CuI microcrystallites embedded in a glass matrix

Abstract

The authors investigate for the first time various CuI-doped glasses by TEM and optical spectroscopy. The absorption features are essentially exciton-like revealing cubic and hexagonal phases. For longer annealing times the authors get crystallite size distributions with several peaks due to the coalescence of smaller CuI drops during annealing. The quantization energies for crystallites in the cubic phase can be described by a simple equation. The same equation allows them to determine the exciton mass in the hexagonal phase.