PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY OF MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX

The photoconductivity of microcrystalline wax has been studied as a fu nction of frequency, intensity and duration of exposure of incident ph otons at different electric fields in the temperature range 313-343K. The In sigma/p versus Ep plots (sigma/p = photoconductivity per unit p ower, Ep = photon energy) show band like photoconductive spectrum havi ng one peak each at temperatures 323 and 343 K and two peaks at a temp erature 313K. The plots in Ip versus T-1 Ip = photo current, T = tempe rature) have two regions pertaining to high and low temperatures respe ctively and activation energies have been calculated from these plots. The (V - I) plots for dark and photocurrents show that Ohm's law is a pplicable in low voltage region while space charge limited conduction in high voltage region. The photocurrent versus time plots, the decay characteristic curves, show the slow decay of photocurrents with time.