Nondestructive measurement of minority-carrier lifetime and surface/interface recombination velocity in compound semiconductors

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 74; no. 5; pp. 3257 - 3263
• Main Authors: CHIH HSIN WANG, NEUGROSCHEL, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Woodbury, NY American Institute of Physics 01.09.1993
• Subjects: Charge carriers: generation, recombination, lifetime, and trapping; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators; Electronic transport in condensed matter; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Self-absorption; Gallium arsenides; Recombination; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Nondestructive analysis; Photoluminescence; Theoretical study; Measuring methods; Minority carriers; Experimental study; Luminescence decay; Lifetime
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.354571

A new optical method is presented for measurement of the bulk lifetime τ and surface recombination velocity S in semiconductors. The method is based on measurement of the photoluminescence decay as a function of the self-absorption under different excitation conditions. Closed-form analytical expressions, accounting for the self-absorption, are derived for the photoluminescence decay for a semi-infinite sample with an arbitrary value of S. A comprehensive method based on the analytical expressions is devised for the nondestructive extraction of the parameters in bulk wafers. The technique is particularly suitable for characterization of the surface passivation of compound semiconductors with a direct band gap, and is demonstrated on a GaAs sample. Application of the technique for characterization of indirect band gap semiconductors is also discussed.