Excitation-power dependence of the near-band-edge photoluminescence of semiconductors

Abstract

We present a model calculation for the dependence of the near-band-edge photoluminescence (NBEPL) on the power of the exciting laser light. Our model explains all features of the NBEPL power dependence that were previously observed in experiment: (i) the variation of the excitonic photoluminescence intensity I with ${\mathit{L}}^{\mathit{k}}$, where L is the excitation power and k is an exponent between 1 and 2, (ii) deviations from the I\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{L}}^{\mathit{k}}$ law as L is varied by more than two orders of magnitude, and (iii) the variation of k for exciton emission lines when the wavelength of the exciting laser radiation is varied. Furthermore, our model relates the k values of the free exciton, bound exciton, and the free-to-bound transitions. The results are in excellent agreement with experimental data.