Photoemission-Based Photovoltage Probe of Semiconductor Surface and Interface Electronic Structure

J. E. Demuth; W. J. Thompson; N. J. DiNardo; R. Imbihl

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.1408

Photoemission-Based Photovoltage Probe of Semiconductor Surface and Interface Electronic Structure

J. E. Demuth, W. J. Thompson, N. J. DiNardo, and R. Imbihl

Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 1408 – Published 31 March 1986

Abstract

A saturation surface photovoltage is found to occur during ultraviolet photoemission at low temperatures ( $T \sim 20$ K) on a variety of silicon (111) surfaces. Below ∼ 50 K surface recombination becomes ineffective thereby allowing flat-band conditions to be achieved with mild uv irradiation. Temperature-dependent photoemission thereby provides a simple and direct method for determining band bending and barrier heights. Results for different silicon (111) surfaces and preparation conditions are discussed.

Received 27 December 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.1408

Authors & Affiliations

J. E. Demuth, W. J. Thompson, N. J. DiNardo^*, and R. Imbihl^†

IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598

^*Present address: Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.
^†Permanent address: Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität München, München, West Germany.