Valance-Conduction-Absorption

Process requires the lowest E of

photon to initiate electron jumping
(excitation)
• EC-EV = h
• EC-EV = Egap Conduction band, EC

• If h > Egap then transition

happens
•Electrons in the conduction band
and excited.

Egap
h Ephoton

EC60016/ECE/RAJKUMAR.K.K Valance band, EV

 After the absorption then what?
• Types  Direct and Indirect photon absorption
• For all absorption process there must be:
– Conservation of energy
– Conservation of momentum or the wavevector
• The production of e-h pairs is very important for various
electronics devices especially the photovoltaic and photodetectors
devices.
• The absorbed light can be transformed to current in these devices

EC60016/ECE/RAJKUMAR.K.K
 Direct Band Gap
E

Direct Conservation of E
vertical
h = EC(min) - Ev (max) =
transition
Egap
K (wave number)
h
Momentum Conservation of
of photon is wavevector
negligible
Kvmax + photon = kc

EC60016/ECE/RAJKUMAR.K.K
 Indirect Band Gap
E

K (wave number)
h

EC60016/ECE/RAJKUMAR.K.K
Refraction, Reflection and Dispersion

Light when it travels in a High n

medium can be absorbed
and reemitted by every atom Small n
in its path.

n1 = refractive index of material 1

Defines by n2 = refractive index of material 2

EC60016/ECE/RAJKUMAR.K.K
refractive index; n