Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Submitted Successfully!
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic. For video creation, please contact our Academic Video Service.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1 Eng Editorial Office -- 178 2026-09-18 06:08:08

Video Upload Options

We provide professional Academic Video Service to translate complex research into visually appealing presentations. Would you like to try it?
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Zheng, L. Charge Carrier Dynamics. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60130 (accessed on 22 September 2026).
Zheng L. Charge Carrier Dynamics. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60130. Accessed September 22, 2026.
Zheng, Lionel. "Charge Carrier Dynamics" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60130 (accessed September 22, 2026).
Zheng, L. (2026, September 18). Charge Carrier Dynamics. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60130
Zheng, Lionel. "Charge Carrier Dynamics." Encyclopedia. Web. 18 September, 2026.
Charge Carrier Dynamics
Edit

Charge carrier dynamics describes the generation, transport, and recombination of electrons and holes—the mobile charge carriers—in a semiconductor following an external excitation such as photon absorption or electrical injection [1]. After generation, excess carriers drift under internal electric fields and diffuse down concentration gradients, with mobilities and diffusion coefficients linked by the Einstein relation, until they are lost through recombination, quantified by the minority-carrier lifetime and the associated diffusion length [2]. Recombination may be radiative, non-radiative through trap states (Shockley–Read–Hall), or via Auger three-body processes, each characterized by a distinct rate and time scale [3]. In photoexcited materials, the temporal evolution of excess populations is commonly described by rate equations linking generation, drift, diffusion, and recombination, while transient optical probes follow the decay of photoluminescence or photoconductivity. The dynamic quantities—lifetimes, mobilities, diffusion lengths, and internal quantum yields—determine how efficiently photogenerated carriers are collected and therefore set the performance of photovoltaic, photoconductive, and other semiconductor devices [4].

charge‑carrier dynamics carrier recombination carrier transport semiconductor photophysics

References

  1. S.M. Sze; Kwok K. Ng. Physics of Semiconductor Devices; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, United States, 2006. [CrossRef]
  2. Streetman, B.G.; Banerjee, S. Solid State Electronic Devices, 7th ed.; Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2014. ISBN: 9780133356113.
  3. W. Shockley; W. T. Read; Statistics of the Recombinations of Holes and Electrons. Phys. Rev. B 1952, 87, 835-842. [CrossRef]
  4. Pierret, R.F. Semiconductor Device Fundamentals; Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA, 1996. ISBN: 9780131784598.
More
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Eng Editorial Office
View Times: 5
Entry Collection: Eng
Revision: 1 time (View History)
Update Date: 18 Sep 2026
Notice
You are not a member of the advisory board for this topic. If you want to update advisory board member profile, please contact office@encyclopedia.pub.
OK
Confirm
Only members of the Encyclopedia advisory board for this topic are allowed to note entries. Would you like to become an advisory board member of the Encyclopedia?
Yes
No
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
There is no comment~
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
${ selectedItem.replyTextCharacter }/${ selectedItem.replyMaxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
Confirm
Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Academic Video Service