Influence of the selenium content on thermo-mechanical and optical properties of Ge–Ga–Sb–S chalcogenide glasses

A number of Ge17Ga4Sb10S69−xSex (x = 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 69) chalcogenide glasses have been synthesized by a melt-quenching method to investigate the effect of the Se content on thermo-mechanical and optical properties of these glasses. While it was found that the glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases from 261 to 174 °C with increasing Se contents, crystallization temperature (Tc) peak only be observed in glasses with Se content of x = 45. It was evident from the measurements of structural and physical properties that changes of the glass network bring an apparent impact on the glass properties. Also, the substitution of Se for S in Ge–Ga–Sb glasses can significantly improve the thermal stability against crystallization and broaden the infrared transmission region.