THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SEMICONDUCTORS

Author Institution: Crystal Branch, Metallurgy Division, Naval Research LaboratoryThe optical properties of semiconductors involve: 1) electronic transitions from the full band to the exciton levels, or to the conduction band, 2) absorption by lattice vibrations, 3) absorption by free charge carriers, and 4) absorption by charge carriers bound at impurities or lattice defects. The optical properties of diamond, silicon, and germanium will be discussed in terms of these processes