Recombination enhanced defect reactions

Abstract

The energy liberated during an electronic transition may take the form of photons (luminescence), secondary electronic excitations (Auger), or phonons. In the case of phonon production, the vibrational excitation is localized at the recombination center (defect) before it dissipates to raise the temperature of the host lattice. A defect in an excited vibrational state may undergo simple solid state reactions such as diffusion, dissociation and annihilation which would not proceed under the Boltzmann distribution of energies determined by the temperature of the quiescent host lattice. The phenomenology of electronic enhancement is reviewed with emphasis on the roles of defect charge state, recombination and electric fields. The application of unimolecular reaction rate theory to the characterization of recombination enhanced reaction kinetics is discussed conceptually. Implications concerning the structural and chemical nature of host materials, recombination centers and reactant products is outlined. The role of recombination enhanced phenomena in device degradation is discussed and some useful applications of REDR in the selective programming of logic arrays and high definition electron beam data storage are presented.