Carrier lifetime measurements using free carrier absorption transients. I. Principle and injection dependence

A contactless, all-optical technique for semiconductor charge carrier lifetime characterization is reviewed. The technique is based upon measurements of free carrier absorption transients by an infrared probe beam following electron-hole pair excitation by a pulsed laser beam. Main features are a direct probing of the excess carrier density coupled with a homogeneous carrier distribution within the sample, enabling precision studies of different recombination mechanisms. We show that the method is capable of measuring the lifetime over a broad range of injections (${10}^{\mathrm{13}}{\text{–10}}^{\mathrm{18}}\hspace{0.5em}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-3}})$ probing both the minority carrier lifetime, the high injection lifetime and Auger recombination, as well as the transition between these ranges. Performance and limitations of the technique, such as lateral resolution, are addressed while application of the technique for lifetime mapping and effects of surface recombination is outlined in a companion article [J. Appl. Phys. 84, 284 (1998), part II]. Results from detailed studies of the injection dependence yield good agreement with the Shockley–Read–Hall theory, whereas the coefficient for Auger recombination shows an apparent shift to a higher value, with respect to the traditionally accepted value, at carrier densities below ${\text{∼2–5×10}}^{\mathrm{17}}\hspace{0.5em}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{-3}}.$ Data also indicate an increased value of the coefficient for bimolecular recombination (radiative or trap-assisted Auger) from the generally accepted value. Measurements on an electron irradiated wafer and wafers of exceptionally high carrier lifetimes are also discussed within the framework of different recombination mechanisms.