Photoinduced changes in optical and contact properties of chalcogenide glasses

Photoinduced changes in optical and contact properties in thin films of glasses of As-Se and As-S systems are studied experimentally. The changes detected in the optical constants and parameters of the potential barrier at the interface between a metal and a chalcogenide vitreous semiconductor are explained by the rearrangement of the glass host under the action of radiation.     

Switching effect in chalcogenide glasses

A new physical concept of the switching effect in chalcogenide glasses is put forward that differs radically from those proposed earlier. The concept is based on the cluster model of the structure of glass. The mechanism of conduction observed after switching is treated within separate regions as resonant motion of singlet electron pairs over two-level systems formed by adjacent localized states. This concept suggests, as a natural consequence, an electronic (rather than thermal) and threshold character of switching, an increase in the electric current by many orders of magnitude, filamentation of the current, the appearance of memory upon holding for a long time in an electric field, and a typical threshold value of the field strength.     

Non-radiative recombination in chalcogenide glasses

Non-radiative recombination of electron-hole pairs in chalcogenide glasses is described using a mechanism of a strong electron-phonon coupling. Recombination proceeds through a transient bonding rearrangement that creates a defect similar to those giving localized electronic states. Incomplete recombination which leaves the defect in a metastable state explains the reversible photostructural change.     

Photoinduced defect formation in chalcogenide vitreous semiconductors

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy -     

Polarization-vortex-driven second-harmonic generation

Polarization vortices exist in the focus of a class of vector beams, the lowest order of which possess full vector symmetry about the axis of propagation of the beam. At high numerical apertures these beams are known to exhibit large, local, longitudinal fields in the focal region. At an interface these fields can be many times stronger than the largest available transverse component and are therefore candidates for a variety of different experiments in surface physics. The observation of vortex-driven surface second-harmonic generation at smooth metal and semiconductor surfaces and thin films is reported. By comparing the response to that of a purely transverse field, we show that the smooth surface responds primarily to the longitudinal field component.     

High-pressure structural changes in chalcogenide glasses

The pressure dependence of the first sharp diffraction peak has been studied for GeS₂ and As₂S₃ glasses. The shift of the peak position induced by hydrostatic compression is closely related to the macroscopic compressibility. The shift in glassy GeS₂ quantitatively corresponds to the change in the interlayer distance of the crystalline specimen under pressure. These observations indicate that the glasses consist of distorted layer molecules held together with van der Waals forces.     

IR-poled second-harmonic generation in glass

Infrared (IR)-induced second-harmonic generation in the chalcogenide glasses is observed. A phenomenological approach of IR picosecond non-linear optical (NLO) response in glass is developed for the middle IR spectral range (5–15 μm). The observed effect is explained within the framework of fifth-order NLO susceptibilities. A model that reproduces the basic characteristics of the experimental data, in which the optical non-linearities caused by photoinduced electron–phonon anharmonic interactions, is proposed. The role of the IR-induced phase matching conditions in the observed phenomenon is discussed.     

Homopolar bonds in Se-rich Ge-As-Se chalcogenide glasses

We have prepared three groups of Ge–As–Se glasses in which the Se content is 5.5 mol%, 10 mol%, and 20 mol%rich, respectively. We explored the possibility of suppressing the formation of the Ge–Ge and As–As homopolar bonds in the glasses. Thermal kinetics analysis indicated that the 5.5 mol% Se-rich Ge_(11.5)As_(24)Se_(64.5) glass exhibits the minimum fragility and thus is most stable against structural relaxation. Analysis of the Raman spectra of the glasses indicated that the Ge–Ge and As–As homopolar bonds could be almost completely suppressed in 20 mol% Se-rich Ge_(15)As_(14)Se_(71) glass.     

Ionic conductivity of silver chalcogenide glasses

The dynamic response by electrical spectroscopy of ionically conducting chalcogenide glasses (Ag₂S)_x(GeS₂)_1–x has been studied. The activation energies E_d.c deduced from the Arrhenius plots are temperature dependent. Fitting the curves to log(σ_a.c)=f(log ω) leads to values of characteristic parameters that are dependent both on temperature and frequency. The obtained experimental results are compared with a theoretical model based on the concept of “free volume” fluctuations. A new approch is proposed leading to acceptable hopping distances. Paper presented at the 1st Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Zakynthos, Greece, 11–18 Sept. 1994.     

Linear optical characterization of chalcogenide glasses

A simple experimental method is used to obtain the evolution of both the refractive index and the linear absorption coefficient as a function of the optical wavelength in the near infrared range (from 900 up to 1700 nm with 10 nm resolution). Several chalcogenide glasses (As₂S₃, As₂Se₃, GeSe₄) are tested and the corresponding Cauchy coefficients are determined. Comparison of our results shows a good agreement with values available in the literature at some wavelength. Application of this method is used to estimate Cauchy coefficients of Ge₁₀As₁₀Se₈₀ for the first time to our best knowledge.     

Electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation in GaN devices

Electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation is used to detect electric fields in a GaN UV Schottky photodiode and in a GaN light-emitting diode. The second-harmonic signal is measured as a function of bias voltage and incident laser power. This technique is sensitive to small applied voltages and can be used to track electronic waveforms. The photocurrent generated by this technique is found to be less than 100 pA when the fundamental and second-harmonic frequencies are both below the device bandgap.     

Quantum fluctuations in second-harmonic light generation

Second-harmonic light generation (SHLG) is analyzed from the viewpoint of the photon statistics of the fundamental and generated beams versus the path traversed by the two waves in the medium. The calculations lead to an anti-bunching effect for coherent incident light.     

Optical second-harmonic generation in ferroelectric nanowires

Optical second-harmonic generation in ferroelectric nanowires of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) and sodium nitrite embedded into chrysotile-asbestos nanotubes from a melt or solution has been studied. The second-harmonic radiation appears to be polarized, and its intensity is unexpectedly high in comparison with bulk materials. Analysis of the polarization characteristics of the observed signal reveals the possibility of the formation of ferroelectric nanocrystals having the same orientation along the matrix nanotubes and randomly orientated in the plane perpendicular to this direction.     

Magnetic-field-induced second-harmonic generation in semiconductor GaAs

We show that application of a magnetic field induces optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) in GaAs. This phenomenon arises from field-induced symmetry breaking causing new optical nonlinearities. A series of narrow SHG lines is observed in the spectral range from 1.52 to 1.77 eV that we attribute to Landau-level quantization of the band energy spectrum. The rotational anisotropy of the SHG signal distinctly differs from that of the electric-dipole approximation. Model calculations reveal that nonlinear magneto-optical spatial dispersion that comes together with the electric-dipole term is the dominant mechanism for this nonlinearity.     

Defect influence on charge transport in chalcogenide glasses

Abstract

Conductivity of chalcogenide glasses was measured as a function of temperature (290–340 K) and frequency (10^?4–10^?1 Hz). Frequency dependence of conductivity can be approximated by a power law G～ω^s (S < 1). The relaxation maximum of dielectric losses was found. The dielectric constant ? decreases with frequency rise. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the defect structure model.