Electronic structure and bound excitons for defects in semiconductors from optical spectroscopy

The development of optical spectroscopy as a tool to study the properties of defects in semiconductors took a major step forward in the beginning of the 1960s when lasers became available. The field has since broadened along with the development of instrumentation, both concerning lasers and other optical light sources and optical detectors and techniques for detection. The parallel rapid development and access to versatile computer facilities in most laboratories have also contributed to the present situation for applications of optical spectroscopy, i.e., a powerful arsenal of techniques, quite useful to evaluate, for example, the electronic structure and other related properties of defects in semiconductors.