PHOTOEFFECTS AT THE SEMICONDUCTOR/LIQUID INTERFACE.

Semiconductor/liquid systems offer a wide variety of junction properties and allow independent experimental control over many fundamental interfacial variables. Nonaqueous solvents provide a logical framework for the rational design and study of efficient semiconductor/liquid junctions. The dominance of surface effects has frequently been cited as a primary problem in the field, and it is clear that there are documented instances where surface recombination sites and Fermi level pinning control the junction properties. However, control over bulk properties can eliminate a large portion of these nonidealities, and Fermi level pinning may not be a general limitation to the design of efficient interfaces in properly chosen systems. The variety of chemical situations available in liquid junctions also affords an excellent opportunity to explore and manipulate grain boundary chemistry and surface state chemistry.