The Urbach rule for the PbO-SiO2 glasses

An analysis is made of the behavior of optical spectra of lead-silicate glasses, with variable lead content near the UV absorption edge, and within the 80–470-K range. A generalized formulation of the modified Urbach rule, applicable to glassy materials within a broad temperature range, is proposed for the interpretation of experimental spectral relations. Within this approach, the effective energies of the phonons responsible for the temperature-induced shift of the Urbach edge have been calculated. It is shown that the spectral and temperature parameters of the modified Urbach rule are structure-sensitive, and that their concentration behavior reflects the change of the type of short-range order in the glassy matrix.