Optical properties of amorphous Sb₂Se₃:Sn films

Abstract

The measurements and analysis of optical transmission and far-infrared (IR) reflectivity spectra of thermally evaporated Sb₂Se₃:Sn films are reported. The refractive index and film thickness have been determined from the upper and lower envelopes of the transmission spectra (Swanepoel's standard envelope method), measured at normal incidence, in the spectral range from 800 to 2500 nm. Values of the refractive index fit well to Cauchy's dispersion relation. The optical gap decreases with an increase in the Sn content, while a maximum in the tailing parameter and Urbach's energy occurs with only a small amount (∼1 at %) of this additive. Characteristic vibrational bands for SbSe₃ structural units are revealed in the far-IR spectrum with no additional ones arising from the Sn additive. The Kramers–Kronig analysis has been used to calculate the dielectric constants and hence the longitudinal optic and transverse optic splitting for various compositions. The inclusion of Sn as a charged entity along with the Coulomb interactions which serve to polarize the glass medium is found to be responsible for these results.

Keywords:

• amorphous semiconductors
• thin films
• chalcogenide glasses
• optical properties
• refractive index
• far-infrared reflectivity

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Prof. V. Venkataraman (Co-ordinator) and Dr. R. Ganesan (Scientific Officer) at the DST-National Facility for Low Temperatures and High Magnetic Fields, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for providing access to the FTIR facility. One of the authors (PK) is grateful for the financial assistance from the CSIR, New Delhi, India.