Influence of deep energetic levels on charge densities and capacitance of semiconductor/electrolyte interface

Charge density and space charge layer capacitance of semiconductor/electrolyte interface are determined by computational method in the case of crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous semiconductors with multiple deep energetic levels. These determinations are performed as a function of the difference of potential between the potential in the bulk of the electrode and the potential at a point x and especially at x = 0 which correspond to the potential at the SC/electrolyte interface. The investigation of the results allows proposing new and original relations describing the charge density for polycrystalline and amorphous semiconductors. The variation of the charge density is manifested by the existence of different regions where the ionization phenomenon of the donor states relative to the discrete and continuous levels is exhibited. The space charge layer capacitance determined from the charge density using Poisson’s equation is also analyzed as a function of the potential difference through the space charge layer for the different parameters characterizing the discrete and continuous levels in the case of the different semiconductors. For amorphous semiconductors, the charge density and the space charge layer capacitance are analyzed for two models of the density of states. The representation of the inverse square capacity shows a linear variation where straight lines with different slopes appear in low and high potential range indicating Mott-Schottky behaviour.