Structure-optical property correlations of arsenic sulfide glasses in visible, infrared, and sub-millimeter regions

• Published in: Journal of non-crystalline solids 2010-06, Vol.356 (25), p.1288-1293
• Main Authors: McCloy, John S., Riley, Brian J., Sundaram, S.K., Qiao, Hong A., Crum, Jarrod V., Johnson, Bradley R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorption; Amorphous semiconductors; Annealing; ARSENIC; arsenic sulfide, amorphous semiconductor, millimeter-wave, photonics; ARSENIC SULFIDES; Chalcogenide glasses; Concentration (composition); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Coordination; COORDINATION NUMBER; Disordered solids; Exact sciences and technology; Glass; Glasses; Infrared; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Networks; Optical constants: refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films; OSCILLATORS; Physics; PRISMS; REFRACTIVE INDEX; Refractivity; Rigidity percolation; Short range order; SPECTROMETERS; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; WAVELENGTHS; X-RAY DIFFRACTION
• ISSN: 0022-3093; 1873-4812
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2010.04.018

Optical properties and structural aspects of As x S 100- x glasses from visible to terahertz wavelengths were explored. A series of annealed, bulk As x S 100- x glasses ( x = 30 to 42) were made and their refractive indices determined at terahertz, infrared, and visible frequencies using a quasi-optical backwards wave oscillator spectrometer for terahertz measurements combined with a prism coupler for visible and infrared measurements. It was found that the refractive index at all frequencies increases with arsenic composition up to 40 at.% arsenic and then decreases with additional arsenic. The structure in X-ray diffraction patterns supports the notion of a minimum volume at 40 at.%, while the average covalent coordination number indicates that the rigidity percolation threshold is reached there. At arsenic concentrations >40 at.%, the network becomes over-constrained, and the molar volume increases.