Effect of electron-phonon energy exchange on thermal wave propagation in semiconductors considering carrier diffusion and recombination

• Published in: Physica Status Solidi (b) 2005-04, Vol.242 (5), p.971-982
• Main Authors: Villegas-Lelovsky, L., Gonzalez de la Cruz, G., Volovichev, I. N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 66.70.+f; 72.20.Jv; 82.80.Kq; Exact sciences and technology; Physics
• ISSN: 0370-1972; 1521-3951
• DOI: 10.1002/pssb.200402119

The electron, hole, and phonon temperatures are calculated in semiconductors by taking into account the finite carrier diffusion and nonradiative recombination time in the sample. We assume that the energy of the modulated excitation radiation is greater than the energy gap and absorbed at the surface of the semiconductor, therefore, a source of heat and carrier generation at the surface of the sample are time dependent and must be considered in the photothermal theory. Under this situation, the coupled one‐dimensional heat transport (for each quasiparticle system) and carrier diffusion equations in the strong hole–phonon energy interaction approximation and charge quasineutrality condition are solved. Since the nonequilibrium carrier concentration depends sensitively on the electron and phonon fluctuation temperature, the heat power density generated in the sample due to the recombination of the electron–hole pair will be greatly influenced by the inhomogeneous quasiparticle temperature distributions. This latter effect comes through the recombination rate of carriers and it will be considered in the photothermal signal. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)