Determination of the composition of multicomponent chalcogenide semiconductors by X-ray fluorescence analysis

The composition of As$_x$(Ge$_y$Se$_{1-y}$)$_{1-x}$ glassy alloys is quantitatively determined by measuring the X-ray fluorescence spectrum of a Ge$_{0.2}$As$_{0.4}$Se$_{0.4}$ reference alloy. The atomic fractions of arsenic, germanium, and selenium are calculated from the X-ray fluorescence spectra and the $x_{\mathrm{RFA}}=f(x)$ and $y_{\mathrm{RGA}}= f(y)$ dependences are plotted. These dependences make it possible to determine the composition of the glasses with an accuracy of $\pm$ 0.0005 for $x$ and $y$. This procedure is effective for finding the concentration of the tin impurity in Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Se crystalline solid solutions. However, it is impossible to determine the content of tellurium in Te$_x$(As$_y$Se$_{1-y}$)$_{1-x}$ glassy alloys because the alloy components have significantly different X-ray fluorescence characteristics.