Studies on electrodeposited As2S3 thin films by double exposure holographic interferometry technique

Arsenic trisulphide (As₂S₃) thin films have been deposited onto stainless steel and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by electrodeposition technique using arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) and sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃) as precursors and ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) as a complexing agent. Double exposure holographic interferometry (DEHI) technique was used to determine the thickness and stress of As₂S₃ thin films. It was observed that the thickness of the thin film increases whereas film stress to the substrate decreases with an increase in the deposition time. X-ray diffraction and water contact angle measurements showed polycrystalline and hydrophilic surface respectively. The bandgap energy increases from 1.82 to 2.45 eV with decrease in the film thickness from 2.2148 to 0.9492 μm.     

Effect of nonlinear refraction and two-photon absorption on the optical limiting in amorphous chalcogenide films

This paper reports on the results of investigations into the nonlinear optical characteristics of chalcogenide films (As₂S₃, As₂₀S₈₀, 2As₂S₃/As₂Se₃, 3As₂S₃/As₂Se₃). The nonlinear refractive indices and two-photon absorption coefficients for these films are measured using the Z-scan technique at wavelengths of a picosecond Nd: YAG laser (λ=1064 and 532 nm). The optical limiting due to Kerr-type nonlinearities is analyzed.     

Reversible photo-induced volume changes in evaporated As2S3 and As4Se5Ge1 films

Reversible photo-induced volume changes have been observed accompanying reversible optical absorption edge shift produced by successive cycles of band gap illumination and annealing for well-annealed evaporated As₂S₃ and As₄Se₅Ge₁ films. The As₂S₃ film shows an increase in its volume by illumination, while As₄Se₅Ge₁ film shows a decrease. Qualitative discussion has been given in connection with pressure-induced optical constant change.     

Kinetics of photo‐darkening and self‐bleaching in amorphous As2S3 and As2Se3 thin films

The kinetics of photo‐darkening of amorphous As₂S₃ and a‐As₂Se₃ thin films follows a single exponential, but the magnitude and the rate of the process is higher in case of As₂S₃. The kinetics of self‐bleaching (dark relaxation) in advance photo‐darkened state follows a stretched exponential (SRE) with different stretching parameter for a‐As₂S₃ and a‐As₂Se₃. Within the J. C. Phillips approach we suppose that photo‐darkening in amorphous As₂S₃ films is, to some extent, accompanied by changes in short‐range order interactions, while photo‐darkening of amorphous As₂Se₃ is accompanied rather by changes in Coulomb interactions. The self‐bleaching process reduced the magnitude of photo‐darkening up to 45% and 60% for amorphous As₂S₃ and As₂Se₃ films, respectively. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Evidence for reversible photostructural change in local order of amorphous As2S3 film

As₂S₃ films were exposed to band-gap illumination both at 290 and 77 K alternately, and after each exposure optical and X-ray measurements were carried out. It has been clarified that the reversible photodarkening should be attributed to the reversible change in local order of the network.     

硫系非晶半导体薄膜中的超快光 Kerr效应

利用飞秒激光超外差光Kerr(OHD-OKE)技术研究了As₂S₃, As₂Se₃, GeS₂, GeSe₂, Ge₂₀As₂₅S₅₅, Ge₂₀As₂₅Se₅₅, Ge₁₀As₄₀S_{20关键词： 全光开关 硫系非晶半导体薄膜 飞秒激光超外差光Kerr(OHD-OKE) 三阶非线性}     

Photoinduced phenomena in mAs2S3·nAs2Se3 amorphous films and their application in micro-optics technology

Photoinduced phenomena, such as photodarkening, photorefraction, and photodissolution, were studied in different compositions of three-component mAs₂S₃·nAs₂Se₃ amorphous films. The main emphasis was on the effect of photoinduced change of dissolution rate since this effect is the basis of many applications of amorphous chalcogenide films. The results of the investigation were compared with photoinduced effects in binary As₂S₃ and As₂Se₃ films. Advanced micro-optical devices: micro-lens and micro-mirror arrays, diffractive gratings, and photonic bandgap crystals, based on three-component amorphous films which possessed optimal photodissolution characteristics were developed. The primary parameters of the micro-optical devices developed are discussed.     

Thermally and photo-induced changes in the valence states of vapour-deposited As2S3 films: A comparative photoemission study of As2S3 and As4S4

During thermal annealing or light irradiation, the changes in the valence states of vapour-deposited As₂S₃ and As₄S₄ films were observed by UPS. The experimental results reveal that an as-deposited As₂S₃ film contains considerable numbers of As₄S₄ molecular units, which polymerize or cross link to form a As₂S₃ glassy network on annealing or irradiation.     

Photo-induced changes in the infrared vibrational spectrum of evaporated As2S3

Photo-induced changes in the infrared spectrum of amorphous, evaporated As₂S₃ films are described. The results are interpreted in terms of the photopolymerization of As₄S₄ molecular units and sulfur chains into an As₂S₃ glassy network. The role of photo-induced charged states in the polymerization process is discussed.     

Optical limiting in fullerenes, colloidal metal solutions, and semiconductors in the field of pico-and nanosecond pulses of an Nd:YAG laser

Optical limiting of pico-and nanosecond pulsed radiation of a Nd:YAG laser (λ=1064 and 532 nm) is studied in solutions of fullerenes (C₆₀ and C₇₀), semiconductor crystals and films (GaAs, As₂S₃, As₂₀S₈₀, 2As₂S₃/As₂Se₃, and 3As₂S₃/As₂Se₃), and colloidal solutions of metals (Au, Ag, Pt, and Cu). The effect of the particle aggregation in silver solutions on the optical limiting is considered. Optical limiting mechanisms, specifically, reverse saturable absorption, two-photon absorption, and self-action effects, are discussed. Nonlinear absorption coefficients of the studied materials are measured.     

Hydrogenated chalcogenide glasses As2−xSe3+x and As2−xS3+x prepared by plasma decomposition

Amorphous semiconductors As_2?xSe_3+x and As_2?xS_3+x have been prepared by glow discharge decomposition of a gas mixture of AsH₃  H₂Se and AsH₃  H₂S respectively. The films contain about 3–8 at. percent hydrogen according to infrared transmission measurements. Both S-H and Se-H vibrational modes were observed. Results of the D.C. electrical conductivity, X-ray structural analyses and optical absorption are presented. The films composition was found to be close to $\text{As:Se = As:S}\text{=}\text{2}\text{3}$.     

Photo-lightening effect in crystalline As2S2 films

A photo-induced shift of the optical transmission edge to a shorter wave-length in crystalline As₂S₂ films has been studied at room temperature and liq. N₂ temperature. This effect has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron micrograph observations.     

Photodarkening in glassy As2S3 under pressure

Photodarkening phenomena have been studied in glassy As₂S₃ films under pressure up to 3 kbar. A remarkable shift of the absorption edge to lower energy by the band gap illumination is observed under pressure. The shift is quenched even after releasing pressure. X-ray diffraction studies have also been performed at various pressures. The first sharp diffraction peak disappears at 50 kbar. The origin of the observed enhancement of the photodarkening may be associated with the increase in the interlayer correlation by application of pressure.     

Conductivity of the chalcogenide semi-insulator system: As2S3Sb2S3

The conductivities of mixed As₂S₃Sb₂S₃ thin films are discussed. Temperature independent a.c. data are interpreted in terms of a hopping mechanism where correlation effects are important. Excepting As₂S₃, which exhibits extrinsic behaviour, the dielectric constant, a.c. conductivity and d.c. conductivity pre-exponential factor, all scale approximately linearly with composition.     

Effect of photoinduced structural transformations on dielectric properties of the Met–As<Subscript>40</Subscript>S<Subscript>30</Subscript>Se<Subscript>30</Subscript> system

The effect of photoinduced structural transformations on dielectric and contact properties of thin films on the basis of As₄₀S₃₀Se₃₀ is studied. An increase in the conductivity and variations of the type of dispersion of the dielectric conductivity are found. In the region of infralow frequencies, long-term exposure leads to a weakening of blocking properties of a contact at the met–As₄₀S₃₀Se₃₀ interface.     

Reversible photostructural change in melt-quenched As2S3 glass

Reversible phtodarkening and photostructural change accomplished by repeated cycles of band-gap illumination and annealing have been observed in melt-quenched As₂S₃ glass for the first time. The magnitudes of photo-induced shift of optical absorption edge as well as the fraction of photo-expansion observed in melt-quenched As₂S₃ glass coincide quantitatively with those observed in well-annealed evaporated As₂S₃ glass. The experimental data involving results of crystalline As₂S₃ demonstrate that the reversible photostructural change is “unique” to amorphous state and is not affected by the difference in disordered structure originated from preparation technique.     

Silicon doping of MBE-grown GaAs films

Two concentration ranges of silicon doping in MBE-grown GaAs films have been investigated in some detail. In lightly doped films, with a free-electron concentration of ≈10¹⁶cm^?3, low-temperature photoluminescence spectra have been analysed to develop a model to account for spectral features previously attributed to Ge and Si acceptor levels. In heavily doped films, a maximum free-electron concentration of ≈7×10¹⁸ cm^?3 has been obtained, which is only rather weakly dependent on growth conditions and the nature of the arsenic species (As₂ or As₄). Transmission electron microscopy has shown that no significant precipitation effects occur when higher Si fluxes are used but there is evidence for autocompensation. The maximum PL intensity (300 K) is found at a lower free electron concentration then with Sn-doped films, and is more sharply peaked, but there is no evidence for an anomalous Moss-Burstein shift.     

Infrared properties of AsχTe1−χ glasses

Infrared reflection and transmission measurements in As_χTe_1?χ glasses (45?×?55) show well-defined Gaussian vibrational absorption peaks. Comparisons with spectra observed in crystalline and glassy As₂S₃ and As₂Se₃ indicate that the local order in As_χTe_1?χ glasses is not like that found in crystalline As₂Te₃, but rather it consists primarily of AsTe₃ pyramids which are probably linked together in a fashion similar to that found in As₂S₃ and As₂Se₃.     

Charging of glassy chalcogenide semiconductors in corona discharge and its effect on holographic grating formation

Recording of optical holographic gratings based on photostructural transformations in thin (≈ 1 μm) As₂S₃ and As₂S₃ semiconductor layers in the presence and absence of a corona discharge and also chemical etching of these gratings are studied. Initiation of a corona at the stage of interference grating recording is shown to improve the exposure contrast of metal-glassy chalcogenide semiconductor thin-film structures. The holographic sensitivity, diffraction efficiency, dynamic range, and contrast are also improved severalfold. When phase relief gratings formed in these layers are selectively etched in a chemical etchant in the presence of a corona, their profile becomes more regular and deeper by 25–30% and the diffraction efficiency increases by 30–50%.     

Small angle X-ray scattering evidence for the absence of voids in chalcogenide glasses

Small angle X-ray scattering measurements show no evidence for the presence of voids in chalcogenide glasses, in contrast to the situation found in deposited films of Ge and Si. This result and the observation of a diffraction peak near $\text{k = 1.2}\text{A}\text{?}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$ are found to be consistent with the existence of a layer structure in glassy As₂S₃ and As₂Se₃.