Mechanisms of photoinduced fluidity in chalcogenide glasses: Molecular orbital analyses

Atomic processes giving rise to the photoinduced fluidity have been studied for amorphous selenium. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations of Se clusters suggest that distorted atomic structures such as curled and intersecting chains have smaller optical gaps. Those atomic sites are likely to be excited by subgap (Urbach-edge) light, which undergo structural relaxation including bond breakages and interchanges. Such photo-electro-structural transformations could originate the macroscopic fluidity. Possibility of electronic glass-transition is also discussed.