Indirect electronic transitions in alkali halate crystals-I (sodium and potassium chlorate crystals)

The long wavelength tail of the fundamental absorption in NaClO₃ and KClO₃ crystals has been analysed based on the theory of band to band transitions of Bardeen et al.8] developed in the case of semi-conducting crystals. Evidence of phonon involvement in the transitions giving an indirect band gap is observed. The energies of the phonons involved in the process are the same for both the crystals, and agree well with combinations of prinicple frequencies of ClO₃^? ion, their overtones and also lattice phonons. The indirect band gap in these crystals varies with temperature more or less linearly and the rate of variation is ?3·8 × 10^?4 eV/K and ?5·0 × 10^?4 eV/K for sodium chlorate and potassium chlorate respectively.