Light trapping and subbandgap maximum in photoemission quantum yield spectra of p-GaAs(Cs,O)

In the spectra of the photoemission quantum yield of p-GaAs(Cs,O) measured in the reflection geometry, a peak was found at a photon energy lower than the band gap of GaAs. It is shown that the appearance of the peak is due to the trapping of weakly absorbed radiation, which scatters diffusely on the rough back face of the epitaxial structure. Possible microscopic mechanisms of the appearance of the peak are discussed: the Franz-Keldysh effect in the surface electric field and adsorption-modified optical transitions in cesium adatoms.