Photothermal and photoacoustic effects in semiconductors and semiconductor structures

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Sov. Phys. J. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00897344· OSTI ID:5250497

Vasil'ev, A N; Sablikov, V A; Sandomirskii, V B

A theory of photothermal and photoacoustic effects is developed, on which the contactless diagnostics of semiconductors and semiconductor structures are based. Photothermal and photoacoustic effects are characterized quantitatively by the variable temperature of the specimen surface being exposed and by its shift. These quantities are computed in this paper for a homogeneous semiconductor and a semiconductor with a p-n junction with electron transfer processes, heat liberation as a result of thermalization and charge carrier recombination and their passage through the potential barrier as well as nonthermal deformation mechanisms due to nonequilibrium carrier interaction with the lattice in terms of the deformation potential and the reverse piezoeffect taken into account. It is shown that the surface temperature and shift (particularly the phase of these responses) carry information about such semiconductor characteristics as the charge carrier lifetime, the surface recombination rate, the deformation potential constants, the depth of p-n junction location, and the height of its potential barrier.

• OSTI ID: 5250497
• Journal Information: Sov. Phys. J. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Phys. J. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 30:6; ISSN SOPJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603* -- Materials-- Properties
CARRIER LIFETIME
CARRIER MOBILITY
CHARGE CARRIERS
DEFORMATION
DIFFUSION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRICITY
JUNCTIONS
LIFETIME
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOBILITY
P-N JUNCTIONS
PHOTOACOUSTIC EFFECT
PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
PHOTOELECTROMAGNETIC EFFECTS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PIEZOELECTRICITY
RECOMBINATION
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES