Photoinduced absorption edge shift of As20Se60Tl20 films

As₂₀Se₆₀Tl₂₀ bulk material was prepared firstly then thermal evaporation method was used to prepare As₂₀Se₆₀Tl₂₀ films. Illumination effect at room temperature for the mentioned films has been studied within the homogeneous glass-forming region. The prepared film samples were amorphous, this is depicted by X-ray chart. Optical properties have been studied using spectrophotometric measurements. The absorption edge was shifted to shorter wavelengths due to light exposure or photobleaching effect. It was found that the extinction coefficient and the optical band gap have opposite character after illumination.     

Effect of age in vitreous As2Se3 thin films

In this paper are reported the studies of structural changes developed in the photoconductivity response spectrum of amorphous As₂Se₃ thin films with their age. Thin films were prepared by the thermal evaporation of amorphous As₂Se₃. Also reported are the X-ray diffraction studies. An explanation of the phenomenon in terms of structural changes has been attempted.     

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)     

Crystallization kinetics in new Sb14As29Se52Te5 amorphous glass

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under non-isothermal conditions is used to study the crystallization kinetics of Sb₁₄As₂₉Se₅₂Te₅ chalcogenide glass. In addition, two approaches are used to analyze the dependence of glass transition temperature (T_g) on the heating rate (α). One is empirical linear relationship between (T_g) and ln(α). The second approach is the use of straight line vs. 1/T_g for the evaluation of the activation energy for glass transition. The phases at which the alloy crystallizes after the thermal treatment have been identified by using X-ray diffraction. The diffractogram of the transformed material shows the presence of some crystallites of As, Te, AsSb, As₂Se₃, Sb₂Se₃ and AsSe_.5Te_.5 in the residual amorphous matrix.     

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.     

Strong polarization dependence and selenium lone-pairs in the photoemission spectra of Sb2Se3

The photoemission energy distribution curves (EDC's) of crystalline and amorphous Sb₂Se₃ were measured in the photon energy range hv=7 to 20 eV using polarized radiation from a synchroton storage ring. The EDC's show that the six electrons per Sb₂Se₃ molecule, attributed primarily to the selenium p-pairs, are clearly separated from the remaining part of the valence band of crystalline Sb₂Se₃. The optical transitions from these states occur with matrix elements strongly dependent on the orientation of the electrical vector of the polarized radiation as a result of crystal field effects. Model densities of states are constructed for both crystalline and amorphous Sb₂Se₃.     

Origin of the dark currents in gold—a-As2Se3 sandwich cells

Steady state dark currents in Au: As₂Se₃ sandwich structures are commonly interpreted as bulk controlled while time-of-light measurements indicate that the gold contact must be emission limited. An alternative technique for discriminating ohmic from emission limited contacts is suggested which does not require interpretation of transport data. Application of this technique to Au: As₂Se₃ clearly reveals the emission limited nature of the Au contact at fields exceeding 10⁴ V cm^?1. The present conclusions are also consistent with a recent analysis of transient dark current behavior in similar structures.     

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.     

Ultrafast non-linear optical properties of Ge20As25Se55 chalcogenide films

The non-resonant third-order non-linear optical properties of amorphous Ge₂₀As₂₅Se₅₅ films were studied experimentally by the method of the femtosecond optical heterodyne detection of optical Kerr effect. The real and imaginary parts of complex third-order optical non-linearity could be effectively separated and their values and signs could be also determined, which were 6.6 × 10⁻¹² and −2.4 × 10⁻¹² esu, respectively. Amorphous Ge₂₀As₂₅Se₅₅ films showed a very fast response in the range of 200 fs under ultrafast excitation. The ultrafast response and large third-order non-linearity are attributed to the ultrafast distortion of the electron orbitals surrounding the average positions of the nucleus of Ge, As and Se atoms. The high third-order susceptibility and a fast response time of amorphous Ge₂₀As₂₅Se₅₅ films makes it a promising material for application in advanced techniques especially in optical switching.     

Experimental study and configurational-coordinate model for photo-induced effects in amorphous As2Se3 films

The optical absorption of As₂Se₃ thin films is studied in the UV–VIS spectral range and the value of the optical energy gap is determined. The effect of photo-irradiation on the optical absorption and transmission of thin film samples is also investigated. The optical energy gap was found to decrease with photo-irradiation time. The results of photo-irradiation are discussed in correlation with the structural aspects of As₂Se₃. A model is proposed to account for the structural changes, resulting from photo-irradiation, causing the decrease of the energy gap. The effect of γ-radiation on the optical absorption of As₂Se₃ thin films was studied also and no detectable effect on the value of the optical energy gap was observed.     

Dispersion characteristic of hexagonal and square lattice chalcogenide As2Se3 glass photonic crystal fiber

In this paper, we report a chalcogenide As₂Se₃ glass photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for dispersion compensating application. We have used the improved fully vectorial effective index method (IFVEIM) for comparing the dispersion properties (negative and zero dispersion) and effective area in hexagonal and square lattice of As₂Se₃ glass PCF using different wavelength windows. It has been demonstrated that due to their negative dispersion parameter and negative dispersion slope in wavelength range 1.2-2.5 μm, both lattice structures of As₂Se₃ glass PCFs, with pitch (Λ = 2 μm), can be used as dispersion compensating fibers. Further, design parameters have been obtained to achieve zero dispersion in these fibers. It is also shown that As₂Se₃ glass PCF provides much higher negative dispersion compared to silica PCF of the same structure, in wavelength range 1.25-1.6 μm and hence such PCF have high potential to be used as a dispersion compensating fiber in optical communication systems.     

Band to band radiative recombination in amorphous As2S3

Radiative recombination from band states is observed in amorphous As₂S₃. The spectral dependence of the radiation shows that recombination occurs before thermalization takes place.     

Photoelectron spectra of As4S3, P4S3, P4Se3 and As4O6

The He(I) UV photoelectron spectra of As₄S₃, P₄S₃, P₄Se₃ and As₄O₆ are reported in this paper. The spectra of As₄S₃ and the isostructural molecules P₄S₃ and P₄Se₃ comprise seven broad but clearly defined peaks, whilst the spectrum of As₄O₆ consists of six peaks and two shoulders. By comparing the spectra with one another and with the photoelectron spectra of other arsenic and phosphorus compounds, the character and symmetry species of the highest-energy occupied molecular orbitals of the molecules have been assigned.     

ESR in X-irradiated As2O3 glass

X-irradiation of glassy As₂O₃ at 77K or 300K produces an unusually large density (～5×10¹⁸ cm^-3) of paramagnetic centers which are stable at 300K. The average spin-Hamiltonian parameters (g = 1.998, g_⊥ = 1.984, A₆ = 243G, A_⊥ = 114G) indicate that these centers are analogous to those previously observed in As₂Se₃ and As₂S₃ glasses and that they consist of unpaired electrons localized on a non-bonding 4p orbital of an As atom. Unlike the results obtained for As₂Se₃ and As₂S₃, the concommitant holes in As₂O₃ are trapped on Fe²⁺ impurity sites which become Fe³⁺ and not on non-bonding oxygen p orbitals. The radiation induced ESR is also accompanied by a stable optical absorption tail which lies within the band gap and increases exponentially with energy. This absorption can be partially bleached with the application of sub-band-gap light.     

Thickness distribution of thin amorphous chalcogenide films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Amorphous chalcogenide thin films were prepared from As₂Se₃, As₃Se₂ and InSe bulk glasses by pulsed laser deposition using a KrF excimer laser. Thickness profiles of the films were determined using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The influence of the laser beam scanning process during the deposition on the thickness distribution of the prepared thin films was evaluated and the corresponding equations suggested. The results were compared with experimental data.     

Femtosecond optical Kerr effect study of Ge10As40S30Se20 film

The results of the femtosecond optical heterodyne detection of optical Kerr effect at 805 nm with the 80 fs ultrafast pulses in amorphous Ge₁₀As₄₀S₃₀Se₂₀ film is reported in this paper. The film shows an optical non-linear response of 200 fs under ultrafast 80 fs-pulse excitation, and the values of real and imaginary parts of non-linear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ were 9.0×10⁻¹² and −4.0×10⁻¹² esu, respectively. The large third-order non-linearity and ultrafast response are attributed to the ultrafast distortion of the electron orbits surrounding the average positions of the nucleus of Ge, As, S and Se atoms. This Ge₁₀As₄₀S₃₀Se₂₀ chalcogenide glass would be expected as a promising material for optical switching technique.     

Effects of Pb addition and heat treatment on optical properties of thermally evaporated Ge1−xSe2Pbx thin films

Thin chalcogenide films of Ge_1−xSe₂Pb_x (x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) have been prepared by the thermal evaporation technique, from previously synthesized bulk samples. The X-ray diffraction showed the amorphous nature for the as-deposited films and the partially crystalline for the annealed films. The optical constants (the refractive index, n, and absorption index k) were determined for as-deposited and annealed Ge_1−xSe₂Pb_x films of different thicknesses by using spectrophotometeric measurements of the transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the spectral range 200-2500 nm. The obtained values of both n and k were found to be independent of the film thickness. The optical absorption edges are described using both the Urbach rule and the indirect transition. In transparent region, the spectral dependences of refractive index were interpreted in the frame of a single oscillator model.     

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.     

Glass formation in the As2Se3-As2Te3-Sb2Te3 system

Chalcogenide glasses from the As₂Se₃-As₂Te₃-Sb₂Te₃ system were synthesized for the first time. The glass-forming region was determined by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic analyses.The basic physicochemical parameters such as density (d), microhardness (HV) and temperatures of phase transformations (glass transition T_g, crystallization T_cr and melting T_m) were measured. Compactness and some thermomechanical characteristics such as volume (V_h) and formation energy (E_h) of micro-voids in the glassy network as well as the elasticity module (E) were calculated. The glass-forming ability was evaluated according to Hruby's criteria (K_G). The correlation between composition and properties of the (As₂Se₃)_x(As₂Te₃)_y(Sb₂Te₃)_z glasses was established and comprehensively discussed.     

Numerical investigation on buffer performance based on acoustic excitation by stimulated Brillouin scattering in an As2Se3 fiber

Buffer performance of a 2.5 Gb/s bit stream with non-return-to-zero format is investigated based on acoustic excitation by stimulated Brillouin scattering in an As₂Se₃ fiber. The storage process and the retrieval process of the bit stream are separately controlled by a “Write” pulse and a “Read” pulse. The research results show that the output signal-to-noise ratio and the readout efficiency of the buffer are agreeable, and the pulse distortion is low, if both the “Write” and the “Read” pulses are with high enough peak power and spectrum wider than that of the signal pulse. Buffering of a consecutive 10-bit-long 2.5 Gb/s NRZ bit stream has also been demonstrated in the As₂Se₃ fiber with length of only 0.5 m. The storage of a long bit stream, such as the data packet containing about 1000 bits in the telecommunications, is limited by the high loss in the As₂Se₃ fiber. However, the development of the special optical fiber with high Brillouin gain coefficient, long acoustic lifetime and low loss can make this technology applicable for all-optical buffering in high speed optical networks.