Thermal annealing dependence of some physical properties of Bi-substituted Sn-Sb-Se glassy thin films

Bulk glasses of the Sn ₁₀Sb ₂₀ (0 ≤ x ≤ 8) system were prepared by the conventional melt quenching technique. Thin films were prepared by the thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates. Appearance of some crystalline phases is observed from the X-ray diffractograms after heat treatment below the glass transition temperature for 1 h. Scanning electron microscopy studies also show the presence of microcrystalline phases in the amorphous matrix after annealing for 1 h. The effect of Bi concentration and heat treatment on the optical gap and activation energy for dark conductivity were also investigated for the pristine as well as annealed films. The results are discussed on the basis of models related to the presence of defect states in chalcogenide materials.