Low temperature elastic behaviour of As-Sb-Se and Ge-Sb-Se glasses

Abstract

The ternary glasses of arsenic and germanium with antimony and selenium can be prepared in large sizes for optical purposes. The elastic behaviour of eight compositions of each glass has been studied down to 4·2 K using a 10 MHz ultrasonic pulse echo interferometer. The glasses have a normal elastic behaviour, with the velocities gradually increasing as the temperature is lowered. An anharmonic solid model of Lakkad satisfactorily explains the temperature variations. The elastic moduli of Ge _xSb₁₀Se_90-x glasses increase linearly as the Ge content is increased up to 25 at. % and beyond this the increase is nonlinear. (AsSb)₄₀Se₆₀ glasses show a linear increase in elastic moduli with increasing Sb content. The elastic moduli of As_xSb₁₅Se_85-x glasses exhibit a drastic change near the stoichiometric composition As₂₅Sb₁₅Se₆₀. These behaviours have been qualitatively explained on the basis of the structural changes in glasses.