Transient negative photoconductivity in silicon doped with gold

A transient negative photoconductivity phenomenon observed in silicon doped with gold atoms by an appropriate diffusion condition has been investigated. The transient negative photoconductivity could be observed with a diode doped with gold atoms under intrinsic light-pulse illumination. In the recovery process of the transient negative photoconductivity to a steady-state dark level, two kind of time constants were observed, which may be related with the emission of electrons from gold level. A dependence of the magnitude of the peak value on the ambient temperature was observed; a qualitative explanation is given.