Dynamic calibration of the injection-dependent carrier lifetime in GaAs

Characterization of defect-related recombination in photovoltaic materials is critical for improving the performance of solar cells. Injection-dependent lifetime spectroscopy is a sensitive and commonly used technique for investigating recombination rates in semiconductors. However, determination of the photoexcited carrier density during the lifetime experiment can be problematic. We employ a new dynamic calibration method, which relies on a combination of quasi-steady-state and transient measurements, to obtain the lifetime as a function of charge carrier density in a GaAs/GaInP heterostructure.