Abstract
We report the fabrication of a semiconductor thin layer of ternary chalcogenide, Ge
33
Se
47
Sn
20
, utilizing a thermal evaporation technique for optical applications. The chemical composition and crystal structure studies on Ge
33
Se
47
Sn
20
thin films were carried out by energy-dispersive x-ray and x-ray diffraction measurements. The effect of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of the Ge
33
Se
47
Sn
20
thin films has been investigated from the UV–Visible spectra. The studied optical parameters of the virgin and UV-irradiated Ge
33
Se
47
Sn
20
thin films were found to be strongly dependent upon UV irradiation time. The changes in the optical band gap of the Ge
33
Se
47
Sn
20
thin films upon UV irradiation are due to bonding rearrangements. The significant changes in linear/nonlinear optical parameters with UV irradiation are useful for linear/nonlinear optical applications.