Some features of chalcohalide glassy Ge–S–AgI thin films Original Research Article

Novel amorphous bulk materials from the chalcohalide Ge–S–AgI system were synthesized. From the as-prepared materials, thin amorphous films were evaporated by conventional thermal evaporation in vacuum onto different substrates. The amorphous nature of the bulk and layered materials was proved using X-ray diffraction. The morphology and uniformity of the deposited layers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy; the surface topology and roughness were studied by atomic force microscopy. The compositional dependence of the microhardness of the studied thin chalcohalide coatings was established and the influence of the third component (AgI) was determined. Stress measurements of the thin films deposited on special silicon cantilevers were performed in a period of 3 months and the relation between AgI content and stress was defined. In addition, the compositional dependence of the stress relaxation of the studied glassy Ge–S–AgI coatings was elucidated and the most probable reasons for the stress formation were proposed.