ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
A more rigorous numerical method for determining bulk semiconductor transport properties from photo-Hall data is presented and is used to determine compensation densities in narrow-gap HgCdTe. Previous studies have treated carrier density inhomogeneities by means of a two-layer approach, assuming a photoexcitation layer of constant thickness associated with either the absorption depth or the ambipolar diffusion length. Here, we show that this approximation can lead to significant error. For arbitrary optical intensities a more detailed integration over depth is required, properly accounting for the variation in the optical and transport of the material with carrier density and optical intensity. In the present technique, the spatial profile of the carrier density, n(z), is calculated as a function of optical intensity Φ0. The electron mobility μ is expanded in known functions of the carrier density. By using this n(Φ0,z) and μ(n), integral expressions for the net conductivity and Hall coefficient are then evaluated. The unknown coefficients in the mobility expansion are varied parametrically to obtain the best fits to the measured Hall coefficient and conductivity as a function of optical flux. From this fit, the electron mobility is determined as a function of carrier density. Detailed sample calculations are performed for the case of narrow-gap, n-type Hg1−xCdxTe at low temperatures assuming 10.6 μm CO2 laser excitation. Analysis of the photo-Hall data using the improved method leads to a reliable determination of compensation densities in this material.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.335374
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