Radiation-induced effects in chalcogenide amorphous semiconductors: On the role of destruction–polymerization transformations

Abstract The role of destruction–polymerization transformations in radiation-induced effects was considered with the example of As–S chalcogenide amorphous semiconductors. It was shown that γ-irradiation leads to a long-wave shift of the fundamental optical absorption edge for stoichiometric As2S3, while no changes were observed in S-rich AsS2 glass. At the same time, the rejuvenation of annealed samples leads to a long-wave shift of the fundamental optical absorption edge for both glasses. These results are explained within a concept of destruction–polymerization transformations by accepting that metastable charged defects are formed owing to radiation-induced switching of covalent bonds.