Photo-enhanced response of hopping bolometers for detection of particles and non-equilibrium phonons
Abstract
Using a heat pulse technique we have observed that the sensitivity of a GaAs:Zn bolometer operating in the hopping regime is significantly enhanced by illumination with white light. However, the enhancement cannot be understood simply in terms of the steady-state photoconductive change in resistivity varying as T 1/4 exp(T 0/T) 1/4 with temperature. We propose that the primary consequence of illumination is the population of excited states of the Zn acceptors between which non-equilibrium, and therefore higher frequency, phonon-assisted tunnelling is more effective than normal hopping.
- Publication:
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Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A
- Pub Date:
- April 2000
- DOI:
- 10.1016/S0168-9002(99)01325-X
- Bibcode:
- 2000NIMPA.444...46T