Photosurface deposition of Ag on Ag-rich Ag-Ge-S films : Analysis of change in the optical transmission spectra

Change in optical transmission spectra due to the photosurface deposition phenomenon has been explained in terms of the growth of photodeposited Ag particles and a decrease in the Ag concentration of the illuminated Ag-rich Ag–Ge–S film. The marked decrease in transmission at wavelengths in the range of 700–800 nm was found to be due to an increase in the surface area occupied by the Ag particles. Photodeposition of fine Ag particles is an important factor for the application of Ag-rich chalcogenide films to high-density erasable optical recording devices.