Photoemission from Si Induced by an Internal Electric Field

Abstract
External photoelectric emission from silicon with a threshold of response corresponding to the band gap (1.05 ev) has been observed from a back biased pn junction which had received a cesium surface treatment. This emission current is proportional to the intensity of the incident light. The spectral distribution of this field induced photoemission has been simply related to the spectral distribution of the fundamental absorption of silicon.