Experimental verification of the theoretical model for the photoionization of deep impurity centres in semiconductors

The wavelength dependence of the photoionization cross‐section (PCS) of the Zn acceptor level at Ev + 0.31 eV in silicon has been determined for temperatures of 85 and 290 °K from an investigation of the photoexcitation of holes from this level into the valence band. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions based on a deep‐centre model using a short‐range potential. The agreement between theory and experiment is reasonable.