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Recombination

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The Physics of Semiconductors

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Abstract

In thermodynamic nonequilibrium excess charges can be present in the semiconductor. They can be created by carrier injection through contacts, an electron beam or the absorption of light with wavelength smaller than the band gap. After the external excitation is turned off, the semiconductor will return to the equilibrium state. The relaxation of carriers into energetically lower states (and energy release) is called recombination. The term stems from the electron recombining with the hole created after absorption of a photon. However, there are other recombination mechanisms. A dedicated textbook is [646].

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  1. Universität Leipzig, Inst. f. Experimentelle Physik II, AG Halbleiterphysik, Linnéstr. 5, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Marius Grundmann

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Grundmann, M. (2010). Recombination. In: The Physics of Semiconductors. Graduate Texts in Physics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13884-3_10

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