= Trap-assisted electron-hole recombination
A localized electronic defect can capture a conduction <electron> and subsequently an <electron hole>, or the reverse sequence, returning to its original charge state. Energy is transferred to the lattice rather than an emitted <photon>. The two-step process can remove an <electron-hole pair> even when direct band-to-band photon emission is inefficient. Its rate depends on trap density, occupation and both capture rates; a single trapping event is not necessarily completed recombination.
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