Nuclear quadrupole resonance in amorphous semiconductors

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) has provided a valuable tool for investigating the local structural order in semiconducting glasses. Measurements of NQR lineshapes and spin-lattice relaxation times help elucidate the local structural order and the unusual vibrational properties, respectively, of these glasses. In addition, NQR lineshape measurements on samples that are made under conditions that produce solids whose structures are far from equilibrium, such as fast-evaporated films or rapidly-drawn fibers, provide detailed information on the changes in the local structural order from that which occurs in the well-annealed amorphous semiconductors.