Growth and optical properties of Pb1−<i>x</i>Eu<i>x</i>Te films (0&amp;lt;<i>x</i>&amp;lt;0.55)

Abstract

We present the growth and optical properties of Pb1−xEuxTe films (0&amp;lt;x&amp;lt;0.55) prepared by a co-evaporation technique onto BaF2 (111) substrates. They crystallize in a NaCl-type structure. The lattice parameter increases as x increases but not in accordance with Vegard’s law. The optical band gap increases with increasing x values. Our data seem to indicate the stability of Eu2+ for 0&amp;lt;x&amp;lt;0.55.