QUANTUM CONFINEMENT OF PBS MICROCRYSTALS IN GLASS

A microcrystalline PbS phase has been thermally produced from an oxide glass host. X-ray linewidth measurements have shown that the average particle size can be controlled in the range 8-30 nm, depending on the thermal development schedule. Quantum confinement behavior has been observed based on the measurement of sub-band structure of the absorption edge. Spectral shifts of the sub-bands were found to be consistent with the inverse square of the particle size, consistent with a quantum confinement origin. A lower-concentration PbSe phase has also been obtained from the same base-glass composition showing similar optical effects.