Optical detection of paramagnetic and cyclotron resonance in semiconductors

Optical Detection of Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) has been used to observe both paramagnetic and diamagnetic resonance of photo-excited electrons and holes in GaP, ZnTe and AgBr. Paramagnetic resonance of conduction electrons in GaP has been studied and the microwave frequency and power dependence of the effect analysed. The maximum signal strength was observed to produce approximately 1% change in luminescence at 1.6 K. The g value deduced from the resonance was 2.000 ± 0.005. The resonance was homogeneously broadened giving the electron lifetime as approximately 4 nanoseconds. Paramagnetic resonance of electrons and holes has also been detected in AgBr. The background signals present in ODMR experiments have been investigated and are shown to be caused by diamagnetic or cyclotron resonance heating of photoexcited carriers. Measurements at microwave frequencies of 9.2 and 36.3 GHz have been made on GaP,ZnTe and AgBr, and cyclotron resonance of electrons and holes observed. The effective masses of light and heavy holes in GaP were found to be 0.154 ± 0.01 and 0.626 ± 0.06 respectively while the electron effective mass was 0.36 ± 0.10. The electron scattering time was shorter than that for holes by a factor of approximately three, most likely due to scattering by isoelectronic nitrogen impurities. Resonances were observed in ZnTe at effective mass values of 0.30 ± 0.20 and 0.76 ± 0.20 corresponding to electrons and heavy holes. In both GaP and ZnTe resonances due to electrons and holes appeared in different luminescence bands indicating the sensitivity of different recombination centres to heating of either carrier type. Cyclotron resonance of electrons and holes was also observed in AgBr and showed the effects of conduction and valence band non-parabolicity. A feature in the electron resonance indicated enhanced trapping of electrons with certain energies by emission of one or more LO phonons.Science, Faculty ofPhysics and Astronomy, Department ofGraduat