Photo- and thermostimulated phase transformations in Ge2Sb2Se5– <i>x</i> Te <i>x</i> glasses

Kinetics of pre-crystallization and crystallization in bulk Ge2Sb2Se5–xTex glasses with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.1, synthesized by melt-quenching technique, is studied. Amorphous structure of the as-prepared samples is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Nonisothermic crystallization of the alloys is studied experimentally using differential thermal analysis, the data are analyzed based on the classical Kissinger method. Te-containing Ge2Sb2Se5–xTex samples crystallize in a hexagonal structure, while for Ge2Sb2Se5 (x = 0) an orthorhombic phase is formed. With increasing tellurium content in the Ge2Sb2Se5–xTex glasses, the temperature of the exothermic crystallization peak decreases, and the activation energy Ea increases.