A reversible optical change in the AsSeGe glass

TLDR: In this article, a novel reversible change in the optical property, transmission and refractive index, due to light irradiation has been found in the As-Se-Ge glass film, which makes the material suitable for erasable (optical) memory medium.

Abstract: A novel reversible change in the optical property, transmission and refractive index, due to light irradiation has been found in the AsSeGe glass film. The change is not related with a usual amorphous-crystalline type transformation; a weak lightr causes an edge shift to longer shorter wavelengths also occur upon heating the sample, which suggests that the shift du to the strong light irradiation is originated from the “heating effect” of light. This was confirmed by an experiment with a sample coated with metal-smoke. The change of optical transmission during the weak light irradiation was measured; it is decreased exponentially with time, and the rate of decrease became larger as the power of irradiationg light increased. Good reversibility of the optical transmission was obtained, which makes the material suitable for erasable (optical) memory medium.