STRESS-INDUCED ANISOTROPY IN CHALCOGENIDE GLASSES .1. OPTICAL STUDIES

The optical properties of amorphous subjected to uniaxial compression up to 100 kbar have been studied. As2S3 glass undergoes elastic deformation, this results in photoelastic anisotropy at pressures below 5 k bar. At higher pressure, the material is fractured, but the cracked powders are squeezed into a transparent flake. Further compression induces substantial red-shifts of the optical absorption edge in Se, As2S3 and Ge2. The glassy flakes released from the squeezed stated to 1 atm exhibit quasi-stable isotropic properties, which can be relaxed by light illumination and annealing. The mechanisms of these optical changes are discussed. © 1990.