Photoelectromagnetic Effect in Indium Arsenide

An experimental study of the photoelectromagnetic (PEM) effect in single crystals of $n$-type and $p$-type indium arsenide at room temperature is described. For $n$-type material it is found that the PEM short-circuit current is proportional to the magnetic induction for both high and low surface recombination velocities. In contrast, the PEM short-circuit current for $p$-type material is found to be nonlinear with respect to the magnetic induction; and the degree of nonlinearity depends markedly on the surface recombination velocity. It is shown that these results are consistent with the theoretical relations proposed by Kurnick and Zitter. Values for the bulk lifetime of electrons and holes are calculated using the PEM effect and photoconductivity data and are found to be approximately 6×${10}^{-8\mathrm{}}$ sec for $n$-type material and 5×${10}^{-10\mathrm{}}$ sec for $p$-type material. Estimations based on experimental data indicate that the surface recombination velocity for $n$-type material is in the range from 0 to ${10}^3$ cm/sec for an etched surface and equal to ${10}^5$ cm/sec for a hand-ground surface. It is shown that large errors can be made in the measured values of the bulk lifetime when the spectral range of the exciting light includes the absorption-edge region.