Non-radiative life time

Non-radiative life time is the average time before an electron in the conduction band of a semiconductor recombines with a hole non-radiatively. It is an important parameter in optoelectronics where radiative recombination is required to produce a photon; if the non-radiative life time is shorter than the radiative, then a carrier is more likely to recombine non-radiatively. This results in low internal quantum efficiency.