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glossary
Chalcogenide glasses
Chalcogenide glasses are amorphous solids in which the glass-forming elements (silicon and oxygen in "normal" glass) are contained in the form of germanium, arsenic und the heavy chalcogens sulphur, selenium and tellurium. Due to the heavier elements and the weaker chemical bond translucency shifts from the visible into the infared spectral range.Chalcogenide glasses are semiconductors. Their mechanical rigidity and thermal resistance are smaller than those of glasses for the visible spectral range, but their thermal expansion is considerably stronger.
