Photoinduced anisotropic crystallization of amorphous Se

Abstract

Birefringence can be induced in Se films photocrystallized by linearly polarized light at \ensuremath{\sim}350 K. The birefringence reaches \ensuremath{\sim}0.1, which is approximately 1/10 of that in the hexagonal Se. X-ray-diffraction investigations suggest that the photothermally induced birefringence is caused by alignment of Se chain molecules.