Effects of Germanium doping on the structural and electronic properties of amorphous silica

Abstract : Germanium doped silica is widely used in microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. For example, in optical fibers, germanium is used to increase the refractive index of the silica-based core. Furthermore, in microelectronics, due to the aggressive. Downscaling of technologies, germanium substrate and consequently germanium oxide is gaining considerable interest. ln the present study, we perfonned ab initio calculations to understand the effects of this doping on the properties of silica and to compare the properties at atomic scale of silica and germanium dioxide.