Effect of electronic strain on photoacoustic generation in silicon

Abstract

The photogeneration of excess free carriers gives rise to a mechanical strain in semiconductors. An experiment has been performed to investigate the contribution of this electronic strain to photoacoustic generation, and it is found that electronic strain is an important mechanism in the photogeneration of acoustic waves in silicon. A theory is developed to predict the contribution of the electronic strain to the photoacoustic generation and is found to agree well with experiment.