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Radiative and nonradiative recombination times in semiconducting films

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Abstract

The radiation emitted spontaneously by a semiconductor which has been excited for a very short time decays exponentially with a time constant that depends on the recombination rate of electrons and holes. This recombination rate is the combination of radiative and nonradiative transition rates between conduction and valence bands of the semiconductor. The radiative recombination rate depends on the density of states of the electromagnetic field, which can be made to be dependent on the geometry. In this paper, we report on the dependence of the fluorescence lifetime upon the thickness of active thin films. For systems in which the radiative recombination rate is dominant over the nonradiative ones, the total recombination time can be changed by suitable modifications of the thickness of the film. In this situation, the nonradiative rate can be evaluated. We present experimental results for the case of cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films.

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Author notes

  1. C. C. Ghizoni

    Present address: Laboratorio de Estudos Avançados, LEA-CTA, 12200, SJ Campos, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico, CNPq, Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais, INPE, 12200, SJ Campos, SP, Brazil

    M. T. Pacheco & C. C. Ghizoni

Authors
  1. M. T. Pacheco
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  2. C. C. Ghizoni
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Pacheco, M.T., Ghizoni, C.C. Radiative and nonradiative recombination times in semiconducting films. Opt Quant Electron 14, 331–338 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00619745

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