Si-VII) around 40 GPa. In contrast, Ge remains in the β-tin structure up to at least 51 GPa. The pseudopotential method reproduces these differences in the high-pressure behavior of Si and Ge.