Recombination and Trapping of Excess Carriers in n-InSb

Abstract

The effect of trapping on the transient and steady-state lifetimes of excess carriers is investigated in InSb of n-type conductivity. Photoconductive decay and direct current measurements are used to characterize the starting material and infrared photodiodes. The large difference between the transient and steady-state lifetimes is explained by the trapping of minority carriers at the acceptor centers within the two-level recombination model. The recombination parameters of the traps are estimated.