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Coherence Control of Photocurrents in Semiconductors

  • Chapter
Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors

Abstract

We present a general overview of our experimental and theoretical work on the use of the phase properties of one or more ultrashort optical pulses to generate and control electrical currents in semiconductors. This is discussed in a tutorial fashion as one manifestation of what has come to be called coherence control. Following a brief introduction to the basic concepts of coherence control phenomena, including examples of related work, we present two theoretical views of the current generation process. In the quantum viewpoint, current production occurs through generation of polar distributions of free carriers following interference of competing absorption pathways. For a monochromatic incident beam this interference is associated with different polarization components, while in the two color-case, involving harmonically related beams, it is associated with single and two photon absorption pathways. From a macroscopic viewpoint the currents arise because of divergences in imaginary parts of nonlinear susceptibilities, which are a measure of how a system provides a response to coherent light. We illustrate the main features of coherently controlled currents in the two-color case with experimental data for GaAs or LT-GaAs at room temperature using femtosecond, picosecond, or nanosecond pulses, while we demonstrate single-color current generation and control using CdSe in conjunction with cw or femtosecond lasers. A simple circuit model is used to discuss the steady-state current response of a metal-semiconductor-metal device illuminated by a train of incident pulses.

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Authors
  1. Henry M. van Driel
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  2. John E. Sipe
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Kong-Thon Tsen

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van Driel, H.M., Sipe, J.E. (2001). Coherence Control of Photocurrents in Semiconductors. In: Tsen, KT. (eds) Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0203-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0203-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-6562-7

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