AgGeSe-based bulk glasses: a survey of their fundamental properties

M.A. UREÑA; M.FONTANA; A.PIARRISTEGUY; B.ARCONDO

JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS

Elsevier

Año: 2010 vol. 495 p. 305 - 308

0925-8388

GexSe1−x system is a well-known glass former for x≤0.43. The addition of third elements (i.e. Ag, Sb,and Sn) even up to high concentrations is possible without affecting its glass forming ability. Thesemetals confer these glasses very particular properties. Ag–Ge–Se glasses are semiconductors for low Agconcentration whereas they are fast ionic conductors above 8 at.% Ag. The structure, thermal behaviourand transport properties of these glasses are analyzed.Metal doping is easily performed in chalcogenide glasses. It has been observed that, in contrast tocrystalline semiconductors, their transport properties were not substantially affected as the valencebonds of the doping elements are completely saturated. The resource of doping with a 57Fe probe iswidely employed in the materials study in order to characterize the short-range order of their structureby means of Mössbauer effect spectroscopy.These results are discussed and correlated to the structure and morphology of this chalcogenide system.