Effects of γ-irradiation on the optical properties of a-(Sb0.1Ge0.3Se0.6) and Ag5(Sb0.1Ge0.3Se0.6)95 thin film material

The amorphous behaviour of (Sb0.1Ge0.3Se0.6) and Ag5(Sb0.1Ge0.3Se0.6)95 chalcogenide thin film materials deposited at room temperature onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation process was investigated using X-ray diffraction technique. The surface morphology as well as the elemental chemical composition of the as-deposited films was investigated via scanning electron microscopy. The optical transmission and reflection spectra of as-deposited films and that exposed for different γ-dose were recorded at room temperature in the wavelength range of 600–2500 nm. Systematic studies of the refractive index, extinction coefficient and optical band gap have been presented as a function of the γ-dose. The dispersion of the refractive index for such films is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple–DiDomenico model, which was presented.