Abstract
This chapter covers principles of harmonically modulated carrier lifetime techniques. Relative timescales of modulation are addressed, and different concepts of a quasi-steady-state condition are discussed. Beyond, self-consistency of the continuity equation is introduced as a powerful concept to obtain injection-dependent effective lifetime from harmonically modulated measurement designs. The self-consistent approach is classified and its essential characteristics are outlined.
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Notes
- 1.
Here, the time \(t_{\downarrow }\) is chosen for evaluation of the continuity equation, but \(t_{\uparrow }\) could be chosen alike.
- 2.
Notably, this is valid only for injection-independent effective lifetime.
- 3.
Complications may generally arise in case of a combined occurence of a nonuniform depth profile of excess carrier density and a highly injection-dependent bulk lifetime. Any lifetime measurement technique would in that case yield a superposition of different lifetimes. Yet, this is a general constraint in lifetime metrology rather than a particular caution related to self-consistent or dynamic lifetime analyses.
- 4.
Net dopant concentration does not necessarily affect any self-consistent lifetime analysis. Rather, it is specific to intermediate- to high-level injection luminescence analyses, as luminescence intensity is proportional to the product of minority and majority carrier density (cf. Eq. 5.8). For instance, a modulated photoconductance lifetime analysis would be independent of \(n_0\)—even under high-level injection conditions.
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Giesecke, J. (2014). Harmonically Modulated Lifetime. In: Quantitative Recombination and Transport Properties in Silicon from Dynamic Luminescence. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06157-3_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06157-3_5
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