The photoacoustic signal of two semiconductor samples is investigated as a function of the modulation frequency in a heat-transmission configuration.It is shown that, in the frequency range where the sample is thermally thick, the signal amplitude and phase can single out the different fast and slow nonradiative recombination heat sources responsible for the photoacoustic signal. The characterization of the thermal and the carrier transport properties is discussed and some practical procedures for this purpose are also outlined.

The photoacoustic signal of a narrow-gap semiconductor and of Si is investigated as a function of the modulation frequency through the use of a heat-transmission configuration. It is shown that in the thermally thick modulation-frequency range the signal amplitude can single out the different heating sources responsible for the photoacoustic signal. It is also shown that from the signal phase data, as a function of the modulation frequency, we can obtain the values of the surface recombination velocity and the nonradiative band-to-band recombination time.

The influence of ion implantation in the thermal properties of silicon wafers at room temperature is investigated using the photoacoustic technique. It is suggested that the observed decrease of the values of both thermal diffusivity and conductivity, as the implantation dose increases, is due to the amorphization of the implanted layer.