Photoconductivity in rigid polymers is based on complex processes incl
uding photoinduced electron transfer, formation of ion pairs and their
dissociation in an external electric field. Thus, the charge carrier
photogeneration in macromolecules differs largely from the direct band
-gap excitation and the formation of free electrons and holes in inorg
anic materials. The processes mentioned above were studied on a catena
silicon polymer, namely poly (methyl-phenylsilylene).