Homopolar bonds in Se-rich Ge—As—Se chalcogenide glasses

We have prepared three groups of Ge-As-Se glasses in which the Se content is 5.5 mol%, 10 mol%, and 20 mol% rich, respectively. We explored the possibility of suppressing the formation of the Ge-Ge and As-As homopolar bonds in the glasses. Thermal kinetics analysis indicated that the 5.5 mol% Se-rich Ge_11.5As₂₄Se_64.5 glass exhibits the minimum fragility and thus is most stable against structural relaxation. Analysis of the Raman spectra of the glasses indicated that the Ge-Ge and As-As homopolar bonds could be almost completely suppressed in 20 mol% Se-rich Ge₁₅As₁₄Se₇₁ glass.