Anizotropy of Photoconductivity in BiOCl (X=Cl, Br, I) Single Crystals

Oxyhalides of bismuth BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I) are very interesting materials which find various applications as X-ray luminescent screens, as anti-Stokes converters, photocatalyst, usual luminophors and as photoconductive analyzer of linear polarized radiation in the 0.24 - 1.2 mu m spectral region. The great interest for these materials is strongly related to the influence of dimensionality on the behaviour of physical properties (they are 2D structured materials). Bismuth oxyhalides are one of the V-VI-VII group compound semiconductors belonging to the tetragonal system. The structure of BiOX is known to have a layered structure, which is constructed by the combination of the halide ion layer and the bismuth oxygen layer. We present results of the study of photoconductivity spectra anisotropy of the BiOX single crystals.