Dark and photo-generated dielectric response in stearic acid films

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Abstract
The dielectric response of stearic acid multilayer films measured under steady ultra-violet illumination shows a close similarity with the corresponding dark response. In the frequency range 1–104 Hz both the dark loss and the excess photo-generated loss show a flat, virtually frequency-independent behaviour, which is attributed to the dipolar response of the material, the excess photo-generated dipoles being due to the ionization of some molecular species. In the frequency range 10−4−1 Hz, the photo-generated response shows a more nearly free-carrier type of dispersion than the dark response and both are attributed to the presence of hopping charges in the material. The photo-generated carriers are thought to be electrons and they appear to be more freely mobile than the dark carriers. This experimental evidence provides a means of distinguishing between ‘carrier’ and ‘lattice’ contributions to the dielectric polarization.

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