Photoelectric Conductivity | Additional Documents & Tests for IIT JAM PDF Download

If light with a photon energy hν that exceeds the work function W falls on a metal surface, some of the incident photons will transfer their energy to electrons, which then will be ejected from the metal. Since hν is greater than W, the excess energy hν − W transferred to the electrons will be observed as their kinetic energy outside the metal. The relation between electron kinetic energy E and the frequency ν (that is, E = hν − W) is known as the Einstein relation, and its experimental verification helped to establish the validity of quantum theory. The energy of the electrons depends on the frequency of the light, while the intensity of the light determines the rate of photoelectric emission.
In a semiconductor the valence band of energy levels is almost completely full while the conduction band is almost empty. The conductivity of the material derives from the few holes present in the valence band and the few electrons in the conduction band. Electrons can be excited from the valence to the conduction band by light photons having an energy hν that is larger than energy gap E_g between the bands. The process is an internal photoelectric effect. The value of E_g varies from semiconductor to semiconductor. For lead sulfide, the threshold frequency occurs in the infrared, whereas for zinc oxide it is in the ultraviolet. For silicon, E_g equals 1.1 electron volts, and the threshold wavelength is in the infrared, about 1,100 nanometres. Visible radiation produces electron transitions with almost unity quantum efficiency in silicon. Each transition yields a hole–electron pair (i.e., two carriers) that contributes to electric conductivity. For example, if one milliwatt of light strikes a sample of pure silicon in the form of a thin plate one square centimetre in area and 0.03 centimetre thick (which is thick enough to absorb all incident light), the resistance of the plate will be decreased by a factor of about 1,000. In practice, photoconductive effects are not usually as large as this, but this example indicates that appreciable changes in conductivity can occur even with low illumination. Photoconductive devices are simple to construct and are used to detect visible, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.