JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE III, cilt.7, sa.5, ss.1039-1044, 1997 (SCI-Expanded)
The plasma contact effect on spectral characteristics of the longitudinal photoconductivity of GaAs has been investigated in the present paper. The sample studied was a GaAs:Cr high-resistivity (rho = 10(7) Ohm cm) plate of thickness d = 1 mm and diameter similar to 20 mm. One electrode (thin semi-transparent Ni layer) was deposited on the plate surface, and another electrode (SnO2 film) was separated from the plate surface by the gas discharge air gap. The constant voltage applied to the electrodes was higher than the breakdown voltage. The semiconductor was illuminated both from the side of the Ni-contact and through plasma contact. The measured spectral characteristics of photocurrent were different in the strong absorption region. When the semiconductor was illuminated through plasma contact the photocurrent was 1.5-2 times higher than for the Ni-contact illumination. The observed phenomenon can be explained by the change of surface recombination velocity of non-equilibrium carriers in the semiconductor due to the bombardment of the semiconductor surface by plasma.