Fabrication and Characterization of Ge33As12Se55 Chalcogenide Glass as an Infrared Window

The preparation and characterization of Ge33As12Se55 chalcogenide glass as an infrared window was the goal of this study. In this regard, the glass composition with suitable atomic ratio was melted and quenched within quartz capsulate under different conditions. The melting process was done in the temperature range of 750 to 950° C for different periods of time and the quenching process was done in different cooling media. The structural and optical characteristics of samples were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the melting temperature and cooling media have significant effects on the properties of final products. The optimum processing temperature in order to achieve the best optical properties was 950°C and the optimum cooling media was a salt bath with temperature of 220°C. The addition of gettering elements (such as Mg) to glass composition had benefit effect on oxide absorption bands from FTIR curves