Influence of nonequilibrium temperature and charge carriers on the Ohm's law in a bipolar semiconductor

Abstract

The linear electrical conductivity of a bipolar semiconductor which is connected to a metal from both sides is investigated in general case, i.e., when the influence of both nonequilibrium charge carriers (electrons and holes) and nonequilibrium temperature on transport of electrical charges is taken into account. Let us notice that the electrical and energy nonequilibriums arise automatically in a bipolar semiconductor when electrical current flows even in a linear approximation with respect to an electrical current. The expression for the electrical conductivity is obtained for a bipolar semiconductor which depends on the electrical conductivity of electrons and holes, the thermal conductivity, the bandgap, the lifetime of charge carriers, the surface recombination rate on a semiconductor-metal contact.