Cathodoluminescence of InP

Abstract

Cathodoluminescence studies were carried out on p‐type InP having carrier concentrations ranging from 7.2×10¹⁶ to 7.4×10¹⁸ cm³ in the temperature range of 80–580 K. It was found that low‐temperature spectra exhibited peaks at 1.41 and 1.38 eV. These peaks were attributed to band‐to‐band and band‐acceptor transitions, respectively. The dependence of the band‐to‐band peak on temperature was used to extend knowledge of the temperature dependence of the energy gap of InP to 550 K. It was shown that the half‐width of the cathodoluminescence peak can be used for the determination of carrier concentration and carrier‐concentration inhomogeneities in the material. The variations of the cathodoluminescence peak height with temperature indicated the possibility of Auger recombination for high carrier concentrations (7.4×10¹⁸ cm³) at temperatures above 450 K.