THE EFFECT OF ELECTRIC-FIELDS ON TIME-RESOLVED PHOTOLUMINESCENCE SPECTRA IN SEMICONDUCTORS

We present a rigorous analysis of the effects of electric fields on ti me-resolved photoluminescence in semiconductors. The results show that the effect of the field alone on the photoluminescence decay can be d istinguished from that of field-enhanced surface recombination if the carrier injection levels, the surface recombination velocity at zero f ield, and the band bending in the dark are within certain limits. When these experimental conditions are met it is possible to extract the r ecombination and/or transfer velocity of free carriers in the presence of electric fields.