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Thermal Quenching of Photoconductivity and the Sign of Photocarriers in Doped a-Si:H

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

B.-G. Yoon
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680–749, Republic of Korea
H. Fritzsche
Affiliation:
James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, 5640 Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637., USA
M. Q. Tran
Affiliation:
James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, 5640 Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637., USA
D.-Z. Chi
Affiliation:
James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, 5640 Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637., USA
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Abstract

Thermal quenching (TQ) of photoconductivity σp occurs when the demarkation level of minority carriers passes through recombination centers having small capture cross section for majority carriers compared to other centers present but normal cross section for minority carriers. The photoconductivity becomes superlinear with light intensity at the temperature of maximum TQ. We discovered TQ not only in n-type but also p-type a-Si:H. This cannot happen with the same centers unless the sign of the majority carriers changes. We present evidence that in p-type and undoped films majority carriers are electrons at T below TQ and holes above TQ. The nature of these special centers will be discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1991

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References

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