The Surface Potential of Selenium and its Relation to the Rectification and the Photovoltaic Effects

抄録

The surface potential of selenium was measured by Kelvin’s methods and was found to be influenced by the ambient. The characteristics of a rectifier obtained by making metal electrode contact with the selenium surface depend on the surface potential. The variation of the surface potential under illumination is of the same maginitude as the photoelectromotive force of the selenium cell. From these results, it is concluded that a blocking layer is formed on the selenium surface during the heat treatment.