Reflection measurements at infrared (IR) wavelengths are used to measure th
ermally induced changes in the optical thickness of as-deposited and anneal
ed As33S67 and As40S60 thin films of thicknesses similar to 1.5 and similar
to 16 mu m, respectively, deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation at a rat
e of similar to 0.1 nm s(-1). Measurements were also made on films of estim
ated composition As21Ag26S53 derived from Ag diffusion into the As33S67 Obt
ained by heating Ag/As33S67 bilayers. For annealed As-S films the relative
change in optical thickness was approximately equal to the thermal expansio
n coefficient for the melt-quenched glass between room temperature and simi
lar to 160 degrees C, indicating that the refractive index, n, has a neglig
ible dependence on temperature. Tn contrast, the Ag-As-S system was found t
o have thermal coefficients similar to 2.5 times those for the annealed As-
S films, which were not reduced by annealing. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V
. All rights reserved.