Photocurrents in Homogeneous Semiconductors in the Absence of an External Electric Field

In the quasi-neutrality approximation, a theoretical study was carried out on the conversion of the rate of interband photogeneration of carriers by weak optical radiation in a homogeneous semiconductor into electric current in the absence of an external electric field. Impurity recombination of photocarriers was assumed. An analytical relationship has been derived for the photoelectric conversion coefficient of a semiconductor with contacts blocking the electron current. The dependence of the photoelectric conversion coefficient on the concentration of recombination centers has been studied. The possibility of photoelectric amplification is demonstrated despite the absence of an external electric field.