Thermalization process of a photo-generated plasma in semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper investigates the ultra-fast thermalization process of photo-generated plasma in semiconductors using a theoretical approach, analyzing carrier dynamics and energy fluxes through non-linear rate equations.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed theoretical model for the time evolution of photo-excited carriers, incorporating dynamic screening and phonon effects, to understand thermalization in semiconductors.

Findings

Carrier populations reach quasi-equilibrium after optical excitation.

Energy flux analysis reveals dominant interaction mechanisms during thermalization.

Model provides insights into ultra-fast carrier dynamics in semiconductor systems.

Abstract

The kinetics of ultra-fast processes which leads to the thermalization condition of a photo-excited plasma in semiconductor systems is studied theoretically. We analyze the time evolution of a carrier population generated by a finite optical pulse, from the beginning of the pulse until the time in which the carrier population reaches a quasi-equilibrium condition. We calculate the energy fluxes caused by the main interaction mechanisms along the different stages the system passes through. Our analysis is done by using a set of non-linear rate equations which govern the time evolution of the carrier population in the energy space. We consider the main interaction mechanisms, including dynamic screening and phonon population effects.