What is Diffusion length?

The average distance minority carriers diffuse before recombining, given by L = √(Dτ) from the diffusion coefficient D and lifetime τ. It strongly affects the efficiency of solar cells and photodetectors.

Field: Semiconductor physics

Diffusion length in the explanations

Questions that mention Diffusion length (3)

  1. With minority carrier diffusion coefficient D and lifetime τ, which expression gives the diffusion length L?
  2. What is the main reason for making the base of a bipolar transistor thin?
  3. What is the correct unit of the diffusion coefficient D?

Related terms

Current gain (hFE) Punch-through Acceptor Auger recombination Band gap Degenerate semiconductor Donor Effective mass Einstein relation Electron affinity

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