X-ray microanalysis and optical properties of thin As-S-Bi (Tl) films

Chalcogenide glasses are an Important class of materials because of their wide range of applications in infrared optics, infrared detectors, electronic and optical switching devices and phase optical recording. In this paper, we discuss the results obtained studying the influence of the conditions of deposition(temperature and rate of evaporation), thin film concentration and light exposure on the optical properties of thin As-containing chalcogenide films. A technique named phase contribution method (PCM) is used for quantitative elemental analysis of thin layers from the system As-S-Bi (Tl) deposited on soda-lime glass substrates. The method has been tested with thin chalcogenide films with different thicknesses deposited on glass and graphite substrates, The relationship between the changes in the composition and optical properties has been derived. The changes allow the practical application of thin-layered information recording media and high-resolution inorganic photoresists. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.