Optical properties of GaS crystals: Combined study of temperature-dependent band gap energy and oscillator parameters

Optical parameters of gallium sulfide (GaS) layered single crystals have been found through temperature-dependent transmission and room temperature reflection experiments in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm. Experimental data demonstrates the coexistence of both optical indirect and direct transitions and the shift of the absorption edges toward lower energies by increasing temperature in the range of 10-300 K. Band gap at zero temperature, average phonon energy and electron phonon coupling parameter for indirect and direct band gap energies have been obtained from the analyses of temperature dependences of band gap energies. At high temperatures kT>> (E-ph), rates of band gap energy change have been found as 0.56 and 0.67 me V/K for E-gi and E-gd, respectively. Furthermore, the dispersion of refractive index has been discussed in terms of the Wemple-DiDomenico single effective oscillator model. The refractive index dispersion parameters, namely oscillator and dispersion energies, oscillator strength and zero-frequency refractive index, have been found to be 4.48 eV, 24.8 eV, 6.99x10(13) m(-2) and 2.56, respectively. The results of the present work will provide an important contribution to the research areas related to the characterization and optoelectronic device fabrication using GaS layered crystals.