CONCENTRATION GRATINGS IN AN ELECTRON-HOLE PLASMA DURING ITS DRIFT INAN ALTERNATING ELECTRIC-FIELD

This paper discusses bipolar drift under the action of a time-variable electric field of a slightly extrinsic, electron-hole plasma in a sem iconductor with a weak pilot grating of the ratio of the electron and hole mobilities. The variable character of the field allows the role o f the contact phenomena to be reduced. It also reduces the effect of t he escape of the carriers from the active zone of the grating. Drift i n an alternating field (as in a static field) creates high-contrast pl asma concentration gratings, with the transmitted current efficiently controlling the parameters of such a grating and the relationship of i ts steady-state and oscillating components. As the current increases, the oscillating component of the plasma grating damps out, and the gra ting tends to a steady-state asymptotic limit. (C) 1996 American Insti tute of Physics.