Chalcogenide glasses
Résumé
The first reports on chalcogen and/or chalcogenide glasses date from the
beginning of the XX century. However, it was only in the 1950s that started the
systematic study of chalcogenide glasses. Presently the research on this type of glasses
is very active due to their great potential for practical use. The unique photoconductive
properties, infrared transparency, ionic conduction, phase-change phenomenon and
electrical and thermal transport properties of chalcogenide glasses make them highly
attractive for a wide range of applications, from photoreceptors to high-density optical
memories, infrared optical components, ionic sensors or thermoelectric devices.
This chapter intends to give a brief overview on the uniqueness properties of
chalcogenide glasses. It starts with a picture of their structure and electronic structure,
followed by their glass formation characteristics, a description of their physical
properties and finalizing with a non-exhaustive presentation of their applications.