Negative luminescence

Abstract

Negative luminescent devices have progressed immensely in the 40 years since the first observation of the effect in semiconductors. Most of the progress during the first 30 years was achieved through the use of the magnetoconcentration effect. The progress has gained pace in the last ten years following the establishment of high quality epitaxial growth techniques for the narrow-gap semiconductors, which have enabled complex diode structures to be formed, so enabling negative luminescence to be produced in large area devices without the need for a magnetic field. The technology has now progressed to the point where practical devices for a number of applications are beginning to be implemented. Consequently, the future looks cool for negative luminescence. © 2006 Springer-Verlag London Limited.