Preparation and Optical Properties of Sb2S3 Microcrystallite Doped Silica Glasses by the Sol-Gel Process

The sol-gel process has been applied to the preparation of nano-size Sb2S3 crystallite doped silica glasses and thin films. Silica glasses containing 1–1.5 wt% Sb2S3 are prepared by hydrolysis of complex solution of Si(OC2H5)4, SbCl3 and SC(NH2)2, and subsequent heat treatment. The nano-size crystallite in the matrix is observed by means of TEM. The transmission spectra of the films show that the transmission valley shifts toward longer wavelengths with increasing heat treatment time and temperature. Second harmonic generation (SHG) has been observed in the glasses illuminated with intense 1.06 m and frequency-doubled laser beams from mode-locked Nd:YAG laser.