Cathodoluminescence of InP

Cathodoluminescence studies were carried out on p-type InP having carrier concentrations ranging from 7.2 x 10 to the 16th to 7.4 x 10 to the 18th per cu cm in the temperature range of 80-580 K. It was found that low-temperature spectra exhibited peaks at 1.41 and 1.38 eV. These peaks were attributed to band-to-band and band-acceptor transitions, respectively. The dependence of the band-to-band peak on temperature was used to extend knowledge of the temperature dependence of the energy gap of InP to 550 K. It was shown that the half-width of the cathodoluminescence peak can be used for the determination of carrier concentration and carrier-concentration inhomogeneities in the material. The variations of the cathodoluminescence peak height with temperature indicated the possibility of Auger recombination for high carrier concentrations (7.4 x 10 to the 18th per cu cm) at temperatures above 450 K.