Various processes by which excess electrons and holes in a semiconductor recombine and tend to restore the system to the thermal equilibrium condition given by
p is the number of holes, n the number of electrons, and ni the number of holes or electrons in the intrinsic semiconductor at the same temperature.
The basic recombination processes are band-to-band recombination, when an electron in the conduction band recombines with a hole in the valence band, and trapping recombination, when electron or hole capture by a suitable acceptor or donor impurity occurs in the semiconductor (see diagram).
The energy lost by the conduction electron involved in band-to-band recombination may be emitted as a photon of radiation (radiative recombination) or may be transferred as kinetic energy to a free electron or hole (Auger process). Radiative recombination is the inverse process to photoconductivity and forms a significant proportion of the total recombination in direct-gap semiconductors. The Auger process is the inverse process to impact ionization.
Recombination processes
- Halevi, Judah (c.1075–1141)
- Hale–Bopp
- Hale–Bopp, Comet
- Hale’s law
- half-adder
- half cell
- half-cell
- half chair
- half duplex
- half-duplex
- half duplex communication
- half-duplex operation
- half-field prism
- half-graben
- half-height factor
- half-IF response
- half-life
- half-normal plot
- halfplane
- half-power beamwidth
- half-power point
- half-replicate
- half sandwich
- half-shadow test
- half-space