Structure of semiconductors in noncrystalline states

The known results of diffraction investigations of liquid, vitreous, and amorphous (film) semiconductors are examined with an aim at finding the general laws governing the structural changes in the crystal-melt, melt-glass, and crystal (vapor)-amorphous film transitions. These laws are formulated. A classification by structural attributes is proposed for liquid semiconductors. The role of the initial structure of the crystal in the formation of the structure of the short-range order of the melt is considered, the types of singularities of the structural changes accompanying melting in semiconductor-metal and semiconductor-semiconductor transitions are noted.