Photoplasticity of As2Se3 films investigated with combined nanoindentation and AFM methods

Thin As₂Se₃ amorphous chalcogenide films have been studied by nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy in darkness and under illumination by band-gap light. The combination of these two methods has been used to study the peculiarities of the photoplastic effect in amorphous semiconductors. It has been shown by multiple loading indentation experiments that a non-linear mechanism of the formation of the strain response is realized in the As₂Se₃ films subjected to the combined action of light and external mechanical loading. We have observed that light illumination alters the internal friction of the films and their shear modulus. These observations have been considered in the frame of the two-phase model of chalcogenide glasses. Some arguments in favor that the self-organization processes take place in the structure of irradiated film are given.