Chalcogenide glasses contain group VI (A) elements of the periodic table such as Sulphur, Selenium or Tellurium as their major constituent. Chalcogenide glasses are known to be p-type semiconductors. It was reported that Ge-Se glasses containing appropriate amounts of Bismuth (Bi) or Lead (Pb) exhibited n-type conduction. Bi modified chalcogenide glasses have received more attention in the literature as compared to Pb modified chalcogenide glasses. In this thesis, a systematic study of the electrical, thermal and optical properties of bulk and thin films of Pb modified chalcogenide glasses is reported. The basic interest in chalcogenide glasses exhibiting p-type to n-type charge carrier reversal and the general lack of information on thin films of these glasses are the motivations behind this work.
(Abstract Not Available)