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Carrier Generation

Semiconductor Physics

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Abstract

When the semiconductor is exposed to an external electromagnetic field, a phonon field, or an electric field, free carriers can be generated, resulting in semiconductivity or photoconductivity. Carriers can also be generated by high-energy particles, such as fast electrons or ions. Optical carrier generation proceeds as band-to-band direct or indirect generation or from defect levels with photons of sufficient energy. Thermal generation of free carriers is substantially enhanced by defect centers. Shallow centers may absorb a phonon of sufficient energy or a few phonons involving intermediate steps into excited states; generation from deep centers requires multiphonon-induced giant oscillations.

Generation of carriers by an electric field can at low fields be caused by the Frenkel-Poole effect: a field-enhanced thermal generation from Coulomb-attractive defect centers. At high fields, impact ionization from deep centers or band-to-band impact ionization is observed. At still higher fields in the 106 V/cm range, tunneling from deep defect centers or from the valence band occurs. Besides thickness and height of the barrier, the tunneling probability depends on the shape of the barrier potential.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We consider n-type carriers (electrons, indicated by the index n) unless stated otherwise.

  2. 2.

    Except for high-mobility semiconductors for excitation from shallow centers at low temperatures, where impact ionization favorably competes – see Sect. 2.2.

  3. 3.

    This semiclassical approximation of the one-dimensional, stationary Schrödinger equation is named after G. Wentzel, H.A. Kramers, and L. Brillouin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 138 Moorings Park Rd. O 301, Naples, FL, 34105, USA

    Karl W. Böer

  2. Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    Udo W. Pohl

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  1. Karl W. Böer
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Correspondence to Udo W. Pohl .

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Böer, K.W., Pohl, U.W. (2017). Carrier Generation. In: Semiconductor Physics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06540-3

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  1. Latest

    Carrier Generation
    Published:
    02 August 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-4

  2. Carrier Generation
    Published:
    28 March 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-3

  3. Carrier Generation
    Published:
    27 September 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-2

  4. Original

    Carrier Generation
    Published:
    17 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06540-3_29-1

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