Direct and simultaneous observation of ultrafast electron and hole dynamics in germanium

Michael Zürch (), Hung-Tzu Chang, Lauren J. Borja, Peter M. Kraus, Scott K. Cushing, Andrey Gandman, Christopher J. Kaplan, Myoung Hwan Oh, James S. Prell, David Prendergast, Chaitanya D. Pemmaraju, Daniel M. Neumark () and Stephen R. Leone ()
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Michael Zürch: University of California at Berkeley
Hung-Tzu Chang: University of California at Berkeley
Lauren J. Borja: University of California at Berkeley
Peter M. Kraus: University of California at Berkeley
Scott K. Cushing: University of California at Berkeley
Andrey Gandman: University of California at Berkeley
Christopher J. Kaplan: University of California at Berkeley
Myoung Hwan Oh: University of California at Berkeley
James S. Prell: University of California at Berkeley
David Prendergast: The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Chaitanya D. Pemmaraju: The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Daniel M. Neumark: University of California at Berkeley
Stephen R. Leone: University of California at Berkeley

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Understanding excited carrier dynamics in semiconductors is crucial for the development of photovoltaics and efficient photonic devices. However, overlapping spectral features in optical pump-probe spectroscopy often render assignments of separate electron and hole carrier dynamics ambiguous. Here, ultrafast electron and hole dynamics in germanium nanocrystalline thin films are directly and simultaneously observed by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy in the extreme ultraviolet at the germanium M4,5 edge. We decompose the spectra into contributions of electronic state blocking and photo-induced band shifts at a carrier density of 8 × 1020 cm−3. Separate electron and hole relaxation times are observed as a function of hot carrier energies. A first-order electron and hole decay of ∼1 ps suggests a Shockley–Read–Hall recombination mechanism. The simultaneous observation of electrons and holes with extreme ultraviolet transient absorption spectroscopy paves the way for investigating few- to sub-femtosecond dynamics of both holes and electrons in complex semiconductor materials and across junctions.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15734

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15734

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