Preparation and optical properties of Bi2S3 microcrystallite doped glass and thin film by the sol-gel process

The Bi₂S₃ microcrystallite doped thin films and glass lumps have been successfully prepared by the sol-gel process from the hydrolysis of a complex solution of Si(OC₂H₅)₄ Bi(NO₃)₃ · 5H₂O and SC(NH₂)₂, and the size of the microcrystallites in glass heated for different times at 400°C was decided by the method of HRTEM. The optical transmission valley shifted towards longer wavelengths with longer heat-treatment time at 500°C in the Bi₂S₃ doped thin films, showing the experimental evidence of quantum size effects. The red-shift of emission peaks in luminenscence spectrum excited with longer wavelength is attributed to the broad distribution of particle size in Bi₂S₃ doped glass.