Optically induced crystallization in amorphous Agx(Sb0.33S0.67)100−x films

Amorphous films of Agx(Sb0.33S0.67)100−x composition, where x was between 0 and 25 at.% Ag, were prepared by pulsed laser deposition and optically induced silver dissolution into the binary Sb-S chalcogenides deposited by vacuum evaporation techniques. We have studied the effect of silver content in the host materials and Ar+ ion laser exposure on the optical properties and structure of the films. Optically induced crystallization was demonstrated in films and the kinetics of the crystallization were studied. This work is anticipated to be applicable to optical memories.