A method for determining the emitter and base lifetimes in p-n junction diodes

A method is described that provides an experimental means for the first time to separate and determine the emitter and base lifetimes in a p-n diode after the junction has been fabricated. In the method, several static and transient measurements are analyzed using physical models of the diode characteristics. To illustrate the method, diffused silicon diodes are fabricated having substrate (base) impurity concentrations ranging from 10¹⁴to nearly 10¹⁷phosphorous atoms per cubic centimeter. The results show an emitter lifetime that is much smaller than the base lifetime in the diode having the highest base doping concentration. In this diode, the recombination current from the emitter is 65 percent of the recombination current from the base, demonstrating the significance of the emitter in governing the static current-voltage dependence. The importance of emitter recombination to the transient characteristics is also demonstrated. The paper emphasizes the techniques by which the base and emitter lifetimes are distinguished. It also demonstrates the need for carefully basing the quantitative analysis of the measurements on the underlying diode physics. The method described here applies not only to p-n diodes but also to junction solar cells and transistors.