The effect of Sn on the physical and optical properties of (Se0.6As0.1Ge0.3)100-xSnx glasses

Chalcogenide glasses are significant materials for semiconducting and infrared imaging because of their infrared (IR) transparency. In the present study, Se-Ge-As based chalcogenide glasses with chemical composition of (Se0.6As0.1Ge0.3)(100-x) Sn-x doped with different amounts of Sn were prepared by conventional melting quenching method. Physical properties of glasses were investigated by studying density and molar volume. Based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results and density measurements, the binary role of Sn was proved. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) study of the samples approved presence of impurities. Using the UV-Vis spectra, optical properties including Fermi energy level, direct and indirect optical band gap and Urbach energy were determined. The results showed a decrease in density of glasses with the increase of Sn from 2 to 6 mol%. Increasing Sn in the glassy microstructure of samples provides a semiconducting character to Se based chalcogenide glass by reducing the direct and indirect optical band gaps of glass samples from 1.29 to 1.15 (eV) and 1.16 to 1.01 (eV), respectively. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.