Persistent photoconductivity in II-VI and III-V semiconductor alloys and a novel infrared detector

Persistent photoconductivity (PPC) mechanisms, as well as the similarities and the differences of PPC properties in II-VI and III-V semiconductor alloys have been investigated. The potential applications based on PPC phenomenon in these two kinds of materials are discussed. We have observed that PPC induced in a II-VI mixed crystal by visible (above band gap) illumination can be quenched by long wavelength infrared radiation even at room temperature, which further supports our interpretation that PPC in II-VI mixed crystals is caused by random local potential fluctuations induced by compositional fluctuations. A newly developed infrared detector based on the PPC infrared quenching property of II-VI semiconductor alloys is also reported.