OPTICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF AMORPHOUS AG-GE-S AND AG-GE-SE FILMS AND COMPARISON OF PHOTOINDUCED AND THERMALLY-INDUCEDPHENOMENA OF BOTH SYSTEMS

To understand the nature of Ag-rich chalcogenide glasses, the optical, electrical, and structural properties of evaporated amorphous (Ge0.3S 0.7)(100-x)Ag-x and(Ge0.3Se0.7)(100-y)Ag-y films have been examined an d compared with each other over a wide compositional range in Ag conte nt. The maximum Ag content for the amorphous films was 67 at. % for th e S-based system and 40 at. % for the Se-based system. The physical pr operties of both systems depended significantly on the Ag content but the compositional trends resembled each other. All the photoinduced an d thermally induced phenomena observed for the S-based system were als o observed for the Se-based system but with the compositional ranges s hifted to lower Ag concentration: the photo- and thermal bleachings (0 less than or equal to y<22 for the Se-based system, 0 less than or eq ual to x<40 for the S-based system),the photoinduced surface depositio n (PSD) of metallic Ag phenomenon, and the phase separation on anneali ng (25<y less than or equal to 40, 50<x less than or equal to 67). The Se-based system was found to exhibit the PSD phenomenon at low Ag con centrations where the S-based system never exhibits this effect. (C) 1 996 American Institute of Physics.