Submission Date

4-2023

Document Type

Paper

Department

Physics & Astronomy

Adviser

Casey Schwarz

Committee Member

Ross Martin-Wells

Committee Member

Casey Schwarz

Department Chair

Casey Schwarz

External Reviewer

Rashi Sharma

Distinguished Honors

This paper has met the requirements for Distinguished Honors.

Project Description

Chalcogenide glasses (ChGs) have a wide range of interdisciplinary applications. In industry, ChGs are used to vastly improve infrared sight abilities. There are, however, improvements that can be made to the films’ stability, cost, and flexibility. Our project seeks to produce thin films that have these improvements, with capabilities comparable or better than what is widely used in the field. Thin films created through solution-based processes have proven to be much more flexible in comparison to bulk glass versions. Other elements in Group 16, such as Sulfur and Selenium have shown across literature to be a cost-effective alternative to Tellurium bases that have been used to make ChGs previously. Thus, the combination of S and Se compounds and solution coating methods are a promising area to explore. Here we will report a solution-based method for the creation of ChG thin films. Previous research conclusions regarding solution creation were utilized and adapted in these experiments. Both bulk As2S3 and As2Se3 compounds in combination with an ethylenediamine solvent were used to create the solutions. Varying solution concentrations as well as improved substrate preparation methods were tested. Spin coating procedures were utilized during the film making process. The finished products were then tested for their transmission capabilities into the infrared using FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

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