Effect of electric field on photoinduced changes in the optical properties of chalcogenide glassy semiconductors

The influence of an applied electric field on the photoinduced changes in the optical properties of glassy chalcogenide semiconductor films of the (As 2 S 3 ) x (As 2 Se 3 ) 1−x solid solution system has been studied in thin-layer structures of the following types: metal-semiconductor-metal, metal-semiconductor-insulator-metal, metal-semiconductor-ionic electrode, and metal-semiconductor-insulator-ionic electrode. The ionic electrodes were created on polymer substrates in a xerographic regime. It is established that the applied electric field significantly influences the photoinduced changes in the optical properties of chalcogenide glassy semi-conductors. Possible mechanisms of the observed electrophotoinduced effect are formulated and its potential applications are indicated.