Laddningsfångar

Laddningsfångar, often translated as charge traps or charge carriers, are entities that can capture and hold electrical charges. In solid-state physics and materials science, this phenomenon is crucial for understanding electrical conductivity and semiconductor behavior. These traps are typically imperfections or defects within a material's crystal lattice. They can be vacancies, interstitial atoms, impurities, or even surfaces and interfaces.

When an electron or a hole encounters a charge trap, it can become temporarily or permanently localized at that defect site. This trapping process affects the material's electrical properties by reducing the number of free charge carriers available for conduction. The energy level of the trap within the material's band gap determines how easily a charge carrier can be captured and released. Deeper traps require more energy to release captured charges, leading to longer trapping times.

The presence and nature of laddningsfångar are often investigated using techniques such as deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and thermally stimulated current (TSC). Understanding and controlling these traps are vital for designing and optimizing electronic devices, including transistors, diodes, and solar cells, as their presence can significantly impact device performance and efficiency. In some applications, intentionally introduced charge traps are used for memory devices.