RADIATION EFFECTS ON HOLE DRIFT MOBILITY IN POLYSILANES

The radiation effects on hole drift mobility in polysilane derivatives were studied in the present paper. The values of hole drift mobility (about 10(-4) cm(2)/V . s) obtained by the DC Time-of-Flight (TOF) mea surement were improved by ion beam irradiation for poly(methylphenylsi lane) (PMPS) and poly(di-n-hexylsilane) (PDHS). The irradiated PMPS sh owed five times higher values of hole drift mobility than the non irra diated one. Their low photo-induced carrier yield, one of the highest barrier to use polysilanes as photoconductors, was also improved by th e irradiation. The mechanism of the mobility improvement will be discu ssed in relation to the model of changes in the silicon skeleton struc ture induced by the radiation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.