Process whereby an electron in the conduction band (in LUMO level) loses its excess energy and re-occupies the energy state of a hole in the valence band (in HOMO level).
Notes: - In a thermally equilibrated material, generation and recombination of charge carriers are balanced yielding an equilibrium charge carrier concentration that is predictable from Fermi-Dirac statistics.
- Based on the mechanism of the charge carrier recombination we distinguish: Auger recombination, geminate recombination, radiative charge carrier recombination, stimulated radiative charge carrier recombination, band-to-band recombination and localized-level-assisted (trap-assisted) recombination that dominate in organic semiconductors. See also doping.
Source:
PAC, 2022, 94, 15. 'Glossary of terms relating to electronic, photonic and magnetic properties of polymers (IUPAC Recommendations 2021)' on page 18 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-0501)