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Spectroscopic Analysis of Optoelectronic Semiconductors pp 265–300Cite as

Photoelectrical Spectroscopy

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Part of the book series: Springer Series in Optical Sciences ((SSOS,volume 202))

Abstract

This chapter introduces photocurrent (PC) spectroscopy. Although PCs are extensively employed in everyday live, e.g. in solar cells and photodetectors, their use as an analytical tool is less wide spread. We will discuss the topic of homebuilt spectroscopic apparatus and methodology such as steady-state, transient, and modulation approaches. Suitable sample geometries are addressed, since they are crucial for PC analysis. Then, the features that are observed in PC spectra are systematically described and their microscopic nature is addressed. This also includes related photoelectric effects and the results one can expect from PC analysis. Applications such as laser beam induced current are addressed. This includes case studies, as well.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    DLTS stands for Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy.

  2. 2.

    PITS stands for Photo-Induced Transient Spectroscopy.

  3. 3.

    In case of PL, the use of the terms ‘excitation photon energy’ for the photons that generate the non-equilibrium carriers and ‘photon energy’ for the abscissa of the monitored spectrum are self evident. When dealing with PC, this distinction is not required because the ‘excitation photon energy’ and denotation of the abscissa are identical. Therefore, we use the term ‘photon energy’ only when dealing with PC spectroscopy.

  4. 4.

    The term ‘moderate bias’ refers to an external electric field, which would be sufficient for separating electrons and holes in bulk material. On the other hand, potential shape and energetic structure of the QW should remain (almost) unaffected. Thus, tunneling or the quantum-confined Stark effect are not considered.

  5. 5.

    A trap is an electronic level in within E g with a substantially higher capture rate than emission rate. Traps attract only one carrier type, either electrons or holes, for a certain time, which is typically long compared to the intrinsic non-equilibrium carrier lifetime τ of the material. Since traps are caused by defects within the semiconductor lattice, their number is finite. Thus, their ability for trapping carriers becomes saturated at elevated excitation levels. Traps become either depopulated by re-emission into the band from where they originally come from or into the opposite one. In the first case, they act like a type of carrier storage, while in the latter case their behavior is the one of a a non-radiative recombination center.

  6. 6.

    The spectral shape of the absorption cross section σ in a given spectral range is obtained by plotting the inverse of the photon flux that needed to keep the photocurrent constant in this range. This approach, named constant photoconductivity technique, will be addressed in detail in Sect. 6.3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Condensed Matter Physics, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain

    Juan Jimenez

  2. Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie, Berlin, Germany

    Jens W. Tomm

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Jimenez, J., Tomm, J.W. (2016). Photoelectrical Spectroscopy. In: Spectroscopic Analysis of Optoelectronic Semiconductors. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 202. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42349-4_6

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