This research and reference text provides up-to-date coverage of the latest research into hot carriers in semiconductors, with a focus on the background, theoretical approaches, measurements and physical understanding required to engage with the field.

Covering non-equilibrium hot carriers created either by intense ultra-short laser pulses or high electric fields, the book fills a gap for a comprehensive and up-to-date book with modern interpretations of observed phenomena. It surveys hot electrons, hot phonons, phonon lifetimes, proper materials and more, providing a comprehensive survey of the constitutive elements of hot carriers.

The book also serves an interdisciplinary purpose, equipping researchers transitioning from optics to hot carrier solar cells to fully understand the role of hot carriers in semiconductors. Examples of experiments and applications of theoretical approaches are presented pedagogically, facilitating rapid and practical engagement with the subject.

Pitched at an introductory level, this reference text is an essential resource for researchers, a core text for graduate courses in hot carrier phenomena, and valuable supplementary reading for first year graduate courses in quantum mechanics, condensed matter physics, solid-state electronics and photovoltaics.

David K Ferry is a Regents' Professor Emeritus in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Institute of Physics (UK). Professor Ferry researches nanostructure devices and quantum transport and has published more than 700 refereed journal articles.