Photosensitivity of germanium oxide and germanosilicate glass sol–gel films

Abstract

Germanium oxide and germanosilicate glass films were fabricated using a sol–gel spin coating method. The formation and photobleaching of the optical absorption band of the films in the 5-eV region were measured as a function of annealing under a reducing atmosphere and ultraviolet (UV) illumination. A greater amplitude in the 5-eV absorption band was observed with increasing annealing time due to the formation of more germanium-related oxygen vacancies in the films. Also, the photobleaching of the absorption band increased with increasing illumination time. Although the amplitude of the absorption band in 50GeO 2–50SiO 2 glass films is greater than that in germanium oxide glass films because of higher annealing temperature, germanium oxide glass films are more photosensitive due to the greater photobleachable neutral oxygen monovacancy (NOMV) concentration than non-photobleachable neutral oxygen divacancy (NODV) concentration in the films.