Laser-induced polarization-dependent photocrystallization of amorphous chalcogenide films

Irradiation of amorphous a-Se₇₀Ag₁₅I₁₅ and a-Se films by linearly polarized He-Ne- and Ar⁺ ion-laser light was shown to produce polycrystalline films with linear dichroism, the sign of which is determined by the polarization of the light. Photocrystallization of the films was confirmed by direct structural investigations. Thus, a new phenomenon, the effect of light polarization on the photocrystallization process and on the properties of resultant crystallized films was revealed. Photoinduced anisotropy in a-Se-Ag-I films was shown to have many peculiarities in comparison with that in the formerly studied films, for example, in AsSe films.