DOCSLIB.ORG

Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors an Annotated Bibliography Covering the Period 1949-1967

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors an Annotated Bibliography Covering the Period 1949-1967 — NBS 465 Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors An Annotated Bibliography Covering the Period 1949-1967 OF p*»t ,** \ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 2rf Z ''El. National Bureau of Standards o \ •*.*CAU Of : : NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS 1 The National Bureau of Standards was established by an act of Congress March 3, 1901. Today, in addition to serving as the Nation's central measurement laboratory, the Bureau is a principal focal point in the Federal Government for assuring maxi- mum application of the physical and engineering sciences to the advancement of tech- nology in industry and commerce. To this end the Bureau conducts research and provides central national services in three broad program areas and provides cen- tral national services in a fourth. These are: (1) basic measurements and standards, (2) materials measurements and standards, (3) technological measurements and standards, and (4) transfer of technology. The Bureau comprises the Institute for Basic Standards, the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute for Applied Technology, and the Center for Radiation Research. THE INSTITUTE FOR BASIC STANDARDS provides the central basis within the United States of a complete and consistent system of physical measurement, coor- dinates that system with the measurement systems of other nations, and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical measurements throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce. The Institute consists of an Office of Standard Reference Data and a group of divisions organized by the following areas of science and engineering Applied Mathematics—Electricity—Metrology—Mechanics—Heat—Atomic Phys- ics—Cryogenics 2—Radio Physics 2—Radio Engineering2—Astrophysics 2—Time and Frequency. 2 THE INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH conducts materials research lead- ing to methods, standards of measurement, and data needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and government. The Institute also provides advisory and research services to other government agencies. The Institute consists of an Office of Standard Reference Materials and a group of divisions organized by the following areas of materials research: Analytical Chemistry—Polymers—Metallurgy — Inorganic Materials — Physical Chemistry. THE INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TECHNOLOGY provides for the creation of appro- priate opportunities for the use and application of technology within the Federal Gov- ernment and within the civilian sector of American industry. The primary functions of the Institute may be broadly classified as programs relating to technological meas- urements and standards and techniques for the transfer of technology. The Institute consists of a Clearinghouse for Scientific and Technical Information, 3 a Center for Computer Sciences and Technology, and a group of technical divisions and offices organized by the following fields of technology Building Research—Electronic Instrumentation — Technical Analysis — Product Evaluation—Invention and Innovation— Weights and Measures — Engineering Standards—Vehicle Systems Research. THE CENTER FOR RADIATION RESEARCH engages in research, measurement, and application of radiation to the solution of Bureau mission problems and the problems of other agencies and institutions. The Center for Radiation Research con- sists of the following divisions: Reactor Radiation—Linac Radiation—Applied Radiation—Nuclear Radiation. 1 Headquarters Laboratories and at Gaithersburg, Maryland, unless otherwise noted ; mailing: address Washington, D. C. 20234. 2 Located at Boulder, Colorado 80302. 3 Located at 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE C R. Smith, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS • A. V. Astin, Director NBS TECHNICAL NOTE 465 ISSUED NOVEMBER 1968 Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors—An Annotated Bibliography Covering the Period 1949-1967 W. Murray Bullis Electronic Technology Division Institute for Applied Technology National Bureau of Standards Washington, D.C. 20234 NBS Technical Notes are designed to supplement the Bureau's regular publications program. They provide a means for making available scientific data that are of transient or limited interest. Technical Notes may be listed or referred to in the open literature. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C, 20402 - Price 60 cents Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction 1 2. Organization and Use of the Bibliography 4 3. Key Word Index 5 "+. Author Index 18 5. Bibliography 25 . , Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors - An Annotated Bibliography Covering the Period 1949-1967 W. Murray Bui lis About 300 papers concerned with the measurement and interpretation of carrier lifetime in semiconductors are listed together with key words and a brief comment for each. Eight types of entries are included: Description of Methods, Analysis of Results, Standard Methods, Experi- mental Results, Theoretical Models, Auxiliary Procedures and Data, Reviews, and Books. Emphasis is placed on methods of carrying out measurements of carrier lifetime. Hence complete coverage was attempted and nearly two thirds of the entries appear in the first three cate- gories. A large fraction of the papers listed describe the photo- conductivity or photoconductive decay methods. The other most popular methods are based on diode characteristics or the photomagnetoelectric effect. In all, 35 methods for measuring carrier lifetime are repre- sented by entries. In addition, representative papers which describe various models for recombination are included together with a number of papers which discuss the influence of surface recombination and trapping phenomena. Auxiliary procedures such as surface preparation, formation of ohmic contacts, control of temperature, and the like are described in some of the entries. Two indexes, a Key Word Index and an Author Index, are provided together with a classification of the various methods for measuring carrier lifetime Key Words: bibliography; diffusion length; diode recovery; excess carrier lifetime; measurement methods; photoconductive decay; photoconductivity; photomagnetoelectric effect; recombination of excess carriers; semicon- ductors; surface photovoltage. 1. Introduction Minority carrier lifetime is a material The methods which are included in the parameter of fundamental interest in the bibliography are listed in Table I. These operation of many semiconductor devices methods are classified, somewhat arbitrarily, including transistors, switching diodes, into seven groups. radiation detectors, and solar cells. As a result, considerable effort has been ex- The first of these contains the pended in the development of methods for conductivity decay methods which, by far, measuring lifetime and in the interpretation are the most widely utilized methods for of the results of the measurement. evaluating the carrier lifetime of commercially used materials. In these This bibliography is primarily concern- methods the conductivity of a specimen is ed with methods for measuring lifetimes of increased by excess carriers which have excess carriers in semiconductors. It is been produced in some manner, and the ensu- the result of a survey of the literature on ing decay of this excess carrier population lifetime measurement which has appeared is observed by measuring the conductivity during the past 20 years. In addition to after the production of excess carriers is papers describing the procedures and abruptly terminated. In the most familiar decay), the excess analyses appropriate to various methods , a form (photoconductive selection of papers which cover theoretical carrier population is produced by a pulse with a turn-off time much shorter models of the recombination process , experi- of light mental applications of some of the methods than the lifetime to be measured. The and auxiliary procedures and information photoconductive decay time can be determined are listed. Several review articles and from direct observation of the specimen books which treat various aspects of resistance as recommended in»the standard excess carrier behavior are also included. methods issued by both the American Society Reference is made to both forms of the for Testing and Materials and the Institute standard procedure for the determination of of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or carrier lifetime by the method of photo- by other less widely used techniques. A conductivity decay. fundamental limitation of conductivity : . : TABLE I. METHODS OF MEASURING CARRIER LIFETIME Conductivity Decay Methods: Junction Methods: 1. Photoconductive Decay 15 Open Circuit Voltage Decay - Direct Observation of Resistivity 16. Reverse Recovery - Q Changes - Microwave Reflection 17. Reverse Current Decay - Microwave Absorption 18. Diffusion Capacitance - Spreading Resistance - Eddy Current Losses 19 Junction Photocurrent - Steady State 2. Pulse Decay - Decay - Direct Observation of Resistivity - Microwave Absorption 20. Junction Photovoltage 3. Bombardment Decay 21. Stored Charge 22. Current Distortion Effects Conductivity Modulation Methods: 23. Current-Voltage Characteristics 4-. Photoconductivity - Steady State Transistor Methods: - Modulated Source - Infrared Detection, Steady State 24. Base Transport - Infrared Detection, Modulated Source 25. Collector Response - Q Changes - Microwave Absorption 26. Alpha Cut-Off Frequency - Eddy Current Losses 27. Beta Cut-Off Frequency - Spreading
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Charge-Carrier Recombination in Halide Perovskites
    Charge-Carrier Recombination in Halide Perovskites Dane W. deQuilettes1,2, Kyle Frohna3, David Emin4, Thomas Kirchartz5, Vladimir Bulovic1, David S. Ginger2, Samuel D. Stranks3* 1 Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA 2 Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA 98195-1700, USA. 3 Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom 4 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, 1919 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA 5 Faculty of Engineering and CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, Carl-Benz-Str. 199, 47057 Duisburg, Germany Corresponding Author *[email protected] 1 Abstract The success of halide perovskites in a host of optoelectronic applications is often attributed to their long photoexcited carrier lifetimes, which has led to charge-carrier recombination processes being described as unique compared to other semiconductors. Here, we integrate recent literature findings to provide a critical assessment of the factors we believe are most likely controlling recombination in the most widely studied halide perovskite systems. We focus on four mechanisms that have been proposed to affect measured charge carrier recombination lifetimes, namely: (1) recombination via trap states, (2) polaron formation, (3) the indirect nature of the bandgap (e.g. Rashba splitting), and (4) photon recycling. We scrutinize the evidence for each case and the implications of each process on carrier recombination dynamics. Although they have attracted considerable speculation, we conclude that shallow trap states, and the possible indirect nature of the bandgap (e.g. Rashba splitting), seem to be less likely given the combined evidence, at least in high-quality samples most relevant to solar cells and light-emitting diodes.
    [Show full text]
  • Improving Doping and Minority Carrier Lifetime of Cdte/Cds Solar Cells by In-Situ Control of Cdte Stoichiometry
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 4-7-2017 Improving Doping and Minority Carrier Lifetime of CdTe/CdS Solar Cells by in-situ Control of CdTe Stoichiometry Vamsi Krishna Evani University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Engineering Commons Scholar Commons Citation Evani, Vamsi Krishna, "Improving Doping and Minority Carrier Lifetime of CdTe/CdS Solar Cells by in-situ Control of CdTe Stoichiometry" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6651 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Improving Doping and Minority Carrier Lifetime of CdTe/CdS Solar Cells by in-situ Control of CdTe Stoichiometry by Vamsi Krishna Evani A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Electrical Engineering College of Engineering University of South Florida Major Professor: Christos S. Ferekides, Ph.D. Don L. Morel, Ph.D. Arash Takshi, Ph.D. Norma Alcantar, Ph.D. Scott Lewis, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 25, 2017 Keywords: Photovoltaics, Intrinsic Doping, Open Circuit Voltage, Elemental Vapor Transport Copyright © 2017, Vamsi Krishna Evani Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my grandparents Mr. C.B. Rao, Mrs. C. Vardhani and my Mom, Hima Bindu Acknowledgments I am forever grateful and indebted to my maternal grandparents, Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Photoconductivity and Minority Carrier Lifetime in Tin Sulfide and Gallium Arsenide Semiconductors for Photovoltaics
    Photoconductivity and Minority Carrier Lifetime in Tin Sulfide and Gallium Arsenide Semiconductors for Photovoltaics by Frances Daggett Lenahan Submitted to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2016 © 2016 Frances Lenahan All rights reserved The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created Signature of Author………………………………………………………………………………… Department of Materials Science and Engineering April 29, 2016 Certified by………………………………………………………………………………………… Tonio Buonassisi Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Thesis Supervisor Accepted by……...………………………………………………………………………………… Geoffrey S. D. Beach Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Chairman, Undergraduate Thesis Committee Read by……………………………………………………………………..……………………… Rafael Jaramillo Toyota Career Development Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Thesis Reader 2 Photoconductivity and Minority Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors for Photovoltaics by Frances Daggett Lenahan Submitted to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on April 29th, 2015, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering Abstract The growth and maintenance of the modern technological world requires immediate solutions in the
    [Show full text]
  • (2020) How Solar Cell Efficiency Is Governed by the Αμτ Product
    PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH 2, 023109 (2020) How solar cell efficiency is governed by the αμτ product Pascal Kaienburg ,1,2,* Lisa Krückemeier ,1 Dana Lübke ,1 Jenny Nelson ,3 Uwe Rau,1 and Thomas Kirchartz 1,4,† 1IEK5-Photovoltaics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany 2Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PU Oxford, United Kingdom 3Department of Physics and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom 4Faculty of Engineering and CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, Carl-Benz-Strasse 199, 47057 Duisburg, Germany (Received 18 September 2019; accepted 15 March 2020; published 30 April 2020) The interplay of light absorption, charge-carrier transport, and charge-carrier recombination determines the performance of a photovoltaic absorber material. Here we analyze the influence on the solar-cell efficiency of the absorber material properties absorption coefficient α, charge-carrier mobility μ, and charge-carrier lifetime τ, for different scenarios. We combine analytical calculations with numerical drift-diffusion simulations to understand the relative importance of these three quantities. Whenever charge collection is a limiting factor, the αμτ product is a good figure of merit (FOM) to predict solar-cell efficiency, while for sufficiently high mobilities, the relevant FOM is reduced to the ατ product. We find no fundamental difference between simulations based on monomolecular or bimolecular recombination, but strong surface-recombination affects the maximum efficiency in the high-mobility limit. In the limiting case of high μ and high surface-recombination velocity S,theα/S ratio is the relevant FOM. Subsequently, we apply our findings to organic solar cells which tend to suffer from inefficient charge-carrier collection and whose absorptivity is influenced by interference effects.
    [Show full text]
  • Thermal and Efficiency Droop in Ingan/Gan Light-Emitting Diodes
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Thermal and efciency droop in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes: decoupling multiphysics efects using temperature-dependent RF measurements Arman Rashidi*, Morteza Monavarian, Andrew Aragon & Daniel Feezell Multiphysics processes such as recombination dynamics in the active region, carrier injection and transport, and internal heating may contribute to thermal and efciency droop in InGaN/GaN light- emitting diodes (LEDs). However, an unambiguous methodology and characterization technique to decouple these processes under electrical injection and determine their individual roles in droop phenomena is lacking. In this work, we investigate thermal and efciency droop in electrically injected single-quantum-well InGaN/GaN LEDs by decoupling the inherent radiative efciency, injection efciency, carrier transport, and thermal efects using a comprehensive rate equation approach and a temperature-dependent pulsed-RF measurement technique. Determination of the inherent recombination rates in the quantum well confrms efciency droop at high current densities is caused by a combination of strong non-radiative recombination (with temperature dependence consistent with indirect Auger) and saturation of the radiative rate. The overall reduction of efciency at elevated temperatures (thermal droop) results from carriers shifting from the radiative process to the non- radiative processes. The rate equation approach and temperature-dependent pulsed-RF measurement technique unambiguously gives access to the true recombination dynamics in the QW and is a useful methodology to study efciency issues in III-nitride LEDs. III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible spectrum have broad appli- cations in solid-state lighting (SSL) systems, biosensing, visible-light communication, and emissive micro-LED displays1.
    [Show full text]
  • Measurement of Carrier Lifetime in Perovskite for Solar Cell Applications
    ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS FLUORESCENCE Measurement of carrier GRATINGS & OEM SPECTROMETERS OPTICAL COMPONENTS FORENSICS lifetime in perovskite for PARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION RAMAN solar cell applications SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY TRFA-17 SPR IMAGING HORIBA’s TCSPC instruments enable the monitoring of efficiencies of perovskite materials for photovoltaic applications Hybrid perovskite photovoltaics (PV) show promise good technique with which to assess these systems. because of their good efficiencies, which can be Generally the longer-lived the decay, the better the around 20%. Along with their PV characteristics, performance of the material, as the carriers would have perovskite materials exhibit a high degree of radiative diffused further before radiatively recombining. The recombination. The apparent carrier lifetimes can be kinetics of the photoluminescence decay can also provide several hundreds of nanoseconds; and the longer- information. The recombination can consist of trap- lived the photoluminescence decay, the greater assisted, monomolecular (i.e. first order) and bimolecular the efficiency of the material. Thus, the use of (second order) processes and consequently modelling of time-resolved luminescence with HORIBA TCSPC the decay kinetic has made use of single, bi- and stretched instrumentation provides a suitable means by which exponential functions. Distribution of lifetimes has been to monitor the efficiencies of this type of material related to charge trapping or the nature of doping. It is for photovoltaic applications, as well
    [Show full text]
  • Impact of Minority Carrier Lifetime on the Performance of Strained Ge Light Sources
    Impact of Minority Carrier Lifetime on the Performance of Strained Ge Light Sources David S. Sukhdeo1, Krishna C. Saraswat1, Birendra (Raj) Dutt2,3, and Donguk Nam*,4 1Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA 2APIC Corporation, Culver City, CA 90230, USA 3PhotonIC Corporation, Culver City, CA 90230, USA 4Department of Electronics Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 402-751, South Korea *Email: [email protected] Abstract: We theoretically investigate the impact of the defect-limited carrier lifetime on the performance of germanium (Ge) light sources, specifically LEDs and lasers. For Ge LEDs, we show that improving the material quality can offer even greater enhancements than techniques such as tensile strain, the leading approach for enhancing Ge light emission. Even for Ge that is so heavily strained that it becomes a direct bandgap semiconductor, the ~1 ns defect-limited carrier lifetime of typical epitaxial Ge limits the LED internal quantum efficiency to less than 10%. In contrast, if the epitaxial Ge carrier lifetime can be increased to its bulk value, internal quantum efficiencies exceeding 90% become possible. For Ge lasers, we show that the defect-limited lifetime becomes increasing important as tensile strain is introduced, and that this defect-limited lifetime must be improved if the full benefits of strain are to be realized. We conversely show that improving the material quality supersedes much of the utility of n-type doping for Ge lasers. Introduction Germanium (Ge) light sources have garnered much attention for applications in both optical interconnects [1]–[5] and ultra-compact infrared sensing [6]–[9] due to Ge’s inherent CMOS compatibility.
    [Show full text]
  • "Recombination Dynamics in Organic Solar Cells"
    Recombination Dynamics in Organic Solar Cells Dissertation zur Erlangung des naturwissenschaftlichen Doktorgrades der Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg vorgelegt von Alexander Förtig aus Beuchen im Odenwald Würzburg 2013 Eingereicht am: 31.05.2013 bei der Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Vladimir Dyakonov 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Jean Geurts der Dissertation. 1. Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Vladimir Dyakonov 2. Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Jean Geurts 3. Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Giorgio Sangiovanni im Promotionskolloquium. Tag des Promotionskolloqiums: 28.10.2013 Doktorurkunde ausgehändigt am: » Es ist nicht das Wissen, sondern das Lernen, nicht das Besitzen, sondern das Erwerben, nicht das Dasein, sondern das Hinkommen, was den grössten Genuss gewährt. « Carl Friedrich Gauß (1777-1855) I Abstract Besides established, conventional inorganic photovoltaics—mainly based on silicon—organic photovoltaics (OPV) are well on the way to represent a low- cost, environment friendly, complementary technology in near future. Produc- tion costs, solar cell lifetime and performance are the relevant factors which need to be optimized to enable a market launch of OPV. In this work, the efficiency of organic solar cells and their limitation due to charge carrier recombination are investigated. To analyze solar cells under operating conditions, time-resolved techniques such as transient photovoltage (TPV), transient photocurrent (TPC) and charge extraction (CE) are app- lied in combination with time delayed collection field (TDCF) measurements. Solution processed and evaporated samples of different material composition and varying device architectures are studied. The standard OPV reference system, P3HT:PC61BM, is analyzed for va- rious temperatures in terms of charge carrier lifetime and charge carrier den- sity for a range of illumination intensities.
    [Show full text]
  • Unusually Long Free Carrier Lifetime and Metal-Insulator Band Offset in Vanadium Dioxide
    PHYSICAL REVIEW B 85, 085111 (2012) Unusually long free carrier lifetime and metal-insulator band offset in vanadium dioxide Chris Miller,1 Mark Triplett,1 Joel Lammatao,1 Joonki Suh,2 Deyi Fu,2,3 Junqiao Wu,2 and Dong Yu1,* 1Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA 3Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China (Received 14 December 2011; published 15 February 2012) Single crystalline vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanobeams offer an ideal material basis for exploring the widely observed insulator–metal transition in strongly correlated materials. Here, we investigate nonequilibrium carrier dynamics and electronic structure in single crystalline VO2 nanobeam devices using scanning photocurrent microscopy in the vicinity of their phase transition. We extracted a Schottky barrier height of ∼0.3 eV between the metal and the insulator phases of VO2, providing direct evidence of the nearly symmetric band gap opening upon phase transition. We also observed unusually long photocurrent decay lengths in the insulator phase, indicating unexpectedly long minority carrier lifetimes on the order of microseconds, consistent with the nature of carrier recombination between two d-subbands of VO2. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.085111 PACS number(s): 71.30.+h, 72.20.Jv, 73.30.+y I. INTRODUCTION II. METHODS Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is one of the most studied Scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) is an ideal strongly correlated materials. VO2 undergoes a first-order technique for extracting a number of physical properties ◦ 1 insulator–metal transition (IMT) at Tc = 68 C, which from quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) structures, including involves a drastic change in both electric resistivity and crystal electric field distribution, local band bending, barrier heights, 7–13 structure.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review on Experimental Measurements for Understanding Efficiency Droop in Ingan-Based Light-Emitting Diodes
    materials Review A Review on Experimental Measurements for Understanding Efficiency Droop in InGaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes Lai Wang * ID , Jie Jin, Chenziyi Mi, Zhibiao Hao, Yi Luo, Changzheng Sun, Yanjun Han, Bing Xiong, Jian Wang and Hongtao Li Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; [email protected] (J.J.); [email protected] (C.M); [email protected] (Z.H.); [email protected] (Y.L.); [email protected] (C.S.); [email protected] (Y.H.); [email protected] (B.X.); [email protected] (J.W.); [email protected] (H.L.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-10-6279-8240; Fax: +86-10-6278-4900 Received: 1 October 2017; Accepted: 24 October 2017; Published: 26 October 2017 Abstract: Efficiency droop in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) under high injection current density perplexes the development of high-power solid-state lighting. Although the relevant study has lasted for about 10 years, its mechanism is still not thoroughly clear, and consequently its solution is also unsatisfactory up to now. Some emerging applications, e.g., high-speed visible light communication, requiring LED working under extremely high current density, makes the influence of efficiency droop become more serious. This paper reviews the experimental measurements on LED to explain the origins of droop in recent years, especially some new results reported after 2013. Particularly, the carrier lifetime of LED is analyzed intensively and its effects on LED droop behaviors are uncovered. Finally, possible solutions to overcome LED droop are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Optical and Other Measurement Techniques of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors
    International Journal of Optoelectronic Engineering 2012, 2(2): 5-11 DOI: 10.5923/j.ijoe.20120202.02 Optical and Other Measurement Techniques of Carrier Lifetime in Semiconductors Yeasir Arafat*, Farseem M. Mohammedy, M. M. Shahidul Hassan Department of EEE, BUET, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh Abstract In this paper, various methods for characterization of semiconductor charge carrier lifetime are reviewed and an optical technique is described in detail. This technique is contactless, all-optical and based upon measurements of free carrier absorption transients by an infrared probe beam following electron-hole pair excitation by a pulsed laser beam. Main features are a direct probing of the excess carrier density coupled with a homogeneous carrier distribution within the sample, enabling precision studies of different recombination mechanisms. The method is capable of measuring the lifetime over a broad range of injections (1013-1018 cm-3) probing the minority carrier lifetime, the high injection lifetime and Auger recombination, as well as the transition between these ranges. Performance and limitations of the technique, such as lateral resolution, are addressed while application of the technique for lifetime mapping and effects of surface recombination are also outlined. Results from detailed studies of the injection dependence yield good agreement with the Shockley–Read–Hall theory, whereas the coefficient for Auger recombination shows an apparent shift to a higher value, with respect to the traditionally accepted value, at carrier densities below 2×1017 cm-3. Data also indicate an increased value of the coefficient for bimolecular recombination from the generally accepted value. Measurement on an electron irradiated wafer and wafers of exceptionally high carrier lifetimes are also discussed within the framework of different recombination mechanisms.
    [Show full text]
  • A Theoretical Perspective on Transient Photovoltage and Charge Extraction Techniques
    A Theoretical Perspective on Transient Photovoltage and Charge Extraction Techniques Oskar J. Sandberg,*,† Kristofer Tvingstedt,*,§ Paul Meredith,† and Ardalan Armin*,† † Sustainable Advanced Materials (Sêr-SAM), Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP Wales, United Kingdom § Experimental Physics VI, Julius Maximillian University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany Corresponding Authors *E-mail: [email protected] *E-mail: [email protected] *E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Transient photovoltage (TPV) is a technique frequently used to determine charge carrier lifetimes in thin-film solar cells such as organic, dye sensitized and perovskite solar cells. As this lifetime is often incident light intensity dependent, its relevance to understanding the intrinsic properties of a photoactive material system as a material or device figure of merit has been questioned. To extract complete information on recombination dynamics, the TPV measurements are often performed in conjunction with charge extraction (CE) measurements, employed to determine the photo-generated charge carrier density and thereby the recombination rate constant and its order. In this communication, the underlying theory of TPV and CE is reviewed and expanded. Our theoretical findings are further solidified by numerical simulations and experiments on organic solar cells. We identify regimes of the open-circuit voltage within which accurate lifetimes and carrier densities can be determined with TPV and CE experiments. A wide range of steady-state light intensities is required in performing these experiments in order to identify their “working dynamic range” from which the recombination kinetics in thin-film solar cells can be determined. 1. Introduction Thin-film devices based on organic and perovskite semiconductors hold the potential for the use within sustainable energy production1-4 as well as other optoelectronic applications5-9 such as sensors, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes.
    [Show full text]