119Sn Mössbauer studies of glassy and crystalline compounds in the chalcogenide system SeSnAs

¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer measurements have been carried out on 18 chalcogenide glasses of different composition in the system SeSnAs. In all cases tin is four-coordinated and appears to be tetrahedrally surrounded by selenium. Two of the glasses (Se₆₀Sn₃As₃₇ and Se₄₇Sn₃As₅₀) were crystallized by heat treatment, and their Mössbauer spectra have been measured as a function of crystallization temperature and annealing time. As a result of the heat treatment, crystalline SnSe and SnSe₂ are precipitated. The amount of each compound is determined by the composition of the original glass and the remaining glassy or crystalline phase (As₂Se₃ and As₄Se₄). The degree of the crystallization depends on the temperature and the annealing time, but not the mass ratio of the tin selenides formed.