Detection of hidden structures in a photoexcited semiconductor via principal-component analysis

We study the transport properties of a GaAs-based semiconductor under local optical excitation via direct numerical simulation. The simulation results propose a hypothesis which describes the possibility to control the high-field domain in terms of tunable modulations of the doping profile and the length of the notch region. This hypothesis can be verified, both quantitative and qualitative agreement, via principal-component analysis. Besides, higher harmonic modes embedded in the high-field domain also can be automatically extracted from principal-component analysis. This study might be useful to identify the “effective” length and shape of the cathode notch and to restore the doping concentration in semiconductor devices.