Abstract

Optical spectroscopy of semiconductors has proved to be an extremely useful tool in studying electronic states (band structure, excitons, defects) as well as elementary excitations (phonons, plasmons, and their coupled modes) in semiconductors. While this aspect of optical spectroscopy is well known, there is another strength of optical spectroscopy that is not as well known. Optical spectroscopy also provides a powerful technique for investigating nonequilibrium phenomena in semiconductors. This aspect of optical spectroscopy has led to many interesting developments over the last 20 years.

© 1990 Optical Society of America