Photo-oxidation of thermally evaporated As2S3 thin films

P. J. Allen, B. R. Johnson, B. J. Riley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Photo-oxidation of arsenic trisulfide is the process whereby the surface of As2S3 glass is chemically altered and degraded due to exposure to light in the presence of water vapor. For as-deposited, thermally evaporated, As2S3 thin films the degradation process and the subsequent products formed vary as a function of incident wavelength. This process was studied by exposing as-deposited thin films to six different wavelengths from 380 to 525 nm in a controlled temperature and humidity environment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the thin films before and after exposure. At wavelengths less than 428 nm, crystalline arsenolite (As2O3) formed on the surface, with only minor modification of the short-range molecular structure of the film. At longer wavelengths, the short range order of the film was altered from the as-deposited state to that typical of thermal annealing. A mechanism to explain these processes is proposed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1759-1764
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials
Volume7
Issue number4
StatePublished - Aug 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • As O
  • AsS
  • EDX
  • Photo-oxidation
  • SEM
  • Thin film
  • XRD

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Photo-oxidation of thermally evaporated As2S3 thin films'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this