Surface space-charge dynamics and surface recombination on silicon (111) surfaces measured with combined laser and synchrotron radiation

The results of a new experiment, which records transient, pulsed-laser-induced surface photovoltages by following photoemission shifts measured with synchrotron radiation, are reported. Comparison of the surface photovoltage decays with numerical simulations reveals large surface recombination rates for a variety of Si(111) surface preparations. The space-charge layer near the surface is found to govern the surface and bulk carrier concentrations to a remarkable extent, particularly when band bending is large.