Absorption dichroism of thin CdS films formed by pulsed-laser deposition

Mastering of anisotropies of thin semiconducting films is of considerable interest with respect to photonic materials engineering. The crystallographic orientation, i.e. absorption dichroism, of CdS films formed by pulsed-laser deposition is adjustable by the laser fluence applied for the ablation. Films formed with a fluence of 2 and 4 J cm/sup -2/ at 355 nm, exhibit an orientation perpendicular and parallel with respect to the surface of the glass substrate. At 3 J cm/sup -2/, the films contain sections of both orientations. Photocurrent and transmission spectroscopy show that the films reveal the same grade of dichroism as single crystals.