Measurement of silicon surface recombination velocity using ultrafast pump-probe reflectivity in the near infrared

We demonstrate that ultrafast pump-probe reflectivity measurements from bulk Si samples using a Ti:sapphire femtosecond oscillator (lambda = 800 nm) can be used to measure the Si surface recombination velocity. The technique is sensitive to recombination velocities greater than similar to 10(4) cms(-1). (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)05222-1].