Excess carrier generation in femtosecond-laser processed sulfur doped silicon by means of sub-bandgap illumination

Abstract

With Fourier-transform photocurrent spectroscopy and spectral response measurements, we show that silicon doped with sulfur by femtosecond laser irradiation generates excess carriers, when illuminated with infrared light above 1100 nm. Three distinct sub-bandgap photocurrent features are observed. Their onset energies are in good agreement with the known sulfur levels S+, S0, and S20. The excess carriers are separated by a pn-junction to form a significant photocurrent. Therefore, this material likely demonstrates the impurity band photovoltaic effect.