Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 30 (1993) 191 North-Holland

Solar Energy Materials and Solar C e h

Book Review

Recombination in Semiconductors by Peter T. Landsberg (Cambridge Univer- sity Press, Cambridge, 1991). ISBN 0-521-36122-2 (hbk.); 600 pages; price £95.00 net.

One of his colleagues recently described the author of Recombination in Semiconductors as "An Institution". This is true, since Prof. Peter T. Landsberg manages in this comprehensive treatise to combine the concepts of the thermody- namics, mathematics, quantum mechanics and history of the field to which he has devoted a lifetime of study. His unique perspective is that of mathematics. This allows him, in many cases, to obtain closed form solutions to the basic equations presented and to allow the reader to gain insight from the mathematical proofs outlined. The text moves quickly from a description of semiconductor statistics in parabolic and nonparabolic bands to the statistics of recombination processes such as Shockley'Read-Hall and Cascade recombination. Materials such as Si and Hg I _xCdxTe serve as illustrative examples. Of particular interest for those working in the field of solar energy is his treatment of Interband absorption, and emission and their relationship to optical data. His treatment of the frequency dependence of the absorption coefficient for direct and indirect allowed, and forbidden, transitions is particularly clear and helpful. One noteworthy table useful in solar cell research compares the detailed balance arguments used in radiative and Auger recombination. In addition, thermodynamic concepts such as chemical potential, are related to traditional semiconductor quantities, such as the Fermi energy. Recent data and literature is included for materials such as Ge, Si and GaP, GaAs, and other I I I -V materials. Also covered in this hallmark work are the topics of the role of defects and impurities, surface recombination, thermionic and field emis- sion, multiphonon processes, and recombination in the laser and low dimensional structures. Many chapters are appropriate in graduate level courses, however the main usefulness of the book is as the concise and comprehensive repository for the entire field of semiconductor recombination.

Greg Smestad

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