Arsenic trisulfide-doped silica-based porous glass

Abstract

Novel composite material based on silica porous glass as low refractive index matrix and high refractive index As2S3 nanoparticles filled in the pores has been made. Chalcogenide nanoparticles were dissolved and the porous glass matrix was impregnated in the obtained solution. Subsequently, the solvent was evaporated by annealing the porous glass. Various optical parameters of the created composite material are presented in this paper. These parameters are based on optical and structural transformations which occur under active illumination and heat treatment in such chalcogenide-containing composite and compared with thin As2S3 light-sensitive layers. New functionalities may be added this way to the composite, such as illumination and/or thermally driven optical parameters. Developing and optimizing the optical properties of the obtained As2S3-porous glass composites can be useful for creating 3D optical-structural patterns for different applications such as holographic data storage, light modulation, and/or functional, nonlinear optical elements with various parameters for VIS-NIR optics.