Dual ohmic contact to N- and P-type silicon carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Okojie, Robert S. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Simultaneous formation of electrical ohmic contacts to silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor having donor and acceptor impurities (n- and p-type doping, respectively) is disclosed. The innovation provides for ohmic contacts formed on SiC layers having n- and p-doping at one process step during the fabrication of the semiconductor device. Further, the innovation provides a non-discriminatory, universal ohmic contact to both n- and p-type SiC, enhancing reliability of the specific contact resistivity when operated at temperatures in excess of 600.degree. C.

Novel method of separating macroporous arrays from p-type silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Bobo; Wang Fei; Liu Tao; Yang Zhenya; Wang Lianwei; Fu, Ricky K. Y.; Chu, Paul K.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a novel method to fabricate separated macroporous silicon using a single step of photo-assisted electrochemical etching. The method is applied to fabricate silicon microchannel plates in 100 mm p-type silicon wafers, which can be used as electron multipliers and three-dimensional Li-ion microbatteries. Increasing the backside illumination intensity and decreasing the bias simultaneously can generate additional holes during the electrochemical etching which will create lateral etching at the pore tips. In this way the silicon microchannel can be separated from the substrate when the desired depth is reached, then it can be cut into the desired shape by using a laser cutting machine. Also, the mechanism of lateral etching is proposed. (semiconductor materials)

Silicon nanowire networks for multi-stage thermoelectric modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, Kate J.; Garrett, Matthew P.; Zhang, Junce; Coleman, Elane; Tompa, Gary S.; Kobayashi, Nobuhiko P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Fabricated flexible single, double, and quadruple stacked Si thermoelectric modules. • Measured an enhanced power production of 27%, showing vertical stacking is scalable. • Vertically scalable thermoelectric module design of semiconducting nanowires. • Design can utilize either p or n-type semiconductors, both types are not required. • ΔT increases with thickness therefore power/area can increase as modules are stacked. - Abstract: We present the fabrication and characterization of single, double, and quadruple stacked flexible silicon nanowire network based thermoelectric modules. From double to quadruple stacked modules, power production increased 27%, demonstrating that stacking multiple nanowire thermoelectric devices in series is a scalable method to generate power by supplying larger temperature gradient. We present a vertically scalable multi-stage thermoelectric module design using semiconducting nanowires, eliminating the need for both n-type and p-type semiconductors for modules

Semiconducting III-V compounds

CERN Document Server

Hilsum, C; Henisch, Heinz R

1961-01-01

Semiconducting III-V Compounds deals with the properties of III-V compounds as a family of semiconducting crystals and relates these compounds to the monatomic semiconductors silicon and germanium. Emphasis is placed on physical processes that are peculiar to III-V compounds, particularly those that combine boron, aluminum, gallium, and indium with phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony (for example, indium antimonide, indium arsenide, gallium antimonide, and gallium arsenide).Comprised of eight chapters, this book begins with an assessment of the crystal structure and binding of III-V compounds, f

P-stop isolation study of irradiated n-in-p type silicon strip sensors for harsh radiation environment

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2084505

2015-01-01

In order to determine the most radiation hard silicon sensors for the CMS Experiment after the Phase II Upgrade in 2023 a comprehensive study of silicon sensors after a fluence of up to $1.5\\times10^{15} n_{eq}/cm^{2}$ corresponding to $3000 fb^{-1}$ after the HL-LHC era has been carried out. The results led to the decision that the future Outer Tracker (20~cm${<}R{<}$110~cm) of CMS will consist of n-in-p type sensors. This technology is more radiation hard but also the manufacturing is more challenging compared to p-in-n type sensors due to additional process steps in order to suppress the accumulation of electrons between the readout strips. One possible isolation technique of adjacent strips is the p-stop structure which is a p-type material implantation with a certain pattern for each individual strip. However, electrical breakdown and charge collection studies indicate that the process parameters of the p-stop structure have to be carefully calibrated in order to achieve a sufficient strip isolatio...

Voltage-Controlled Spray Deposition of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Semiconducting and Insulating Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Maulik, Subhodip; Sarkar, Anirban; Basu, Srismrita; Daniels-Race, Theda

2018-05-01

A facile, cost-effective, voltage-controlled, "single-step" method for spray deposition of surfactant-assisted dispersed carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films on semiconducting and insulating substrates has been developed. The fabrication strategy enables direct deposition and adhesion of CNT films on target samples, eliminating the need for substrate surface functionalization with organosilane binder agents or metal layer coatings. Spray coating experiments on four types of sample [bare silicon (Si), microscopy-grade glass samples, silicon dioxide (SiO2), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)] under optimized control parameters produced films with thickness ranging from 40 nm to 6 μm with substantial surface coverage and packing density. These unique deposition results on both semiconducting and insulator target samples suggest potential applications of this technique in CNT thin-film transistors with different gate dielectrics, bendable electronics, and novel CNT-based sensing devices, and bodes well for further investigation into thin-film coatings of various inorganic, organic, and hybrid nanomaterials on different types of substrate.

Effect of Current Density on Thermal and Optical Properties of p-Type Porous Silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasra Behzad; Wan Mahmood Mat Yunus; Zainal Abidin Talib; Azmi Zakaria; Afarin Bahrami

2011-01-01

The different parameters of the porous silicon (PSi) can be tuned by changing some parameters in preparation process. We have chosen the anodization as formation method, so the related parameters should be changed. In this study the porous silicon (PSi) layers were formed on p-type Si wafer. The samples were anodized electrically in a fixed etching time under some different current densities. The structural and optical properties of porous silicon (PSi) on silicon (Si) substrates were investigated using photoluminescence (PL) and Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS). (author)

p-type doping by platinum diffusion in low phosphorus doped silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Ventura, L.; Pichaud, B.; Vervisch, W.; Lanois, F.

2003-07-01

In this work we show that the cooling rate following a platinum diffusion strongly influences the electrical conductivity in weakly phosphorus doped silicon. Diffusions were performed at the temperature of 910 °C in the range of 8 32 hours in 0.6, 30, and 60 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon samples. Spreading resistance profile analyses clearly show an n-type to p-type conversion under the surface when samples are cooled slowly. On the other hand, a compensation of the phosphorus donors can only be observed when samples are quenched. One Pt related acceptor deep level at 0.43 eV from the valence band is assumed to be at the origin of the type conversion mechanism. Its concentration increases by lowering the applied cooling rate. A complex formation with fast species such as interstitial Pt atoms or intrinsic point defects is expected. In 0.6 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon, no acceptor deep level in the lower band gap is detected by DLTS measurement. This removes the opportunity of a pairing between phosphorus and platinum and suggests the possibility of a Fermi level controlled complex formation.

Photovoltaic characteristics of porous silicon /(n+ - p) silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhafarov, T.D.; Aslanov, S.S.; Ragimov, S.H.; Sadigov, M.S.; Nabiyeva, A.F.; Yuksel, Aydin S.

2012-01-01

Full text : The purpose of this work is to improve the photovoltaic parameters of the screen-printed silicon solar cells by formation the nano-porous silicon film on the frontal surface of the cell. The photovoltaic characteristics of two type silicon solar cells with and without porous silicon layer were measured and compared. A remarkable increment of short-circuit current density and the efficiency by 48 percent and 20 percent, respectively, have been achieved for PS/(n + - pSi) solar cell comparing to (n + - p)Si solar cell without PS layer

Fabrication of p-type porous GaN on silicon and epitaxial GaN

OpenAIRE

Bilousov, Oleksandr V.; Geaney, Hugh; Carvajal, Joan J.; Zubialevich, Vitaly Z.; Parbrook, Peter J.; Giguere, A.; Drouin, D.; Diaz, Francesc; Aguilo, Magdalena; O'Dwyer, Colm

2013-01-01

Porous GaN layers are grown on silicon from gold or platinum catalyst seed layers, and self-catalyzed on epitaxial GaN films on sapphire. Using a Mg-based precursor, we demonstrate p-type doping of the porous GaN. Electrical measurements for p-type GaN on Si show Ohmic and Schottky behavior from gold and platinum seeded GaN, respectively. Ohmicity is attributed to the formation of a Ga2Au intermetallic. Porous p-type GaN was also achieved on epitaxial n-GaN on sapphire, and transport measurem...

Irradiation and annealing of p-type silicon carbide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebedev, Alexander A.; Bogdanova, Elena V.; Grigor' eva, Maria V.; Lebedev, Sergey P. [A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, 194021 (Russian Federation); Kozlovski, Vitaly V. [St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 195251 (Russian Federation)

2014-02-21

The development of the technology of semiconductor devices based on silicon carbide and the beginning of their industrial manufacture have made increasingly topical studies of the radiation hardness of this material on the one hand and of the proton irradiation to form high-receptivity regions on the other hand. This paper reports on a study of the carrier removal rate (V{sub d}) in p-6H-SiC under irradiation with 8 MeV protons and of the conductivity restoration in radiation- compensated epitaxial layers of various p-type silicon carbide polytypes. V{sub d} was determined by analysis of capacitance-voltage characteristics and from results of Hall effect measurements. It was found that the complete compensation of samples with the initial value of Na - Nd ≈ 1.5 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3} occurs at an irradiation dose of ∼1.1 × 10{sup 16} cm{sup −2}. It is shown that specific features of the sublimation layer SiC (compared to CVD layers) are clearly manifested upon the gamma and electron irradiation and are hardly noticeable under the proton and neutron irradiation. It was also found that the radiation-induced compensation of SiC is retained after its annealing at ≤1000°C. The conductivity is almost completely restored at T ≥ 1200°C. This character of annealing of the radiation compensation is independent of a silicon carbide polytype and the starting doping level of the epitaxial layer. The complete annealing temperatures considerably exceed the working temperatures of SiC-based devices. It is shown that the radiation compensation is a promising method in the technology of high-temperature devices based on SiC.

CCE measurements and annealing studies on proton-irradiated p-type MCz silicon diodes

CERN Document Server

Hoedlmoser, H; Köhler, M; Nordlund, H

2007-01-01

Magnetic Czochralski (MCz) silicon has recently been investigated for the development of radiation tolerant detectors for future high-luminosity HEP experiments. A study of p-type MCz Silicon diodes irradiated with protons up to a fluence of has been performed by means of Charge Collection Efficiency (CCE) measurements as well as standard CV/IV characterizations. The changes of CCE, full depletion voltage and leakage current as a function of fluence are reported. A subsequent annealing study of the irradiated detectors shows an increase in effective doping concentration and a decrease in the leakage current, whereas the CCE remains basically unchanged. Two different series of detectors have been compared differing in the implantation dose of p-spray isolation as well as effective doping concentration (Neff) of the p-type bulk presumably due to a difference in thermal donor (TD) activation during processing. The series with the higher concentration of TDs shows a delayed reverse annealing of Neff after irradia...

P type porous silicon resistivity and carrier transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ménard, S.; Fèvre, A.; Billoué, J.; Gautier, G.

2015-01-01

The resistivity of p type porous silicon (PS) is reported on a wide range of PS physical properties. Al/PS/Si/Al structures were used and a rigorous experimental protocol was followed. The PS porosity (P % ) was found to be the major contributor to the PS resistivity (ρ PS ). ρ PS increases exponentially with P % . Values of ρ PS as high as 1 × 10 9 Ω cm at room temperature were obtained once P % exceeds 60%. ρ PS was found to be thermally activated, in particular, when the temperature increases from 30 to 200 °C, a decrease of three decades is observed on ρ PS . Based on these results, it was also possible to deduce the carrier transport mechanisms in PS. For P % lower than 45%, the conduction occurs through band tails and deep levels in the tissue surrounding the crystallites. When P % overpasses 45%, electrons at energy levels close to the Fermi level allow a hopping conduction from crystallite to crystallite to appear. This study confirms the potential of PS as an insulating material for applications such as power electronic devices

Electrical Characterization of Irradiated Semiconducting Amorphous Hydrogenated Boron Carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, George Glenn

Semiconducting amorphous partially dehydrogenated boron carbide has been explored as a neutron voltaic for operation in radiation harsh environments, such as on deep space satellites/probes. A neutron voltaic device could also be used as a solid state neutron radiation detector to provide immediate alerts for radiation workers/students, as opposed to the passive dosimetry badges utilized today. Understanding how the irradiation environment effects the electrical properties of semiconducting amorphous partially dehydrogenated boron carbide is important to predicting the stability of these devices in operation. p-n heterojunction diodes were formed from the synthesis of semiconducting amorphous partially dehydrogenated boron carbide on silicon substrates through the use of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Many forms of structural and electrical measurements and analysis have been performed on the p-n heterojunction devices as a function of both He+ ion and neutron irradiation including: transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), current versus voltage I(V), capacitance versus voltage C(V), conductance versus frequency G(f), and charge carrier lifetime (tau). In stark contrast to nearly all other electronic devices, the electrical performance of these p-n heterojunction diodes improved with irradiation. This is most likely the result of bond defect passivation and resolution of degraded icosahedral based carborane structures (icosahedral molecules missing a B, C, or H atom(s)).

First results on the charge collection properties of segmented detectors made with p-type bulk silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casse, G.; Allport, P.P.; Bowcock, T.J.V.; Greenall, A.; Hanlon, M.; Jackson, J.N.

2002-01-01

Radiation damage of n-type bulk detectors introduces stable defects acting as effective p-type doping and leads to the change of the conductivity type of the silicon substrate (type inversion) after a fluence of a few times 10 13 protons cm -2 . The diode junction after inversion migrates from the original side to the back plane of the detector. The migration of the junction can be prevented using silicon detectors with p-type substrates. Furthermore, the use of n-side readout gives higher charge collection efficiency for segmented devices operated below the full depletion voltage. Large area (∼6.4x6.4 cm 2 ) capacitively coupled 80 μm pitch detectors using polysilicon bias resistors have been fabricated on p-type substrates (n-in-p diode structure). These detectors have been irradiated with 24 GeV/c protons to an integrated fluence of 3x10 14 cm -2 and kept for 7 days at 25 deg. C to reach the broad minimum of the annealing curve. Results are presented on the comparison of their charge collection properties with detectors using p-strip read-out after corresponding dose and annealing

Surface chemistry of a hydrogenated mesoporous p-type silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Media, El-Mahdi, E-mail: belhadidz@tahoo.fr; Outemzabet, Ratiba, E-mail: oratiba@hotmail.com

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Due to its large specific surface porous silicon is used as substrate for drug therapy and biosensors. • We highlight the evidency of the contribution of the hydrides (SiHx) in the formation of the porous silicon. • The responsible species in the porous silicon formation are identified and quantified at different conditions. • By some chemical treatments we show that silicon surface can be turn from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. - Abstract: The finality of this work is devoted to the grafting of organic molecules on hydrogen passivated mesoporous silicon surfaces. The study would aid in the development for the formation of organic monolayers on silicon surface to be exploited for different applications such as the realisation of biosensors and medical devices. The basic material is silicon which has been first investigated by FTIR at atomistic plane during the anodic forward and backward polarization (i.e. “go” and “return”). For this study, we applied a numerical program based on least squares method to infrared absorbance spectra obtained by an in situ attenuated total reflection on p-type silicon in diluted HF electrolyte. Our numerical treatment is based on the fitting of the different bands of IR absorbance into Gaussians corresponding to the different modes of vibration of molecular groups such as siloxanes and hydrides. An adjustment of these absorbance bands is done systematically. The areas under the fitted bands permit one to follow the intensity of the different modes of vibration that exist during the anodic forward and backward polarization in order to compare the reversibility of the phenomenon of the anodic dissolution of silicon. It permits also to follow the evolution between the hydrogen silicon termination at forward and backward scanning applied potential. Finally a comparison between the states of the initial and final surface was carried out. We confirm the presence of clearly four and three distinct vibration modes

Variation of minority charge carrier lifetime in high-resistance p-type silicon under irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basheleishvili, Z.V.; Garnyk, V.S.; Gorin, S.N.; Pagava, T.A.

1984-01-01

The minority carrier lifetime (tau) variation was studied in the process of p-type silicon bombardment with fast 8 MeV electrons. The irradiation and all measurements were carried out at room temperature. The tau quantity was measured by the photoconductivity attenuation method at a low injection level 20% measurement error; the resistivity was measured by the four-probe method (10% error). The resistivity and minority charge carrier lifetime tau are shown to increase with the exposure dose. It is supposed that as radiation dose increases, the rearrangement of the centres responsible for reducing the lifetime occurs and results in a tau increase in the material being irradiated, however the tau value observed in the original samples is not attained. The restoration of the minority carrier lifetime in p-type high-resistance silicon with a growing exposure dose might proceed due to reduction in the free carrier concentration

Impact of semiconducting electrodes on the electroresistance of ferroelectric tunnel junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Asa, M.; Bertacco, R.

2018-02-01

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions are promising candidates for the realization of energy-efficient digital memories and analog memcomputing devices. In this work, we investigate the impact of a semiconducting layer in series to the junction on the sign of electroresistance. To this scope, we compare tunnel junctions fabricated out of Pt/BaTiO3/La1/3Sr2/3MnO3 (LSMO) and Pt/BaTiO3/Nb:SrTiO3 (Nb:STO) heterostructures, displaying an opposite sign of the electroresistance. By capacitance-voltage profiling, we observe a behavior typical of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor tunnel devices in both cases but compatible with the opposite sign of charge carriers in the semiconducting layer. While Nb:STO displays the expected n-type semiconducting character, metallic LSMO develops an interfacial p-type semiconducting layer. The different types of carriers at the semiconducting interfaces and the modulation of the depleted region by the ferroelectric charge have a deep impact on electroresistance, possibly accounting for the different sign observed in the two systems.

Charge collection measurements with p-type Magnetic Czochralski silicon single pad detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosi, C.; Bruzzi, M.; Macchiolo, A.; Scaringella, M.; Petterson, M.K.; Sadrozinski, H.F.-W.; Betancourt, C.; Manna, N.; Creanza, D.; Boscardin, M.; Piemonte, C.; Zorzi, N.; Borrello, L.; Messineo, A.

2007-01-01

The charge collected from beta source particles in single pad detectors produced on p-type Magnetic Czochralski (MCz) silicon wafers has been measured before and after irradiation with 26 MeV protons. After a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of 1x10 15 cm -2 the collected charge is reduced to 77% at bias voltages below 900 V. This result is compared with previous results from charge collection measurements

Ionization-induced rearrangement of defects in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinetskij, V.L.; Manojlo, M.A.; Matvijchuk, A.S.; Strikha, V.I.; Kholodar', G.A.

1988-01-01

Ionizing factor effect on defect rearrangement in silicon including centers with deep local electron levels in the p-n-transition region is considered. Deep center parameters were determined using non-steady-state capacity spectroscopy of deep levels (NCDLS) method. NCDLS spectrum measurement was performed using source p + -n - diodes and after their irradiation with 15 keV energy electrons or laser pulses. It is ascertained that in silicon samples containing point defect clusters defect rearrangement under ionizing factor effect takes place, i.e. deep level spectra are changed. This mechanism is efficient in case of silicon irradiation with subthreshold energy photons and electrons and can cause degradation of silicon semiconducting structures

Silicon-based thin films as bottom electrodes in chalcogenide nonvolatile memories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung-Yun [IT Convergence and Components Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: seungyun@etri.re.kr; Yoon, Sung-Min; Choi, Kyu-Jeong; Lee, Nam-Yeal; Park, Young-Sam; Ryu, Sang-Ouk; Yu, Byoung-Gon; Kim, Sang-Hoon; Lee, Sang-Heung [IT Convergence and Components Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of)

2007-10-31

The effect of the electrical resistivity of a silicon-germanium (SiGe) thin film on the phase transition in a GeSbTe (GST) chalcogenide alloy and the manufacturing aspect of the fabrication process of a chalcogenide memory device employing the SiGe film as bottom electrodes were investigated. While p-type SiGe bottom electrodes were formed using in situ doping techniques, n-type ones could be made in a different manner where phosphorus atoms diffused from highly doped silicon underlayers to undoped SiGe films. The p-n heterojunction did not form between the p-type GST and n-type SiGe layers, and the semiconduction type of the SiGe alloys did not influence the memory device switching. It was confirmed that an optimum resistivity value existed for memory operation in spite of proportionality of Joule heating to electrical resistivity. The very high resistivity of the SiGe film had no effect on the reduction of reset current, which might result from the resistance decrease of the SiGe alloy at high temperatures.

Investigation on the structural characterization of pulsed p-type porous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Wahab, N. H. Abd; Rahim, A. F. Abd; Mahmood, A.; Yusof, Y.

2017-08-01

P-type Porous silicon (PS) was sucessfully formed by using an electrochemical pulse etching (PC) and conventional direct current (DC) etching techniques. The PS was etched in the Hydrofluoric (HF) based solution at a current density of J = 10 mA/cm2 for 30 minutes from a crystalline silicon wafer with (100) orientation. For the PC process, the current was supplied through a pulse generator with 14 ms cycle time (T) with 10 ms on time (Ton) and pause time (Toff) of 4 ms respectively. FESEM, EDX, AFM, and XRD have been used to characterize the morphological properties of the PS. FESEM images showed that pulse PS (PPC) sample produces more uniform circular structures with estimated average pore sizes of 42.14 nm compared to DC porous (PDC) sample with estimated average size of 16.37nm respectively. The EDX spectrum for both samples showed higher Si content with minimal presence of oxide.

Silicon nanowire structures as high-sensitive pH-sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belostotskaya, S O; Chuyko, O V; Kuznetsov, A E; Kuznetsov, E V; Rybachek, E N

2012-01-01

Sensitive elements for pH-sensors created on silicon nanostructures were researched. Silicon nanostructures have been used as ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) for the measurement of solution pH. Silicon nanostructures have been fabricated by 'top-down' approach and have been studied as pH sensitive elements. Nanowires have the higher sensitivity. It was shown, that sensitive element, which is made of 'one-dimensional' silicon nanostructure have bigger pH-sensitivity as compared with 'two-dimensional' structure. Integrated element formed from two p- and n-type nanowire ISFET ('inverter') can be used as high sensitivity sensor for local relative change [H+] concentration in very small volume.

Hydrogen interaction with radiation defects in p-type silicon

CERN Document Server

Feklisova, O V; Yakimov, E B; Weber, J

2001-01-01

Hydrogen interaction with radiation defects in p-type silicon has been investigated by deep-level non-stationary spectroscopy. Hydrogen is introduced into the high-energy electron-irradiated crystals under chemical etching in acid solutions at room temperature followed by the reverse-bias annealing at 380 K. It is observed that passivation of the irradiation-induced defects is accompanied by formation of novel electrically active defects with hydrogen-related profiles. Effect of hydrogen on the electrical activity of the C sub s C sub i complexes is shown for the first time. Based on the spatial distribution and passivation kinetics, possible nature of the novel complexes is analyzed. The radii for hydrogen capture by vacancies, K-centers, C sub s C sub i centers and the novel complexes are determined

Diamond semiconducting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polowczyk, M.; Klugmann, E.

1999-01-01

Many efforts to apply the semiconducting diamond for construction of electronic elements: resistors, thermistors, photoresistors, piezoresistors, hallotrons, pn diodes, Schottky diodes, IMPATT diodes, npn transistor, MESFETs and MISFETs are reviewed. Considering the possibilities of acceptor and donor doping, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of diamond as well as high electric-field breakdown points, that diamond devices could be used at about 30-times higher frequency and more then 8200 times power than silicon devices. Except that, due to high heat resistant of diamond, it is concluded that diamond devices can be used in environment at high temperature, range of 600 o C. (author)

Characterization of Ag-porous silicon nanostructured layer formed by an electrochemical etching of p-type silicon surface for bio-application

Science.gov (United States)

Naddaf, M.; Al-Mariri, A.; Haj-Mhmoud, N.

2017-06-01

Nanostructured layers composed of silver-porous silicon (Ag-PS) have been formed by an electrochemical etching of p-type (1 1 1) silicon substrate in a AgNO3:HF:C2H5OH solution at different etching times (10 min-30 min). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results reveal that the produced layers consist of Ag dendrites and a silicon-rich porous structure. The nanostructuring nature of the layer has been confirmed by spatial micro-Raman scattering and x-ray diffraction techniques. The Ag dendrites exhibit a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum, while the porous structure shows a typical PS Raman spectrum. Upon increasing the etching time, the average size of silicon nanocrystallite in the PS network decreases, while the average size of Ag nanocrystals is slightly affected. In addition, the immobilization of prokaryote Salmonella typhimurium DNA via physical adsorption onto the Ag-PS layer has been performed to demonstrate its efficiency as a platform for detection of biological molecules using SERS.

Highly conducting p-type nanocrystalline silicon thin films preparation without additional hydrogen dilution

Science.gov (United States)

Patra, Chandralina; Das, Debajyoti

2018-04-01

Boron doped nanocrystalline silicon thin film has been successfully prepared at a low substrate temperature (250 °C) in planar inductively coupled RF (13.56 MHz) plasma CVD, without any additional hydrogen dilution. The effect of B2H6 flow rate on structural and electrical properties of the films has been studied. The p-type nc-Si:H films prepared at 5 ≤ B2H6 (sccm) ≤ 20 retains considerable amount of nanocrystallites (˜80 %) with high conductivity ˜101 S cm-1 and dominant crystallographic orientation which has been correlated with the associated increased ultra- nanocrystalline component in the network. Such properties together make the material significantly effective for utilization as p-type emitter layer in heterojunction nc-Si solar cells.

Influence of γ- radiation on the recombination properties of P-type nickel doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurbanov, A.O.; Karimov, M.

2006-01-01

Full text: It is well known that the life-time of the charge carriers is most sensitive parameter of the semiconductors. The results of numerous investigations show that by irradiation of the multi-crystal silicon with high-energy particles (electrons, protons, γ-quanta) the life-time of the minor charge carriers appreciably decreases. Ones think that the reason of such effect is the generation of the recombination radiation defects by irradiation. In this connection in this work the investigation of the nickel doped silicon with various post-diffusion cooling is performed. As an initial material the p - Si with ∼ 10 Ohm·cm specific resistance was used. The dislocation density is taken to be ∼10 4 cm -2 . Doping of silicon by nickel carried out in the temperature range of 1050-1150 degree C with succeeding I and II type cooling. The life-time of the charge carriers was determined using the stationary photoconductivity method. It is discovered that the life-time of the charge carriers in p-Si is longer than that in the control silicon as well as τ slightly increases by increasing of the nickel's atoms concentration (in these samples the acceptor centers concentration changes in the range of 1.5·10 14 - 3.5·10 14 cm -3 ). This effect is explained on a basis of investigations of the photoconductivity relaxation kinetics (at 70 K) by the capture of the charge carriers to the sticking level. It is revealed that the relative life-time changing is appreciably various one from other in I and II type samples. In the rapid cooled samples τ more stable than slow cooled samples. In the rapid cooled samples more stable than slow cooled samples up to doze ∼2.5·10 8 R. (author)

Surface passivation at low temperature of p- and n-type silicon wafers using a double layer a-Si:H/SiNx:H

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focsa, A.; Slaoui, A.; Charifi, H.; Stoquert, J.P.; Roques, S.

2009-01-01

Surface passivation of bare silicon or emitter region is of great importance towards high efficiency solar cells. Nowadays, this is usually accomplished by depositing an hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) layer on n + p structures that serves also as an excellent antireflection layer. On the other hand, surface passivation of p-type silicon is better assured by an hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer but suffers from optical properties. In this paper, we reported the surface passivation of p-type and n-type silicon wafers by using an a-Si:H/SiNx:H double layer formed at low temperature (50-400 deg. C) with ECR-PECVD technique. We first investigated the optical properties (refraction index, reflectance, and absorbance) and structural properties by FTIR (bonds Si-H, N-H) of the deposited films. The hydrogen content in the layers was determined by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA). The passivation effect was monitored by measuring the minority carrier effective lifetime vs. different parameters such as deposition temperature and amorphous silicon layer thickness. We have found that a 10-15 nm a-Si film with an 86 nm thick SiN layer provides an optimum of the minority carriers' lifetime. It increases from an initial value of about 50-70 μs for a-Si:H to about 760 and 800 μs for a-Si:H/SiNx:H on Cz-pSi and FZ-nSi, respectively, at an injection level 2 x 10 15 cm -3 . The effective surface recombination velocity, S eff , for passivated double layer on n-type FZ Si reached 11 cm/s and for FZ-pSi-14 cm/s, and for Cz-pSi-16-20 cm/s. Effect of hydrogen in the passivation process is discussed.

Detection of protein kinases P38 based on reflectance spectroscopy with n-type porous silicon microcavities for diagnosing hydatidosis hydatid disease

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xiaoyi; Lv, Guodong; Jia, Zhenhong; Wang, Jiajia; Mo, Jiaqing

2014-11-01

Detection of protein kinases P38 of Echinococcus granulosus and its homologous antibody have great value for early diagnosis and treatment of hydatidosis hydatid disease. In this experiment, n-type mesoporous silicon microcavities have been successfully fabricated without KOH etching or oxidants treatment that reported in other literature. We observed the changes of the reflectivity spectrum before and after the antigen-antibody reaction by n-type mesoporous silicon microcavities. The binding of protein kinases P38 and its homologous antibody causes red shifts in the reflection spectrum of the sensor, and the red shift was proportional to the protein kinases P38 concentration with linear relationship.

Substrate and p-layer effects on polymorphous silicon solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abolmasov S.N.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The influence of textured transparent conducting oxide (TCO substrate and p-layer on the performance of single-junction hydrogenated polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H solar cells has been addressed. Comparative studies were performed using p-i-n devices with identical i/n-layers and back reflectors fabricated on textured Asahi U-type fluorine-doped SnO2, low-pressure chemical vapor deposited (LPCVD boron-doped ZnO and sputtered/etched aluminum-doped ZnO substrates. The p-layers were hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon and microcrystalline silicon oxide. As expected, the type of TCO and p-layer both have a great influence on the initial conversion efficiency of the solar cells. However they have no effect on the defect density of the pm-Si:H absorber layer.

Thermoelectric characteristics of Pt-silicide/silicon multi-layer structured p-type silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Wonchul; Jun, Dongseok; Kim, Soojung; Shin, Mincheol; Jang, Moongyu

2015-01-01

Electric and thermoelectric properties of silicide/silicon multi-layer structured devices were investigated with the variation of silicide/silicon heterojunction numbers from 3 to 12 layers. For the fabrication of silicide/silicon multi-layered structure, platinum and silicon layers are repeatedly sputtered on the (100) silicon bulk substrate and rapid thermal annealing is carried out for the silicidation. The manufactured devices show ohmic current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. The Seebeck coefficient of bulk Si is evaluated as 195.8 ± 15.3 μV/K at 300 K, whereas the 12 layered silicide/silicon multi-layer structured device is evaluated as 201.8 ± 9.1 μV/K. As the temperature increases to 400 K, the Seebeck coefficient increases to 237.2 ± 4.7 μV/K and 277.0 ± 1.1 μV/K for bulk and 12 layered devices, respectively. The increase of Seebeck coefficient in multi-layered structure is mainly attributed to the electron filtering effect due to the Schottky barrier at Pt-silicide/silicon interface. At 400 K, the thermal conductivity is reduced by about half of magnitude compared to bulk in multi-layered device which shows the efficient suppression of phonon propagation by using Pt-silicide/silicon hetero-junctions. - Highlights: • Silicide/silicon multi-layer structured is proposed for thermoelectric devices. • Electric and thermoelectric properties with the number of layer are investigated. • An increase of Seebeck coefficient is mainly attributed the Schottky barrier. • Phonon propagation is suppressed with the existence of Schottky barrier. • Thermal conductivity is reduced due to the suppression of phonon propagation

Cyclopentadithiophene–naphthalenediimide polymers; synthesis, characterisation, and n-type semiconducting properties in field-effect transistors and photovoltaic devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Chun-Han [Department of Chemical Engineering, Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing-Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsin-Chu 30013, Taiwan (China); Kettle, Jeff [School of Electronics, Bangor University, Dean st., Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1UT Wales (United Kingdom); Horie, Masaki, E-mail: mhorie@mx.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing-Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsin-Chu 30013, Taiwan (China)

2014-04-01

The synthesis, characterisation, and device performance of a series of cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT)-naphthalenediimide (NDI) donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) polymers is reported. The monomers with various alkyl chains are synthesised via direct arylation using palladium complex catalyst. The monomers are then polymerised by oxidative polymerisation using FeCl{sub 3} to provide high molecular weight polymers (M{sub n} = 21,800–76,000). The polymer films show deep-red absorption including near-infrared region up to 1100 nm to give optical bandgap of approximately 1.16 eV. The polymers exhibit only n-type semiconducting properties giving the highest electron mobility of 9 × 10{sup -3} cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are fabricated from solutions of the polymers as acceptors and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as a donor. - Highlights: • Cyclopentadithiophene–naphthalenediimide oligomers were prepared by direct arylation. • The oligomers were polymerised by oxidative reaction using iron(III)chloride. • The polymer films show deep-red absorption up to 1100 nm with a bandgap of 1.1 eV. • The polymers exhibit only n-type semiconducting properties in OFETs and OPVs.

Giant piezoresistance of p-type nano-thick silicon induced by interface electron trapping instead of 2D quantum confinement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yongliang; Li Xinxin

2011-01-01

The p-type silicon giant piezoresistive coefficient is measured in top-down fabricated nano-thickness single-crystalline-silicon strain-gauge resistors with a macro-cantilever bending experiment. For relatively thicker samples, the variation of piezoresistive coefficient in terms of silicon thickness obeys the reported 2D quantum confinement effect. For ultra-thin samples, however, the variation deviates from the quantum-effect prediction but increases the value by at least one order of magnitude (compared to the conventional piezoresistance of bulk silicon) and the value can change its sign (e.g. from positive to negative). A stress-enhanced Si/SiO 2 interface electron-trapping effect model is proposed to explain the 'abnormal' giant piezoresistance that should be originated from the carrier-concentration change effect instead of the conventional equivalent mobility change effect for bulk silicon piezoresistors. An interface state modification experiment gives preliminary proof of our analysis.

Study of an Amorphous Silicon Oxide Buffer Layer for p-Type Microcrystalline Silicon Oxide/n-Type Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells and Their Temperature Dependence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taweewat Krajangsang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (i-a-SiO:H films were used as front and rear buffer layers in crystalline silicon heterojunction (c-Si-HJ solar cells. The surface passivity and effective lifetime of these i-a-SiO:H films on an n-type silicon wafer were improved by increasing the CO2/SiH4 ratios in the films. Using i-a-SiO:H as the front and rear buffer layers in c-Si-HJ solar cells was investigated. The front i-a-SiO:H buffer layer thickness and the CO2/SiH4 ratio influenced the open-circuit voltage (Voc, fill factor (FF, and temperature coefficient (TC of the c-Si-HJ solar cells. The highest total area efficiency obtained was 18.5% (Voc=700 mV, Jsc=33.5 mA/cm2, and FF=0.79. The TC normalized for this c-Si-HJ solar cell efficiency was −0.301%/°C.

Properties of p-type amorphous silicon carbide window layers prepared using boron trifluoride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gandia, J J [Inst. de Energias Renovables, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Gutierrez, M T [Inst. de Energias Renovables, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Carabe, J [Inst. de Energias Renovables, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

1993-03-01

One set (A) of undoped and three sets (B, C and D) of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide samples have been made in the framework of a research plan for obtaining high quality p-type window layers by radiofrequency glow discharge of silane-based gas mixtures. The samples of sets A and B were made using different RF-power-density to mass-flow ratios for various methane percentages in the gas mixture. The best carbon incorporation in the amorphous silicon lattice was obtained at the highest RF-power density. The properties of sets C and D, prepared using different RF-power densities and silane and methane proportions have been analysed as functions of the concentration of boron trifluoride with respect to silane. In both cases, the optical gap E[sub G], after a slight initial decrease, remains at a value of approximately 2.1 eV without quenching in the doping ranges covered. The best conductivity obtained is 2x10[sup -7] ([Omega] cm)[sup -1]. IR spectra allow to associate these features with the structural quality of the films. (orig.)

Experimental study of the organic light emitting diode with a p-type silicon anode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, G.L.; Xu, A.G.; Ran, G.Z.; Qiao, Y.P.; Zhang, B.R.; Chen, W.X.; Dai, L.; Qin, G.G.

2006-01-01

We have fabricated and studied an organic light emitting diode (OLED) with a p-type silicon anode and a SiO 2 buffer layer between the anode and the organic layers which emits light from a semitransparent top Yb/Au cathode. The luminance of the OLED is up to 5600 cd/m 2 at 17 V and 1800 mA/cm 2 , the current efficiency is 0.31 cd/A. Both its luminance and current efficiency are much higher than those of the OLEDs with silicon as the anodes reported previously. The enhancement of the luminance and efficiency can be attributed to an improved balance between the hole- and electron-injection through two efficient ways: 1) restraining the hole-injection by inserting an ultra-thin SiO 2 buffer layer between the Si anode and the organic layers; and 2) enhancing the electron-injection by using a low work function, low optical reflectance and absorption semitransparent Yb/Au cathode

Polycrystalline silicon semiconducting material by nuclear transmutation doping

Science.gov (United States)

Cleland, John W.; Westbrook, Russell D.; Wood, Richard F.; Young, Rosa T.

1978-01-01

A NTD semiconductor material comprising polycrystalline silicon having a mean grain size less than 1000 microns and containing phosphorus dispersed uniformly throughout the silicon rather than at the grain boundaries.

Influence of the transition region between p- and n-type polycrystalline silicon passivating contacts on the performance of interdigitated back contact silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Reichel, Christian; Müller, Ralph; Feldmann, Frank; Richter, Armin; Hermle, Martin; Glunz, Stefan W.

2017-11-01

Passivating contacts based on thin tunneling oxides (SiOx) and n- and p-type semi-crystalline or polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) enable high passivation quality and low contact resistivity, but the integration of these p+/n emitter and n+/n back surface field junctions into interdigitated back contact silicon solar cells poses a challenge due to high recombination at the transition region from p-type to n-type poly-Si. Here, the transition region was created in different configurations—(a) p+ and n+ poly-Si regions are in direct contact with each other ("pn-junction"), using a local overcompensation (counterdoping) as a self-aligning process, (b) undoped (intrinsic) poly-Si remains between the p+ and n+ poly-Si regions ("pin-junction"), and (c) etched trenches separate the p+ and n+ poly-Si regions ("trench")—in order to investigate the recombination characteristics and the reverse breakdown behavior of these solar cells. Illumination- and injection-dependent quasi-steady state photoluminescence (suns-PL) and open-circuit voltage (suns-Voc) measurements revealed that non-ideal recombination in the space charge regions with high local ideality factors as well as recombination in shunted regions strongly limited the performance of solar cells without a trench. In contrast, solar cells with a trench allowed for open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 720 mV, fill factor of 79.6%, short-circuit current (Jsc) of 41.3 mA/cm2, and a conversion efficiencies (η) of 23.7%, showing that a lowly conducting and highly passivating intermediate layer between the p+ and n+ poly-Si regions is mandatory. Independent of the configuration, no hysteresis was observed upon multiple stresses in reverse direction, indicating a controlled and homogeneously distributed breakdown, but with different breakdown characteristics.

Electronic characteristics of p-type transparent SnO monolayer with high carrier mobility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Juan; Xia, Congxin; Liu, Yaming; Li, Xueping; Peng, Yuting; Wei, Shuyi

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide with high hole mobility (∼641 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), which is much higher than that of MoS 2 monolayer, which indicate that it can be a promising candidate for high-performance nanoelectronic devices. Display Omitted - Highlights: • SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide. • The transparent properties can be still maintained under the strain 8%. • It has a high hole mobility (∼641 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), which is higher than that of MoS 2 monolayer. - Abstract: More recently, two-dimensional (2D) SnO nanosheets are attaching great attention due to its excellent carrier mobility and transparent characteristics. Here, the stability, electronic structures and carrier mobility of SnO monolayer are investigated by using first-principles calculations. The calculations of the phonon dispersion spectra indicate that SnO monolayer is dynamically stable. Moreover, the band gap values are decreased from 3.93 eV to 2.75 eV when the tensile strain is applied from 0% to 12%. Interestingly, SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide with hole mobility of 641 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , which is much higher than that of MoS 2 monolayer. These findings make SnO monolayer becomes a promising 2D material for applications in nanoelectronic devices.

Selective etching of n-type silicon in pn junction structure in hydrofluoric acid and its application in silicon nanowire fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Huiquan; Jin Zhonghe; Zheng Yangming; Ma Huilian; Wang Yuelin; Li Tie

2008-01-01

Boron is selectively implanted on the surface of an n-type silicon wafer to form a p-type area surrounded by an n-type area. The wafer is then put into a buffered oxide etch solution. It is found that the n-type area can be selectively etched without illumination, with an etching rate lower than 1 nm min -1 , while the p-type area can be selectively etched under illumination with a much higher etching rate. The possible mechanism of the etching phenomenon is discussed. A simple fabrication process of silicon nanowires is proposed according to the above phenomenon. In this process only traditional micro-electromechanical system technology is used. Dimensions of the fabricated nanowire can be controlled well. A 50 nm wide and 50 nm thick silicon nanowire has been formed using this method

The Impact of Metallic Impurities on Minority Carrier Lifetime in High Purity N-type Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Yohan

Boron-doped p-type silicon is the industry standard silicon solar cell substrate. However, it has serious limitations: iron boron (Fe-B) pairs and light induced degradation (LID). To suppress LID, the replacement of boron by gallium as a p-type dopant has been proposed. Although this eliminates B-O related defects, gallium-related pairing with iron, oxygen, and carbon can reduce lifetime in this material. In addition resistivity variations are more pronounced in gallium doped ingots, however Continuous-Czochralski (c-Cz) growth technologies are being developed to overcome this problem. In this work lifetime limiting factors and resistivity variations have been investigated in this material. The radial and axial variations of electrically active defects were observed using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) these have been correlated to lifetime and resistivity variations. The DLTS measurements demonstrated that iron-related pairs are responsible for the lifetime variations. Specifically, Fe-Ga pairs were found to be important recombination sites and are more detrimental to lifetime than Fei. Typically n-type silicon has a higher minority carrier lifetime than p-type silicon with similar levels of contamination. That is because n-type silicon is more tolerant to metallic impurities, especially Fe. Also, it has no serious issues in relation to lifetime degradation, such as FeB pairs and light-induced degradation (LID). However, surface passivation of the p + region in p+n solar cells is much more problematic than the n+p case where silicon nitride provides very effective passivation of the cell. SiO2 is the most effective passivation for n type surfaces, but it does not work well on B-doped surfaces, resulting in inadequate performance. Al2O3 passivation layer suggested for B-doped emitters. With this surface passivation layer a 23.2 % conversion efficiency has been achieved. After this discovery n-type silicon is now being seriously considered for

PREFACE: Semiconducting oxides Semiconducting oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Catlow, Richard; Walsh, Aron

2011-08-01

their help in producing this special section. We hope that it conveys some of the excitement and significance of the field. Semiconducting oxides contents Chemical bonding in copper-based transparent conducting oxides: CuMO2 (M = In, Ga, Sc) K G Godinho, B J Morgan, J P Allen, D O Scanlon and G W Watson Electrical properties of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 thin films with Pt and ITO electrodes: dielectric and rectifying behaviourShunyi Li, Cosmina Ghinea, Thorsten J M Bayer, Markus Motzko, Robert Schafranek and Andreas Klein Orientation dependent ionization potential of In2O3: a natural source for inhomogeneous barrier formation at electrode interfaces in organic electronicsMareike V Hohmann, Péter Ágoston, André Wachau, Thorsten J M Bayer, Joachim Brötz, Karsten Albe and Andreas Klein Cathodoluminescence studies of electron irradiation effects in n-type ZnOCasey Schwarz, Yuqing Lin, Max Shathkin, Elena Flitsiyan and Leonid Chernyak Resonant Raman scattering in ZnO:Mn and ZnO:Mn:Al thin films grown by RF sputteringM F Cerqueira, M I Vasilevskiy, F Oliveira, A G Rolo, T Viseu, J Ayres de Campos, E Alves and R Correia Structure and electrical properties of nanoparticulate tungsten oxide prepared by microwave plasma synthesisM Sagmeister, M Postl, U Brossmann, E J W List, A Klug, I Letofsky-Papst, D V Szabó and R Würschum Charge compensation in trivalent cation doped bulk rutile TiO2Anna Iwaszuk and Michael Nolan Deep level transient spectroscopy studies of n-type ZnO single crystals grown by different techniquesL Scheffler, Vl Kolkovsky, E V Lavrov and J Weber Microstructural and conductivity changes induced by annealing of ZnO:B thin films deposited by chemical vapour depositionC David, T Girardeau, F Paumier, D Eyidi, B Lacroix, N Papathanasiou, B P Tinkham, P Guérin and M Marteau Multi-component transparent conducting oxides: progress in materials modellingAron Walsh, Juarez L F Da Silva and Su-Huai Wei Thickness dependence of the strain, band gap and transport properties of

InP membrane on silicon integration technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, M.K.

2013-01-01

Integration of light sources in silicon photonics is usually done with an active InP-based layer stack on a silicon-based photonic circuit-layer. InP Membrane On Silicon (IMOS) technology integrates all functionality in a single InP-based layer.

Origin of dislocation luminescence centers and their reorganization in p-type silicon crystal subjected to plastic deformation and high temperature annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlyk, Bohdan; Kushlyk, Markiyan; Slobodzyan, Dmytro

2017-12-01

Changes of the defect structure of silicon p-type crystal surface layer under the influence of plastic deformation and high temperature annealing in oxygen atmosphere were investigated by deep-level capacitance-modulation spectroscopy (DLCMS) and IR spectroscopy of molecules and atom vibrational levels. Special role of dislocations in the surface layer of silicon during the formation of its energy spectrum and rebuilding the defective structure was established. It is shown that the concentration of linear defects (N ≥ 10 4  cm -2 ) enriches surface layer with electrically active complexes (dislocation-oxygen, dislocation-vacancy, and dislocation-interstitial atoms of silicon) which are an effective radiative recombination centers.

Electronic characteristics of p-type transparent SnO monolayer with high carrier mobility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du, Juan [College of Physics and Materials Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Xia, Congxin, E-mail: xiacongxin@htu.edu.cn [College of Physics and Materials Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Liu, Yaming [Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003 (China); Li, Xueping [College of Physics and Materials Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Peng, Yuting [Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, TX 76019 (United States); Wei, Shuyi [College of Physics and Materials Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China)

2017-04-15

Graphical abstract: SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide with high hole mobility (∼641 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}), which is much higher than that of MoS{sub 2} monolayer, which indicate that it can be a promising candidate for high-performance nanoelectronic devices. Display Omitted - Highlights: • SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide. • The transparent properties can be still maintained under the strain 8%. • It has a high hole mobility (∼641 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}), which is higher than that of MoS{sub 2} monolayer. - Abstract: More recently, two-dimensional (2D) SnO nanosheets are attaching great attention due to its excellent carrier mobility and transparent characteristics. Here, the stability, electronic structures and carrier mobility of SnO monolayer are investigated by using first-principles calculations. The calculations of the phonon dispersion spectra indicate that SnO monolayer is dynamically stable. Moreover, the band gap values are decreased from 3.93 eV to 2.75 eV when the tensile strain is applied from 0% to 12%. Interestingly, SnO monolayer is a p-type transparent semiconducting oxide with hole mobility of 641 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, which is much higher than that of MoS{sub 2} monolayer. These findings make SnO monolayer becomes a promising 2D material for applications in nanoelectronic devices.

Photon-Enhanced Thermionic Emission in Cesiated p-Type and n-Type Silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reck, Kasper; Dionigi, Fabio; Hansen, Ole

2014-01-01

electrons. Efficiencies above 60% have been predicted theoretically for high solar concentration systems. Silicon is an interesting absorber material for high efficiency PETE solar cells, partly due to its mechanical and thermal properties and partly due to its electrical properties, including a close......Photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) is a relatively new concept for high efficiency solar cells that utilize not only the energy of electrons excited across the band gap by photons, as in conventional photovoltaic solar cells, but also the energy usual lost to thermalization of the excited...... to ideal band gap. The work function of silicon is, however, too high for practical PETE implementations. A well-known method for lowering the work function of silicon (and other materials) is to apply approximately a monolayer of cesium to the silicon surface. We present the first measurements of PETE...

Studies of defects in neutron-irradiated p-type silicon by admittance measurements of n+-p diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Y.; Usami, A.

1978-01-01

Defects introduced in p-type silicon by neutron irradiation were studied by measuring the admittance of n + -p diodes. It was shown that the energy levels and capture cross sections estimated from the temperature dependence of the admittance had some uncertainty due to the temperature dependence of the concentration of free carriers in the bulk and the high-frequency-junction capacitance. So, we presented the method of determination of the energy levels, capture cross sections, and concentrations of defects from the frequency dependence of the admittance. This method consists of the measurements of G/ω and C as a function of frequency. From this method, assuming that capture cross sections are independent of temperature, the energy levels of E/sub v/+0.16 and E/sub v/+0.36 eV were obtained. For these defects, the calculated values of the hole capture cross section were 2.4 x 10 -14 and 3.7 x 10 -14 cm 2 , respectively. Comparing with other published data, the energy level of E/sub v/+0.36 eV was found to be correlated with the divacancy

The development of p-type silicon detectors for the high radiation regions of the LHC

CERN Document Server

Hanlon, M D L

1998-01-01

This thesis describes the production and characterisation of silicon microstrip detectors and test structures on p-type substrates. An account is given of the production and full parameterisation of a p-type microstrip detector, incorporating the ATLAS-A geometry in a beam test. This detector is an AC coupled device incorporating a continuous p-stop isolation frame and polysilicon biasing and is typical of n-strip devices proposed for operation at the LHC. It was successfully read out using the FELix-128 analogue pipeline chip and a signal to noise (s/n) of 17+-1 is reported, along with a spatial resolution of 14.6+-0.2 mu m. Diode test structures were fabricated on both high resistivity float zone material and on epitaxial material and subsequently irradiated with 24 GeV protons at the CERN PS up to a dose of (8.22+-0.23) x 10 sup 1 sup 4 per cm sup 2. An account of the measurement program is presented along with results on the changes in the effective doping concentration (N sub e sub f sub f) with irradiat...

Primary defect transformations in high-resistivity p-type silicon irradiated with electrons at cryogenic temperatures

CERN Document Server

Makarenko, L F; Korshunov, F P; Murin, L I; Moll, M

2009-01-01

It has been revealed that self-interstitials formed under low intensity electron irradiationin high resistivity p-type silicon can be retained frozen up to room temperature. Low thermal mobility of the self-interstitials suggests that Frenkelpair sinsilicon can be stable at temperatures of about or higher than 100K. A broad DLTS peak with activation energy of 0.14–0.17eV can be identified as related to Frenkel pairs. This peak anneals out at temperatures of 120 140K. Experimental evidences are presented that be coming more mobile under forwardcurrent injection the self-interstitials change their charge state to a less positive one.

N-Type Semiconducting Behavior of Copper Octafluorophthalocyanine in an Organic Field-Effect Transistor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akane Matumoto

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Based on the crystal structure analysis, the overlap integral between the frontier molecular orbitals of adjacent F8CuPcs in the one-dimensional chain is estimated: the overlap integral between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals is 5.4 × 10−3, which is larger than that in a typical n-type semiconducing material F16CuPc (2.1 × 10−3, whereas that between the highest occupied molecular orbitals is 2.9 × 10−4. Contrary to previous studies in air, we found that an organic field-effect transistor (OFET composed of F8CuPc essentially shows clear n-type semiconducting behavior in vacuum.

Combined Scanning Nanoindentation and Tunneling Microscope Technique by Means of Semiconductive Diamond Berkovich Tip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lysenko, O; Novikov, N; Gontar, A; Grushko, V; Shcherbakov, A

2007-01-01

A combined Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) - nanoindentation instrument enables submicron resolution indentation tests and in-situ scanning of structure surfaces. A newly developed technique is based on the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with integrated Berkovich diamond semiconductive tip. Diamond tips for a combined SPM were obtained using the developed procedure including the synthesis of the semiconductive borondoped diamond monocrystals by the temperature gradient method at high pressure - high temperature conditions and fabrication of the tips from these crystals considering their zonal structure. Separately grown semiconductive diamond single crystals were studied in order to find the best orientation of diamond crystals. Optimal scanning characteristics and experimental data errors were calculated by an analysis of the general functional dependence of the tunneling current from properties of the tip and specimen. Tests on the indentation and scanning of the gold film deposited on the silicon substrate employing the fabricated tips demonstrated their usability, acceptable resolution and sensitivity

Dissolution chemistry and biocompatibility of silicon- and germanium-based semiconductors for transient electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Seung-Kyun; Park, Gayoung; Kim, Kyungmin; Hwang, Suk-Won; Cheng, Huanyu; Shin, Jiho; Chung, Sangjin; Kim, Minjin; Yin, Lan; Lee, Jeong Chul; Lee, Kyung-Mi; Rogers, John A

2015-05-06

Semiconducting materials are central to the development of high-performance electronics that are capable of dissolving completely when immersed in aqueous solutions, groundwater, or biofluids, for applications in temporary biomedical implants, environmentally degradable sensors, and other systems. The results reported here include comprehensive studies of the dissolution by hydrolysis of polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon-germanium, and germanium in aqueous solutions of various pH values and temperatures. In vitro cellular toxicity evaluations demonstrate the biocompatibility of the materials and end products of dissolution, thereby supporting their potential for use in biodegradable electronics. A fully dissolvable thin-film solar cell illustrates the ability to integrate these semiconductors into functional systems.

pH and Protein Sensing with Functionalized Semiconducting Oxide Nanobelt FETs

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yi; Yun, C. S.; Strouse, G. F.; Xiong, P.; Yang, R. S.; Wang, Z. L.

2008-03-01

We report solution pH sensing and selective protein detection with high-performance channel-limited field-effect transistors (FETs) based on single semiconducting oxide (ZnO and SnO2) nanobelts^1. The devices were integrated with PDMS microfluidic channels for analyte delivery and the source/drain contacts were passivated for in-solution sensing. pH sensing experiments were performed on FETs with functionalized and unmodified nanobelts. Functionalization of the nanobelts by APTES was found to greatly improve the pH sensitivity. The change in nanobelt conductance as functions of pH values at different gate voltages and ionic strengths showed high sensitivity and consistency. For the protein detection, we achieved highly selective biotinylation of the nanobelt channel with through APTES linkage. The specific binding of fluorescently-tagged streptavidin to the biotinylated nanobelt was verified by fluorescence microscopy; non-specific binding to the substrate was largely eliminated using PEG-silane passivation. The electrical responses of the biotinylated FETs to the streptavidin binding in PBS buffers of different pH values were systematically measured. The results will be presented and discussed. ^1Y. Cheng et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 093114 (2006). *Supported by NSF NIRT Grant ECS-0210332.

Porous silicon formation by hole injection from a back side p+/n junction for electrical insulation applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fèvre, A; Menard, S; Defforge, T; Gautier, G

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose to study the formation of porous silicon (PS) in low doped (1 × 10 14 cm −3 ) n-type silicon through hole injection from a back side p + /n junction in the dark. This technique is investigated within the framework of electrical insulation. Three different types of junctions are investigated. The first one is an epitaxial n-type layer grown on p + doped silicon wafer. The two other junctions are carried out by boron diffusion leading to p + regions with junction depths of 20 and 115 μm. The resulting PS morphology is a double layer with a nucleation layer (NL) and macropores fully filled with mesoporous material. This result is unusual for low doped n-type silicon. Morphology variations are described depending on the junction formation process, the electrolyte composition, the anodization current density and duration. In order to validate the more interesting industrial potentialities of the p + /n injection technique, a comparison is achieved with back side illumination in terms of resulting morphology and experiments confirm comparable results. Electrical characterizations of the double layer, including NL and fully filled macropores, are then performed. To our knowledge, this is the first electrical investigation in low doped n type silicon with this morphology. Compared to the bulk silicon, the measured electrical resistivities are 6–7 orders of magnitude higher at 373 K. (paper)

Optimizing Floating Guard Ring Designs for FASPAX N-in-P Silicon Sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Kyung-Wook [Argonne; Bradford, Robert [Argonne; Lipton, Ronald [Fermilab; Deptuch, Gregory [Fermilab; Fahim, Farah [Fermilab; Madden, Tim [Argonne; Zimmerman, Tom [Fermilab

2016-10-06

FASPAX (Fermi-Argonne Semiconducting Pixel Array X-ray detector) is being developed as a fast integrating area detector with wide dynamic range for time resolved applications at the upgraded Advanced Photon Source (APS.) A burst mode detector with intended $\\mbox{13 $MHz$}$ image rate, FASPAX will also incorporate a novel integration circuit to achieve wide dynamic range, from single photon sensitivity to $10^{\\text{5}}$ x-rays/pixel/pulse. To achieve these ambitious goals, a novel silicon sensor design is required. This paper will detail early design of the FASPAX sensor. Results from TCAD optimization studies, and characterization of prototype sensors will be presented.

Influence of pressing on the nanostructure and electrical properties of semiconducting polymer nanolayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jiho; Kim, Hwajeong; Kim, Youngkyoo

2010-01-01

In this work we attempted to change the nanostructure and electrical properties of semiconducting polymer nanolayers by employing a nano-pressing technique. The semiconducting polymer nanolayers, which consist of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C 61 (PCBM), were spin-coated on to a conducting polymer buffer layer coated on a transparent conducting oxide substrate. The coated P3HT:PCBM samples were precisely pressed using a nanopress system at 70 .deg. C. The nanostructures of the unpressed and the pressed P3HT:PCBM layers were investigated using a grazing incident angle X-ray diffraction (GIXD) system empowered by a synchrotron radiation source while the electrical properties of those samples were examined using a diode-type device. Results showed that the P3HT chain alignment was improved by pressing, accordingly, the device with the pressed layer exhibited enhanced charge transport characteristics.

Ruddlesden-Popper compounds (SrO)(LaFeO3)n (n = 1 and 2) as p-type semiconductors for photocatalytic hydrogen production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Hongmei; Sun, Xiaoqin; Xu, Xiaoxiang

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Two layered ferrites LaSrFeO 4 and La 2 SrFe 2 O 7 have been investigated which demonstrate interesting p-type semconductivity and efficient hydrogen production from water. Display Omitted -- Abstract: Here we report two Ruddlesden-Popper type ferrite perovskites (SrO)(LaFeO 3 ) n (n = 1 and 2) which demonstrate p-type semiconductivity. Their crystal structure, optical absorption and other physicochemical properties have been systematically explored. Our results show that both ferrites crystallize in tetragonal symmetry with structural lamination along c axis. Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production has been achieved for both samples under full range and visible light illumination. Better performance is noticed for LaSrFeO 4 with apparent quantum efficiency approaches 0.31% and 0.19% under full range and visible light illumination, respectively. The p-type semiconductivity is verified by their cathodic photocurrent as well as negative Mott-Schottky slop during Photoelectrochemical measurement. The relative lower activity for La 2 SrFe 2 O 7 compared to LaSrFeO 4 is likely due to its higher defect concentration which facilitates charge recombination. Both compounds exhibit anisotropic phenomenon for charge migrations according to theoretical calculations. Their p-type semiconductivity, strong visible light absorption, chemical inertness and high abundance of constituent elements signify promising applications in the field of solar energy conversion and optoelectronics.

Summary of theoretical and experimental investigation of grating type, silicon photovoltaic cells. [using p-n junctions on light receiving surface of base crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, L. Y.; Loferski, J. J.

1975-01-01

Theoretical and experimental aspects are summarized for single crystal, silicon photovoltaic devices made by forming a grating pattern of p/n junctions on the light receiving surface of the base crystal. Based on the general semiconductor equations, a mathematical description is presented for the photovoltaic properties of such grating-like structures in a two dimensional form. The resulting second order elliptical equation is solved by computer modeling to give solutions for various, reasonable, initial values of bulk resistivity, excess carrier concentration, and surface recombination velocity. The validity of the computer model is established by comparison with p/n devices produced by alloying an aluminum grating pattern into the surface of n-type silicon wafers. Current voltage characteristics and spectral response curves are presented for cells of this type constructed on wafers of different resistivities and orientations.

Comparative study between c-Si and CZT semiconducting detectors using the mathematical simulation of the radiation transport through matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dona, O.; Leyva, A.; Pinera, I.; Abreu, Y.; Cruz, C.

2007-01-01

Using the code system MCNP-X, based on the Monte Carlo statistical method, a comparative study of some properties of the crystalline silicon and CZT semiconducting detectors was carried out. This program, conceived to simulate the transport of several types of particles through matter, allowed the study of spatial distribution of the radiation energy deposition in detectors and evaluate the devices quantum efficiency. A quantitative estimation of the number of charge carriers generated in active zone of the detector was also presented. The results of the displacement cross sections calculation and the devices resistance to the radiacional damage are discussed. (Author)

Advancements in n-type base crystalline silicon solar cells and their emergence in the photovoltaic industry.

Science.gov (United States)

ur Rehman, Atteq; Lee, Soo Hong

2013-01-01

The p-type crystalline silicon wafers have occupied most of the solar cell market today. However, modules made with n-type crystalline silicon wafers are actually the most efficient modules up to date. This is because the material properties offered by n-type crystalline silicon substrates are suitable for higher efficiencies. Properties such as the absence of boron-oxygen related defects and a greater tolerance to key metal impurities by n-type crystalline silicon substrates are major factors that underline the efficiency of n-type crystalline silicon wafer modules. The bi-facial design of n-type cells with good rear-side electronic and optical properties on an industrial scale can be shaped as well. Furthermore, the development in the industrialization of solar cell designs based on n-type crystalline silicon substrates also highlights its boost in the contributions to the photovoltaic industry. In this paper, a review of various solar cell structures that can be realized on n-type crystalline silicon substrates will be given. Moreover, the current standing of solar cell technology based on n-type substrates and its contribution in photovoltaic industry will also be discussed.

Fabrication and Characterization of N-Type Zinc Oxide/P-Type Boron Doped Diamond Heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Marton, Marián; Mikolášek, Miroslav; Bruncko, Jaroslav; Novotný, Ivan; Ižák, Tibor; Vojs, Marian; Kozak, Halyna; Varga, Marián; Artemenko, Anna; Kromka, Alexander

2015-09-01

Diamond and ZnO are very promising wide-bandgap materials for electronic, photovoltaic and sensor applications because of their excellent electrical, optical, physical and electrochemical properties and biocompatibility. In this contribution we show that the combination of these two materials opens up the potential for fabrication of bipolar heterojunctions. Semiconducting boron doped diamond (BDD) thin films were grown on Si and UV grade silica glass substrates by HFCVD method with various boron concentration in the gas mixture. Doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al, ZnO:Ge) thin layers were deposited by diode sputtering and pulsed lased deposition as the second semiconducting layer on the diamond films. The amount of dopants within the films was varied to obtain optimal semiconducting properties to form a bipolar p-n junction. Finally, different ZnO/BDD heterostructures were prepared and analyzed. Raman spectroscopy, SEM, Hall constant and I-V measurements were used to investigate the quality, structural and electrical properties of deposited heterostructures, respectively. I-V measurements of ZnO/BDD diodes show a rectifying ratio of 55 at ±4 V. We found that only very low dopant concentrations for both semiconducting materials enabled us to fabricate a functional p-n junction. Obtained results are promising for fabrication of optically transparent ZnO/BDD bipolar heterojunction.

Facile synthesis of silicon carbide-titanium dioxide semiconducting nanocomposite using pulsed laser ablation technique and its performance in photovoltaic dye sensitized solar cell and photocatalytic water purification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gondal, M.A., E-mail: magondal@kfupm.edu.sa [Laser Research Group, Physics Department & Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Ilyas, A.M. [Laser Research Group, Physics Department & Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Baig, Umair [Laser Research Group, Physics Department & Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Center of Excellence for Scientific Research Collaboration with MIT, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • SiC–TiO{sub 2} semiconducting nanocomposites synthesized by nanosecond PLAL technique. • Synthesized nanocomposites were morphologically and optically characterized. • Nanocomposites were applied for the photocatalytic degradation of toxic organic dye. • Photovoltaic performance was investigated in dye sensitized solar cell. - Abstract: Separation of photo-generated charge carriers (electron and holes) is a major approach to improve the photovoltaic and photocatalytic performance of metal oxide semiconductors. For harsh environment like high temperature applications, ceramic like silicon carbide is very prominent. In this work, 10%, 20% and 40% by weight of pre-oxidized silicon carbide was coupled with titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) to form nanocomposite semiconductor via elegant pulsed laser ablation in liquid technique using second harmonic 532 nm wavelength of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd-YAG) laser. In addition, the effect of silicon carbide concentration on the performance of silicon carbide-titanium dioxide nanocomposite as photo-anode in dye sensitized solar cell and as photocatalyst in photodegradation of methyl orange dye in water was also studied. The result obtained shows that photo-conversion efficiency of the dye sensitized solar cell was improved from 0.6% to 1.65% and the percentage of methyl orange dye removed was enhanced from 22% to 77% at 24 min under ultraviolet–visible solar spectrum in the nanocomposite with 10% weight of silicon carbide. This remarkable performance enhancement could be due to the improvement in electron transfer phenomenon by the presence of silicon carbide on titanium dioxide.

Electronic structure and quantum transport properties of metallic and semiconducting nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Simbeck, Adam J.

The future of the semiconductor industry hinges upon new developments to combat the scaling issues that currently afflict two main chip components: transistors and interconnects. For transistors this means investigating suitable materials to replace silicon for both the insulating gate and the semiconducting channel in order to maintain device performance with decreasing size. For interconnects this equates to overcoming the challenges associated with copper when the wire dimensions approach the confinement limit, as well as continuing to develop low-k dielectric materials that can assure minimal cross-talk between lines. In addition, such challenges make it increasingly clear that device design must move from a top-down to a bottom-up approach in which the desired electronic characteristics are tailored from first-principles. It is with such fundamental hurdles in mind that ab initio calculations on the electronic and quantum transport properties of nanoscale metallic and semiconducting wires have been performed. More specifically, this study seeks to elaborate on the role played by confinement, contacts, dielectric environment, edge decoration, and defects in altering the electronic and transport characteristics of such systems. As experiments continue to achieve better control over the synthesis and design of nanowires, these results are expected to become increasingly more important for not only the interpretation of electronic and transport trends, but also in engineering the electronic structure of nanowires for the needs of the devices of the future. For the metallic atomic wires, the quantum transport properties are first investigated by considering finite, single-atom chains of aluminum, copper, gold, and silver sandwiched between gold contacts. Non-equilibrium Green's function based transport calculations reveal that even in the presence of the contact the conductivity of atomic-scale aluminum is greater than that of the other metals considered. This is

Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Using p-Type ZnO Nanowire Arrays

KAUST Repository

Lu, Ming-Pei; Song, Jinhui; Lu, Ming-Yen; Chen, Min-Teng; Gao, Yifan; Chen, Lih-Juann; Wang, Zhong Lin

2009-01-01

Using phosphorus-doped ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays grown on silicon substrate, energy conversion using the p-type ZnO NWs has been demonstrated for the first time. The p-type ZnO NWs produce positive output voltage pulses when scanned by a conductive

Effect of cobalt-60 γ radiation and of thermal neutrons on high resistance P and N silicon. Possibility of obtaining a nuclear compensation for P type silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messier, J.

1965-11-01

Type P silicon has been compensated by the production of a controlled and uniform amount of donor atoms ( 31 P) using thermal neutrons to bring about a nuclear transformation. It is shown that it is possible in this way to reduce by a factor of about one hundred the overall concentration of residual ionised impurities in the purest crystals obtained by floating zone purification (2 x 10 12 atoms/cm 3 ). The degree compensation obtained is limited by the initial inhomogeneity of acceptor impurities which have to be compensated. Lattice defects which still remain after prolonged annealings reduce the life-time of the material to about 10 μs approximately. Particle detectors having thicknesses of 2 to 5 mm have been built by this process; they give good results, particularly at low temperatures. A study has also been made of the number and of the nature of lattice defects produced by thermal neutrons in high resistivity P and N type crystals. These defects have been compared to those produced by γ rays from 60 Co. A discussion is given of the validity of the Wertheim model concerning pronounced recombination at low temperatures (77 deg. K - 300 deg. K) of primary defect-interstitial pairs. The nature of the defects introducing energy levels into the lower half of the forbidden band has been studied. (author) [fr

N-Type delta Doping of High-Purity Silicon Imaging Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Blacksberg, Jordana; Hoenk, Michael; Nikzad, Shouleh

2005-01-01

A process for n-type (electron-donor) delta doping has shown promise as a means of modifying back-illuminated image detectors made from n-doped high-purity silicon to enable them to detect high-energy photons (ultraviolet and x-rays) and low-energy charged particles (electrons and ions). This process is applicable to imaging detectors of several types, including charge-coupled devices, hybrid devices, and complementary metal oxide/semiconductor detector arrays. Delta doping is so named because its density-vs.-depth characteristic is reminiscent of the Dirac delta function (impulse function): the dopant is highly concentrated in a very thin layer. Preferably, the dopant is concentrated in one or at most two atomic layers in a crystal plane and, therefore, delta doping is also known as atomic-plane doping. The use of doping to enable detection of high-energy photons and low-energy particles was reported in several prior NASA Tech Briefs articles. As described in more detail in those articles, the main benefit afforded by delta doping of a back-illuminated silicon detector is to eliminate a "dead" layer at the back surface of the silicon wherein high-energy photons and low-energy particles are absorbed without detection. An additional benefit is that the delta-doped layer can serve as a back-side electrical contact. Delta doping of p-type silicon detectors is well established. The development of the present process addresses concerns specific to the delta doping of high-purity silicon detectors, which are typically n-type. The present process involves relatively low temperatures, is fully compatible with other processes used to fabricate the detectors, and does not entail interruption of those processes. Indeed, this process can be the last stage in the fabrication of an imaging detector that has, in all other respects, already been fully processed, including metallized. This process includes molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) for deposition of three layers, including

Effects of trap-assisted tunneling on gate-induced drain leakage in silicon-germanium channel p-type FET for scaled supply voltages

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, Vishal A.; Divakaruni, Rama; Hook, Terence B.; Nair, Deleep R.

2016-04-01

Silicon-germanium is considered as an alternative channel material to silicon p-type FET (pFET) for the development of energy efficient high performance transistors for 28 nm and beyond in a high-k metal gate technology because of its lower threshold voltage and higher mobility. However, gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) is a concern for high threshold voltage device design because of tunneling at reduced bandgap. In this work, the trap-assisted tunneling and band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) effects on GIDL is analyzed and modeled for SiGe pFETs. Experimental results and Monte Carlo simulation results reveal that the pre-halo germanium pre-amorphization implant used to contain the short channel effects contribute to GIDL at the drain sidewall in addition to GIDL due to BTBT in SiGe devices. The results are validated by comparing the experimental observations with the numerical simulation and a set of calibrated models are used to describe the GIDL mechanisms for various drain and gate bias.

Characterization of stain etched p-type silicon in aqueous HF solutions containing HNO{sub 3} or KMnO{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mogoda, A.S., E-mail: awad_mogoda@hotmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza (Egypt); Ahmad, Y.H.; Badawy, W.A. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza (Egypt)

2011-04-15

Research highlights: {yields} Stain etching of p-Si in aqueous HF solutions containing HNO{sub 3} or KMnO{sub 4} was investigated. {yields} The electrical conductivity of the etched Si surfaces was measured using impedance technique. {yields} Scanning electron microscope and energy disperse X-ray were used to analyze the etched surfaces. {yields} Etching in aqueous HF solution containing HNO{sub 3} led to formation of a porous silicon layer. {yields} The formation of the porous silicon layer in HF/KMnO{sub 4} was accompanied by deposition of K{sub 2}SiF{sub 6} on the pores surfaces. - Abstract: Stain etching of p-type silicon in hydrofluoric acid solutions containing nitric acid or potassium permanganate as an oxidizing agent has been examined. The effects of etching time, oxidizing agent and HF concentrations on the electrochemical behavior of etched silicon surfaces have been investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). An electrical equivalent circuit was used for fitting the impedance data. The morphology and the chemical composition of the etched Si surface were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques, respectively. A porous silicon layer was formed on Si etched in HF solutions containing HNO{sub 3}, while etching in HF solutions containing KMnO{sub 4} led to the formation of a porous layer and simultaneous deposition of K{sub 2}SiF{sub 6} inside the pores. The thickness of K{sub 2}SiF{sub 6} layer increases with increasing the KMnO{sub 4} concentration and decreases as the concentration of HF increases.

Predictable quantum efficient detector based on n-type silicon photodiodes

Science.gov (United States)

Dönsberg, Timo; Manoocheri, Farshid; Sildoja, Meelis; Juntunen, Mikko; Savin, Hele; Tuovinen, Esa; Ronkainen, Hannu; Prunnila, Mika; Merimaa, Mikko; Tang, Chi Kwong; Gran, Jarle; Müller, Ingmar; Werner, Lutz; Rougié, Bernard; Pons, Alicia; Smîd, Marek; Gál, Péter; Lolli, Lapo; Brida, Giorgio; Rastello, Maria Luisa; Ikonen, Erkki

2017-12-01

The predictable quantum efficient detector (PQED) consists of two custom-made induced junction photodiodes that are mounted in a wedged trap configuration for the reduction of reflectance losses. Until now, all manufactured PQED photodiodes have been based on a structure where a SiO2 layer is thermally grown on top of p-type silicon substrate. In this paper, we present the design, manufacturing, modelling and characterization of a new type of PQED, where the photodiodes have an Al2O3 layer on top of n-type silicon substrate. Atomic layer deposition is used to deposit the layer to the desired thickness. Two sets of photodiodes with varying oxide thicknesses and substrate doping concentrations were fabricated. In order to predict recombination losses of charge carriers, a 3D model of the photodiode was built into Cogenda Genius semiconductor simulation software. It is important to note that a novel experimental method was developed to obtain values for the 3D model parameters. This makes the prediction of the PQED responsivity a completely autonomous process. Detectors were characterized for temperature dependence of dark current, spatial uniformity of responsivity, reflectance, linearity and absolute responsivity at the wavelengths of 488 nm and 532 nm. For both sets of photodiodes, the modelled and measured responsivities were generally in agreement within the measurement and modelling uncertainties of around 100 parts per million (ppm). There is, however, an indication that the modelled internal quantum deficiency may be underestimated by a similar amount. Moreover, the responsivities of the detectors were spatially uniform within 30 ppm peak-to-peak variation. The results obtained in this research indicate that the n-type induced junction photodiode is a very promising alternative to the existing p-type detectors, and thus give additional credibility to the concept of modelled quantum detector serving as a primary standard. Furthermore, the manufacturing of

Preparation and characterization of polymer-derived amorphous silicon carbide with silicon-rich stoichiometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masuda, Takashi, E-mail: mtakashi@jaist.ac.jp [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Iwasaka, Akira [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Takagishi, Hideyuki [Faculty of Symbiotic System Science, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1296 (Japan); Shimoda, Tatsuya [School of Material and Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

2016-08-01

Polydihydrosilane with pendant hexyl groups was synthesized to obtain silicon-rich amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) films via the solution route. Unlike conventional polymeric precursors, this polymer requires neither catalysts nor oxidation for its synthesis and cross-linkage. Therefore, the polymer provides sufficient purity for the fabrication of semiconducting a-SiC. Here, we investigated the correlation of Si/C stoichiometry between the polymer and the resultant a-SiC film. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films with various carbon contents were also explored. Experimental results suggested that the excess carbon that did not participate in Si−C configurations was decomposed and was evaporated during polymer-to-SiC conversion. Consequently, the upper limit of the carbon in resultant a-SiC film was < 50 at.%; namely, the polymer provided silicon-rich a-SiC, whereas the conventionally used polycarbosilane inevitably provides carbon-rich one. These features of this unusual polymer open up a frontier of polymer-derived SiC and solution-processed SiC electronics. - Highlights: • Polymeric precursor solution for silicon carbide (SiC) is synthesized. • Semiconducting amorphous SiC is prepared via solution route. • The excess carbon is decomposed during cross-linking resulting in Si-rich SiC films. • The grown SiC films contain substantial amount of hydrogen atoms as SiH{sub n}/CH{sub n} entities. • Presence of CH{sub n} entities induces dangling bonds, causing poor electrical properties.

Development of AC-coupled, poly-silicon biased, p-on-n silicon strip detectors in India for HEP experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Geetika; Dalal, Ranjeet; Bhardwaj, Ashutosh; Ranjan, Kirti; Dierlamm, Alexander; Hartmann, Frank; Eber, Robert; Demarteau, Marcel

2018-02-01

P-on-n silicon strip sensors having multiple guard-ring structures have been developed for High Energy Physics applications. The study constitutes the optimization of the sensor design, and fabrication of AC-coupled, poly-silicon biased sensors of strip width of 30 μm and strip pitch of 55 μm. The silicon wafers used for the fabrication are of 4 inch n-type, having an average resistivity of 2-5 k Ω cm, with a thickness of 300 μm. The electrical characterization of these detectors comprises of: (a) global measurements of total leakage current, and backplane capacitance; (b) strip and voltage scans of strip leakage current, poly-silicon resistance, interstrip capacitance, interstrip resistance, coupling capacitance, and dielectric current; and (c) charge collection measurements using ALiBaVa setup. The results of the same are reported here.

Anisotropic-Cyclicgraphene: A New Two-Dimensional Semiconducting Carbon Allotrope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Maździarz

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A potentially new, single-atom thick semiconducting 2D-graphene-like material, called Anisotropic-cyclicgraphene , has been generated by the two stage searching strategy linking molecular and ab initio approach. The candidate was derived from the evolutionary-based algorithm and molecular simulations was then profoundly analysed using first-principles density functional theory from the structural, mechanical, phonon, and electronic properties point of view. The proposed polymorph of graphene (rP16-P1m1 is mechanically, dynamically, and thermally stable and can achieve semiconducting with a direct band gap of 0.829 eV.

Performance of Edgeless Silicon Pixel Sensors on p-type substrate for the ATLAS High-Luminosity Upgrade

CERN Document Server

INSPIRE-00052711; Boscardin, Maurizio; Bosisio, Luciano; Calderini, Giovanni; Chauveau, Jacques; Ducourthial, Audrey; Giacomini, Gabriele; Marchiori, Giovanni; Zorzi, Nicola

2016-01-01

In view of the LHC upgrade phases towards the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the ATLAS experiment plans to upgrade the Inner Detector with an all-silicon system. The n-on-p silicon technology is a promising candidate to achieve a large area instrumented with pixel sensors, since it is radiation hard and cost effective. The paper reports on the performance of novel n-on-p edgeless planar pixel sensors produced by FBK-CMM, making use of the active trench for the reduction of the dead area at the periphery of the device. After discussing the sensor technology an overview of the first beam test results will be given.

Development of Edgeless Silicon Pixel Sensors on p-type substrate for the ATLAS High-Luminosity Upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calderini, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Universitá di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Bagolini, A. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); Beccherle, R. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sez. di Pisa (Italy); Bomben, M. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Boscardin, M. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Università degli studi di Trieste (Italy); INFN-Trieste (Italy); Chauveau, J. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Giacomini, G. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); La Rosa, A. [Section de Physique (DPNC), Universitè de Geneve, Geneve (Switzerland); Marchiori, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Zorzi, N. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy)

2016-09-21

In view of the LHC upgrade phases towards the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the ATLAS experiment plans to upgrade the Inner Detector with an all-silicon system. The n-on-p silicon technology is a promising candidate to achieve a large area instrumented with pixel sensors, since it is radiation hard and cost effective. The presentation describes the performance of novel n-in-p edgeless planar pixel sensors produced by FBK-CMM, making use of the active trench for the reduction of the dead area at the periphery of the device. After discussing the sensor technology, some feedback from preliminary results of the first beam test will be discussed.

Intermetallic semiconducting films

CERN Document Server

Wieder, H H

1970-01-01

Intermetallic Semiconducting Films introduces the physics and technology of AшВv compound films. This material is a type of a polycrystalline semiconductor that is used for galvanomagnetic device applications. Such material has a high electron mobility that is ideal for generators and magnetoresistors. The book discusses the available references on the preparation and identification of the material. An assessment of its device applications and other possible use is also enumerated. The book describes the structures and physical parts of different films. A section of the book covers the three t

Processing of n{sup +}/p{sup −}/p{sup +} strip detectors with atomic layer deposition (ALD) grown Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} field insulator on magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-si) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Härkönen, J., E-mail: jaakko.harkonen@helsinki.fi [Helsinki Institute of Physics (Finland); Tuovinen, E. [Helsinki Institute of Physics (Finland); VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Microsystems and Nanoelectronics (Finland); Luukka, P.; Gädda, A.; Mäenpää, T.; Tuominen, E.; Arsenovich, T. [Helsinki Institute of Physics (Finland); Junkes, A. [Institute for Experimental Physics, University of Hamburg (Germany); Wu, X. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Microsystems and Nanoelectronics (Finland); Picosun Oy, Tietotie 3, FI-02150 Espoo Finland (Finland); Li, Z. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105 (China)

2016-08-21

Detectors manufactured on p-type silicon material are known to have significant advantages in very harsh radiation environment over n-type detectors, traditionally used in High Energy Physics experiments for particle tracking. In p-type (n{sup +} segmentation on p substrate) position-sensitive strip detectors, however, the fixed oxide charge in the silicon dioxide is positive and, thus, causes electron accumulation at the Si/SiO{sub 2} interface. As a result, unless appropriate interstrip isolation is applied, the n-type strips are short-circuited. Widely adopted methods to terminate surface electron accumulation are segmented p-stop or p-spray field implantations. A different approach to overcome the near-surface electron accumulation at the interface of silicon dioxide and p-type silicon is to deposit a thin film field insulator with negative oxide charge. We have processed silicon strip detectors on p-type Magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-Si) substrates with aluminum oxide (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) thin film insulator, grown with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. The electrical characterization by current–voltage and capacitance−voltage measurement shows reliable performance of the aluminum oxide. The final proof of concept was obtained at the test beam with 200 GeV/c muons. For the non-irradiated detector the charge collection efficiency (CCE) was nearly 100% with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of about 40, whereas for the 2×10{sup 15} n{sub eq}/cm{sup 2} proton irradiated detector the CCE was 35%, when the sensor was biased at 500 V. These results are comparable with the results from p-type detectors with the p-spray and p-stop interstrip isolation techniques. In addition, interestingly, when the aluminum oxide was irradiated with Co-60 gamma-rays, an accumulation of negative fixed oxide charge in the oxide was observed.

Silicon fiber with p-n junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homa, D.; Cito, A.; Pickrell, G.; Hill, C.; Scott, B.

2014-01-01

In this study, we fabricated a p-n junction in a fiber with a phosphorous doped silicon core and fused silica cladding. The fibers were fabricated via a hybrid process of the core-suction and melt-draw techniques and maintained overall diameters ranging from 200 to 900 μm and core diameters of 20–800 μm. The p-n junction was formed by doping the fiber with boron and confirmed via the current-voltage characteristic. The demonstration of a p-n junction in a melt-drawn silicon core fiber paves the way for the seamless integration of optical and electronic devices in fibers.

The electrical, optical, structural and thermoelectrical characterization of n- and p-type cobalt-doped SnO2 transparent semiconducting films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagheri-Mohagheghi, Mohammad-Mehdi; Shokooh-Saremi, Mehrdad

2010-01-01

The electrical, optical and structural properties of Cobalt (Co) doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting thin films, deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique, have been studied. The SnO 2 :Co films, with different Co-content, were deposited on glass substrates using an aqueous-ethanol solution consisting of tin and cobalt chlorides. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the SnO 2 :Co films were polycrystalline only with tin oxide phases and preferential orientations along (1 1 0) and (2 1 1) planes and grain sizes in the range 19-82 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency ∼75-90% in the visible region, decreasing with increase in Co-doping. The optical absorption edge for undoped SnO 2 films was found to be 3.76 eV, while for higher Co-doped films shifted toward higher energies (shorter wavelengths) in the range 3.76-4.04 eV and then slowly decreased again to 4.03 eV. A change in sign of the Hall voltage and Seebeck coefficient was observed for a specific acceptor dopant level ∼11.4 at% in film and interpreted as a conversion from n-type to p-type conductivity. The thermoelectric electro-motive force (e.m.f.) of the films was measured in the temperature range 300-500 K and Seebeck coefficients were found in the range from -62 to +499 μVK -1 for various Co-doped SnO 2 films.

The electrical, optical, structural and thermoelectrical characterization of n- and p-type cobalt-doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri-Mohagheghi, Mohammad-Mehdi; Shokooh-Saremi, Mehrdad

2010-10-01

The electrical, optical and structural properties of Cobalt (Co) doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting thin films, deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique, have been studied. The SnO 2:Co films, with different Co-content, were deposited on glass substrates using an aqueous-ethanol solution consisting of tin and cobalt chlorides. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the SnO 2:Co films were polycrystalline only with tin oxide phases and preferential orientations along (1 1 0) and (2 1 1) planes and grain sizes in the range 19-82 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency ∼75-90% in the visible region, decreasing with increase in Co-doping. The optical absorption edge for undoped SnO 2 films was found to be 3.76 eV, while for higher Co-doped films shifted toward higher energies (shorter wavelengths) in the range 3.76-4.04 eV and then slowly decreased again to 4.03 eV. A change in sign of the Hall voltage and Seebeck coefficient was observed for a specific acceptor dopant level ∼11.4 at% in film and interpreted as a conversion from n-type to p-type conductivity. The thermoelectric electro-motive force (e.m.f.) of the films was measured in the temperature range 300-500 K and Seebeck coefficients were found in the range from -62 to +499 μVK -1 for various Co-doped SnO 2 films.

Growth of misfit dislocation-free p/p+ thick epitaxial silicon wafers on Ge-B-codoped substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Huihua; Yang Deren; Ma Xiangyang; Tian Daxi; Li Liben; Que Duanlin

2006-01-01

The growth of p/p + silicon epitaxial silicon wafers (epi-wafers) without misfit dislocations has been successfully achieved by using heavily boron-doped Czochralski (CZ) silicon wafers codoped with desirable level of germanium as the substrates. The lattice compensation by codoping of germanium and boron into the silicon matrix to reduce the lattice mismatch between the substrate (heavily boron-doped) and epi-layer (lightly boron-doped) is the basic idea underlying in the present achievement. In principle, the codoping of germanium and boron in the CZ silicon can be tailored to achieve misfit dislocation-free epi-layer with required thickness. It is reasonably expected that the presented solution to elimination of misfit dislocations in the p/p + silicon wafers can be applied in the volume production

The ALU+ concept: n-type silicon solar cells with surface passivated screen-printed aluminum-alloyed rear emitter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bock, R.; Schmidt, J.; Mau, S.; Hoex, B.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Brendel, R.

2009-01-01

Aluminum-doped p-type (Al-p+) silicon emitters fabricated by means of screen-printing and firing are effectively passivated by plasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposited (PECVD) amorphous silicon (a-Si) and atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as well as Al2O3/SiNx stacks, where the

Short p-type silicon microstrip detectors in 3D-stc technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eckert, S. [Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Strasse 3b, D-79104 Freiburg i. Br. (Germany)], E-mail: simon.eckert@physik.uni-freiburg.de; Jakobs, K.; Kuehn, S.; Parzefall, U. [Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Strasse 3b, D-79104 Freiburg i. Br. (Germany); Dalla-Betta, G.-F.; Zoboli, A. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienza dell' Informazione, Universita degli Studi di Trento, via Sommarive 14, I-38050 Povo di Trento (Italy); Pozza, A.; Zorzi, N. [FBK-irst Trento, Microsystems Division, via Sommarive 18, I-38050 Povo di Trento (Italy)

2008-10-21

The luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the sLHC, will constitute an extremely challenging radiation environment for tracking detectors. Significant improvements in radiation hardness are needed to cope with the increased radiation dose, requiring new tracking detectors. In the upgraded ATLAS detector the region from 20 to 50 cm distance to the beam will be covered by silicon strip detectors (SSD) with short strips. These will have to withstand a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of about 1x10{sup 15}n{sub eq}/cm{sup 2}, hence extreme radiation resistance is necessary. For the short strips, we propose to use SSD realised in the radiation tolerant 3D technology, where rows of columns-etched into the silicon bulk-are joined together to form strips. To demonstrate the feasibility of 3D SSD for the sLHC, we have built prototype modules using 3D-single-type-column (stc) SSD with short strips and front-end electronics from the present ATLAS SCT. The modules were read out with the SCT Data Acquisition system and tested with an IR-laser. We report on the performance of these 3D modules, in particular the noise at 40 MHz which constitutes a measurement of the effective detector capacitance. Conclusions about options for using 3D SSD detectors for tracking at the sLHC are drawn.

UV absorption and photoisomerization of p-methoxycinnamate grafted silicone.

Science.gov (United States)

Pattanaargson, Supason; Hongchinnagorn, Nantawan; Hirunsupachot, Piyawan; Sritana-anant, Yongsak

2004-01-01

p-Methoxycinnamate moieties, UV-B-absorptive chromophores of the widely used UV-B filter, 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate (OMC), were grafted onto the 7 mol% amino functionalized silicone polymer through amide linkages. Comparing with OMC, the resulting poly [3-(p-methoxycinnamido)(propyl)(methyl)-dimethyl] siloxane copolymer (CAS) showed less E to Z isomerization when exposed to UV-B light. The absorption profiles of the product showed the maximum absorption wavelength to be similar to that of OMC but with less sensitivity to the type of solvent. Poly (methylhydrosiloxane) grafted with 10 mol% p-methoxycinnamoyl moieties was prepared through hydrosilylations of 2-propenyl-p-methoxycinnamate, in which the resulting copolymer showed similar results to those of CAS.

Silicon-Rich Silicon Carbide Hole-Selective Rear Contacts for Crystalline-Silicon-Based Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Nogay, Gizem; Stuckelberger, Josua; Wyss, Philippe; Jeangros, Quentin; Allebé, Christophe; Niquille, Xavier; Debrot, Fabien; Despeisse, Matthieu; Haug, Franz-Josef; Löper, Philipp; Ballif, Christophe

2016-12-28

The use of passivating contacts compatible with typical homojunction thermal processes is one of the most promising approaches to realizing high-efficiency silicon solar cells. In this work, we investigate an alternative rear-passivating contact targeting facile implementation to industrial p-type solar cells. The contact structure consists of a chemically grown thin silicon oxide layer, which is capped with a boron-doped silicon-rich silicon carbide [SiC x (p)] layer and then annealed at 800-900 °C. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the thin chemical oxide layer disappears upon thermal annealing up to 900 °C, leading to degraded surface passivation. We interpret this in terms of a chemical reaction between carbon atoms in the SiC x (p) layer and the adjacent chemical oxide layer. To prevent this reaction, an intrinsic silicon interlayer was introduced between the chemical oxide and the SiC x (p) layer. We show that this intrinsic silicon interlayer is beneficial for surface passivation. Optimized passivation is obtained with a 10-nm-thick intrinsic silicon interlayer, yielding an emitter saturation current density of 17 fA cm -2 on p-type wafers, which translates into an implied open-circuit voltage of 708 mV. The potential of the developed contact at the rear side is further investigated by realizing a proof-of-concept hybrid solar cell, featuring a heterojunction front-side contact made of intrinsic amorphous silicon and phosphorus-doped amorphous silicon. Even though the presented cells are limited by front-side reflection and front-side parasitic absorption, the obtained cell with a V oc of 694.7 mV, a FF of 79.1%, and an efficiency of 20.44% demonstrates the potential of the p + /p-wafer full-side-passivated rear-side scheme shown here.

Assembly of ordered carbon shells on semiconducting nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, Eli Anguelova; Sutter, Peter Werner

2012-10-02

In some embodiments of the invention, encapsulated semiconducting nanomaterials are described. In certain embodiments the nanostructures described are semiconducting nanomaterials encapsulated with ordered carbon shells. In some aspects a method for producing encapsulated semiconducting nanomaterials is disclosed. In some embodiments applications of encapsulated semiconducting nanomaterials are described.

Pyrochlore type semiconducting ceramic oxides in Ca-Ce-Ti-M-O system (M = Nb or Ta)-Structure, microstructure and electrical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deepa, M.; Prabhakar Rao, P.; Radhakrishnan, A.N.; Sibi, K.S.; Koshy, Peter

2009-01-01

A new series of pyrochlore type ceramic semiconducting oxides in Ca-Ce-Ti-M-O (M = Nb or Ta) system has been synthesized by the conventional ceramic route. The electrical conductivity measurements show that these oxides exhibit semiconducting behavior and the conductivity increases with the Ce content in the compound. Activation energy of the current carriers is in the range of 0.5-1.6 eV. The electrical conductivity in these oxides is due to the presence of Ce 3+ , which remains in the reduced state without being oxidized to Ce 4+ by structural stabilization. The photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis corroborate the presence of Ce in the 3+ state. Impedance spectral analysis is carried out to evaluate the transport properties and indicates that the conduction in these compounds is mainly due to electronic contribution. The X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analysis establishes that these oxides belong to a cubic pyrochlore type structure.

Pyrochlore type semiconducting ceramic oxides in Ca-Ce-Ti-M-O system (M = Nb or Ta)-Structure, microstructure and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deepa, M. [Materials and Minerals Division, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019 (India); Prabhakar Rao, P., E-mail: padala_rao@yahoo.com [Materials and Minerals Division, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019 (India); Radhakrishnan, A.N.; Sibi, K.S.; Koshy, Peter [Materials and Minerals Division, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019 (India)

2009-07-01

A new series of pyrochlore type ceramic semiconducting oxides in Ca-Ce-Ti-M-O (M = Nb or Ta) system has been synthesized by the conventional ceramic route. The electrical conductivity measurements show that these oxides exhibit semiconducting behavior and the conductivity increases with the Ce content in the compound. Activation energy of the current carriers is in the range of 0.5-1.6 eV. The electrical conductivity in these oxides is due to the presence of Ce{sup 3+}, which remains in the reduced state without being oxidized to Ce{sup 4+} by structural stabilization. The photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis corroborate the presence of Ce in the 3+ state. Impedance spectral analysis is carried out to evaluate the transport properties and indicates that the conduction in these compounds is mainly due to electronic contribution. The X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analysis establishes that these oxides belong to a cubic pyrochlore type structure.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle attachment on array of micro test tubes and microbeakers formed on p-type silicon substrate for biosensor applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raja Sufi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A uniformly distributed array of micro test tubes and microbeakers is formed on a p-type silicon substrate with tunable cross-section and distance of separation by anodic etching of the silicon wafer in N, N-dimethylformamide and hydrofluoric acid, which essentially leads to the formation of macroporous silicon templates. A reasonable control over the dimensions of the structures could be achieved by tailoring the formation parameters, primarily the wafer resistivity. For a micro test tube, the cross-section (i.e., the pore size as well as the distance of separation between two adjacent test tubes (i.e., inter-pore distance is typically approximately 1 μm, whereas, for a microbeaker the pore size exceeds 1.5 μm and the inter-pore distance could be less than 100 nm. We successfully synthesized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs, with average particle size approximately 20 nm and attached them on the porous silicon chip surface as well as on the pore walls. Such SPION-coated arrays of micro test tubes and microbeakers are potential candidates for biosensors because of the biocompatibility of both silicon and SPIONs. As acquisition of data via microarray is an essential attribute of high throughput bio-sensing, the proposed nanostructured array may be a promising step in this direction.

Multiplication in Silicon p-n Junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moll, John L.

1965-01-01

Multiplication values were measured in the collector junctions of silicon p-n-p and n-p-n transistors before and after bombardment by 1016 neutrons/cm2. Within experimental error there was no change either in junction fields, as deduced from capacitance measurements, or in multiplication values i...

A positron annihilation study of compensation defects responsible for conduction-type conversions in LEC-grown InP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shan, Y.Y.; Ling, C.C.; Fung, S.; Beling, C.D.; Zhao, Y.W.

2001-01-01

Positron annihilation techniques have been employed to investigate the formation of vacancy type of compensation defects in undoped LEC-grown InP. N-type InP becomes p-type semiconducting by short time annealing at 700 C, and then turns to be n-type again after further annealing but with a much higher resistivity. Positron lifetime measurements show that the positron average lifetime τ av increases to a high value of 247ps for the first n-type to p-type conversion and decreases to 240ps for the following p-type to n-type conversion. τ av increases slightly and saturates at 242ps upon further annealing. The results of positron annihilation Doppler-broadening measurements are consistent with the positron lifetime measurements. The correlation between the characteristics of positron annihilation and the conversions of conduction type indicates that the formation of vacancy type defects and the progressive variation of their concentrations during annealing are critical to the electrical properties of the bulk InP material. (orig.)

The development of p-type silicon detectors for the high radiation regions of the LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanlon, M.D.L.

1998-04-01

This thesis describes the production and characterisation of silicon microstrip detectors and test structures on p-type substrates. An account is given of the production and full parameterisation of a p-type microstrip detector, incorporating the ATLAS-A geometry in a beam test. This detector is an AC coupled device incorporating a continuous p-stop isolation frame and polysilicon biasing and is typical of n-strip devices proposed for operation at the LHC. It was successfully read out using the FELix-128 analogue pipeline chip and a signal to noise (s/n) of 17±1 is reported, along with a spatial resolution of 14.6±0.2 μm. Diode test structures were fabricated on both high resistivity float zone material and on epitaxial material and subsequently irradiated with 24 GeV protons at the CERN PS up to a dose of (8.22±0.23) x 10 14 per cm 2 . An account of the measurement program is presented along with results on the changes in the effective doping concentration (N eff ) with irradiation and the changes in bulk current. Changes in the effective doping concentration and leakage current for high resistivity p-type material under irradiation were found to be similar to to that of n-type material. Values of α=(3.30±0.08) x 10 -17 A cm -1 for the leakage current parameter and g c =(1.20±0.05)x10 -2 cm -1 for the effective dopant introduction rate were found for this material. The epitaxial material did not perform better than the float zone material for the range of doses studied. Surprising results were obtained for highly irradiated p-type diodes illuminated on the ohmic side with an α-source, in that signals were observed well below the full depletion voltage. The processing that had been used to fabricate the test structures and the initial prototype that was studied in the test beam was based on the process used to fabricate devices on n-type material. Presented in this thesis are the modifications that were made to the process, which centred on the oxidation

Study on 150μm thick n- and p-type epitaxial silicon sensors irradiated with 24 GeV/c protons and 1 MeV neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaska, Katharina; Moll, Michael; Fahrer, Manuel

2010-01-01

A study on 150μm epitaxial (EPI) n- and p-type silicon diodes irradiated with neutrons up to 8x10 15 n/cm 2 and protons up to 1.7x10 15 p/cm 2 has been performed by means of CV/IV, charge collection efficiency (CCE) and transient current technique (TCT) measurements. It is found that the effective space charge density increases three times faster after proton than after neutron irradiation with a slightly higher effective space charge generation rate for n-type material compared to p-type material. A drop in charge collection efficiency already at fluences of 1x10 12 n eq /cm 2 can be seen in n-type material, but is absent in p-type material. TCT measurements show space charge sign inversion from positive to negative charge in n-type material after neutron irradiation and from negative to positive space charge in p-type material after proton irradiation. No difference was found in the response of diodes manufactured by different producers out of the same wafer material.

Electrical properties and surface morphology of electron beam evaporated p-type silicon thin films on polyethylene terephthalate for solar cells applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ang, P. C.; Ibrahim, K.; Pakhuruddin, M. Z. [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2015-04-24

One way to realize low-cost thin film silicon (Si) solar cells fabrication is by depositing the films with high-deposition rate and manufacturing-compatible electron beam (e-beam) evaporation onto inexpensive foreign substrates such as glass or plastic. Most of the ongoing research is reported on e-beam evaporation of Si films on glass substrates to make polycrystalline solar cells but works combining both e-beam evaporation and plastic substrates are still scarce in the literature. This paper studies electrical properties and surface morphology of 1 µm electron beam evaporated Al-doped p-type silicon thin films on textured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate for application as an absorber layer in solar cells. In this work, Si thin films with different doping concentrations (including an undoped reference) are prepared by e-beam evaporation. Energy dispersion X-ray (EDX) showed that the Si films are uniformly doped by Al dopant atoms. With increased Al/Si ratio, doping concentration increased while both resistivity and carrier mobility of the films showed opposite relationships. Root mean square (RMS) surface roughness increased. Overall, the Al-doped Si film with Al/Si ratio of 2% (doping concentration = 1.57×10{sup 16} atoms/cm{sup 3}) has been found to provide the optimum properties of a p-type absorber layer for fabrication of thin film Si solar cells on PET substrate.

Electrical properties and surface morphology of electron beam evaporated p-type silicon thin films on polyethylene terephthalate for solar cells applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, P. C.; Ibrahim, K.; Pakhuruddin, M. Z.

2015-04-01

One way to realize low-cost thin film silicon (Si) solar cells fabrication is by depositing the films with high-deposition rate and manufacturing-compatible electron beam (e-beam) evaporation onto inexpensive foreign substrates such as glass or plastic. Most of the ongoing research is reported on e-beam evaporation of Si films on glass substrates to make polycrystalline solar cells but works combining both e-beam evaporation and plastic substrates are still scarce in the literature. This paper studies electrical properties and surface morphology of 1 µm electron beam evaporated Al-doped p-type silicon thin films on textured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate for application as an absorber layer in solar cells. In this work, Si thin films with different doping concentrations (including an undoped reference) are prepared by e-beam evaporation. Energy dispersion X-ray (EDX) showed that the Si films are uniformly doped by Al dopant atoms. With increased Al/Si ratio, doping concentration increased while both resistivity and carrier mobility of the films showed opposite relationships. Root mean square (RMS) surface roughness increased. Overall, the Al-doped Si film with Al/Si ratio of 2% (doping concentration = 1.57×1016 atoms/cm3) has been found to provide the optimum properties of a p-type absorber layer for fabrication of thin film Si solar cells on PET substrate.

Semiconducting states and transport in metallic armchair-edged graphene nanoribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xiongwen; Wang Haiyan; Wan Haiqing; Zhou Guanghui; Song Kehui

2011-01-01

Based on the nonequilibrium Green's function method within the tight-binding approximation scheme, through a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) model, we study the low-energy electronic states and transport properties of carbon chains in armchair-edged graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs). We show that semiconducting AGNRs possess only semiconducting chains, while metallic ones possess not only metallic chains but also unconventional semiconducting chains located at the 3jth (j≠0) column from the edge (the first chain) due to the vanishing of the metallic component in the electron wavefunction. The two types of states for carbon chains in a metallic AGNR system are demonstrated by different density of states and STM tunneling currents. Moreover, a similar phenomenon is predicted in the edge region of very wide AGNRs. However, there is remarkable difference in the tunneling current between narrow and wide ribbons.

Radiation-induced bistable centers with deep levels in silicon n{sup +}–p structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lastovskii, S. B., E-mail: lastov@ifttp.bas-net.by [Scientific and Practical Materials Research Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Belarus); Markevich, V. P. [Manchester University, Photon Science Institute (United Kingdom); Yakushevich, H. S.; Murin, L. I. [Scientific and Practical Materials Research Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Belarus); Krylov, V. P. [Vladimir State University (Russian Federation)

2016-06-15

The method of deep level transient spectroscopy is used to study electrically active defects in p-type silicon crystals irradiated with MeV electrons and α particles. A new radiation-induced defect with the properties of bistable centers is determined and studied. After keeping the irradiated samples at room temperature for a long time or after their short-time annealing at T ∼ 370 K, this defect does not display any electrical activity in p-type silicon. However, as a result of the subsequent injection of minority charge carriers, this center transforms into the metastable configuration with deep levels located at E{sub V} + 0.45 and E{sub V} + 0.54 eV. The reverse transition to the main configuration occurs in the temperature range of 50–100°C and is characterized by the activation energy ∼1.25 eV and a frequency factor of ∼5 × 10{sup 15} s{sup –1}. The determined defect is thermally stable at temperatures as high as T ∼ 450 K. It is assumed that this defect can either be a complex of an intrinsic interstitial silicon atom with an interstitial carbon atom or a complex consisting of an intrinsic interstitial silicon atom with an interstitial boron atom.

2 μm wavelength range InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes heterogeneously integrated on silicon photonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruijun; Sprengel, Stephan; Muneeb, Muhammad; Boehm, Gerhard; Baets, Roel; Amann, Markus-Christian; Roelkens, Gunther

2015-10-05

The heterogeneous integration of InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes on silicon photonic integrated circuits for the 2 µm wavelength range is presented. A responsivity of 1.2 A/W at a wavelength of 2.32 µm and 0.6 A/W at 2.4 µm wavelength is demonstrated. The photodiodes have a dark current of 12 nA at -0.5 V at room temperature. The absorbing active region of the integrated photodiodes consists of six periods of a "W"-shaped quantum well, also allowing for laser integration on the same platform.

Efficiency Improvement of HIT Solar Cells on p-Type Si Wafers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Chun-You; Lin, Chu-Hsuan; Hsiao, Hao-Tse; Yang, Po-Chuan; Wang, Chih-Ming; Pan, Yen-Chih

2013-11-22

Single crystal silicon solar cells are still predominant in the market due to the abundance of silicon on earth and their acceptable efficiency. Different solar-cell structures of single crystalline Si have been investigated to boost efficiency; the heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) structure is currently the leading technology. The record efficiency values of state-of-the art HIT solar cells have always been based on n-type single-crystalline Si wafers. Improving the efficiency of cells based on p-type single-crystalline Si wafers could provide broader options for the development of HIT solar cells. In this study, we varied the thickness of intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous Si layer to improve the efficiency of HIT solar cells on p-type Si wafers.

Eliminating Light-Induced Degradation in Commercial p-Type Czochralski Silicon Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brett Hallam

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses developments in the mitigation of light-induced degradation caused by boron-oxygen defects in boron-doped Czochralski grown silicon. Particular attention is paid to the fabrication of industrial silicon solar cells with treatments for sensitive materials using illuminated annealing. It highlights the importance and desirability of using hydrogen-containing dielectric layers and a subsequent firing process to inject hydrogen throughout the bulk of the silicon solar cell and subsequent illuminated annealing processes for the formation of the boron-oxygen defects and simultaneously manipulate the charge states of hydrogen to enable defect passivation. For the photovoltaic industry with a current capacity of approximately 100 GW peak, the mitigation of boron-oxygen related light-induced degradation is a necessity to use cost-effective B-doped silicon while benefitting from the high-efficiency potential of new solar cell concepts.

Technology Development on P-type Silicon Strip Detectors for Proton Beam Dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aouadi, K.; Bouterfa, M.; Delamare, R.; Flandre, D.; Bertrand, D.; Henry, F.

2013-06-01

In this paper, we present a technology for the fabrication of n-in-p silicon strip detectors, which is based on the use of Al 2 O 3 oxide compared to p-spray insulation scheme. This technology has been developed using the best technological parameters deduced from simulations, particularly for the p-spray implantation parameters. Different wafers were processed towards the fabrication of the radiation detectors with p-spray insulation and Al 2 O 3 . The evaluation of the prototype detectors has been carried out by performing the electrical characterization of the devices through the measurement of current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics, as well as the measurement of detection response under radiation. The results of electrical measurements indicate that detectors fabricated with Al 2 O 3 exhibit a dark current several times lower than p-spray detectors and show an excellent electrical insulation between strips with a higher inter-strip resistance. Response of Al 2 O 3 strip detector under radiation has been found better. The resulting improved output signal dynamic range finally makes the use of Al 2 O 3 more attractive. (authors)

P-type silicon surface barrier detector used for x-ray dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Hisao; Hatakeyama, Satoru; Norimura, Toshiyuki; Tsuchiya, Takehiko

1983-01-01

Responses to X-rays of a P-type surface barrier detector fabricated in our laboratory were studied, taking into consideration the dependence on the temperature in order to examine its applicability to dosimetry of short-range radiation. The study was also made in the case of N-type surface barrier detector. At room temperature, the short-circuit current increased linearly with exposure dose rate (15 - 50 R/min) for N- and P-type detectors. The open-circuit voltage showed a nonlinear dependence. With increasing temperature, the short-circuit current for the N-type detector was approximately constant up to 30 0 C and then decreased, though the open-circuit voltage decreased linearly. For the P- type detector, both open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current decreased almost linearly with increasing temperature. While a P-type detector is still open to some improvements, these results indicate that it can be used as a dosimeter. (author)

Thin-film transistors with a channel composed of semiconducting metal oxide nanoparticles deposited from the gas phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busch, C.; Schierning, G.; Theissmann, R.; Nedic, A.; Kruis, F. E.; Schmechel, R.

2012-01-01

The fabrication of semiconducting functional layers using low-temperature processes is of high interest for flexible printable electronics applications. Here, the one-step deposition of semiconducting nanoparticles from the gas phase for an active layer within a thin-film transistor is described. Layers of semiconducting nanoparticles with a particle size between 10 and 25 nm were prepared by the use of a simple aerosol deposition system, excluding potentially unwanted technological procedures like substrate heating or the use of solvents. The nanoparticles were deposited directly onto standard thin-film transistor test devices, using thermally grown silicon oxide as gate dielectric. Proof-of-principle experiments were done deploying two different wide-band gap semiconducting oxides, tin oxide, SnO x , and indium oxide, In 2 O 3 . The tin oxide spots prepared from the gas phase were too conducting to be used as channel material in thin-film transistors, most probably due to a high concentration of oxygen defects. Using indium oxide nanoparticles, thin-film transistor devices with significant field effect were obtained. Even though the electron mobility of the investigated devices was only in the range of 10 −6 cm 2V−1s−1 , the operability of this method for the fabrication of transistors was demonstrated. With respect to the possibilities to control the particle size and layer morphology in situ during deposition, improvements are expected.

Hydrothermal synthetic strategies of inorganic semiconducting nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Weidong; Song, Shuyan; Zhang, Hongjie

2013-07-07

Because of their unique chemical and physical properties, inorganic semiconducting nanostructures have gradually played a pivotal role in a variety of research fields, including electronics, chemical reactivity, energy conversion, and optics. A major feature of these nanostructures is the quantum confinement effect, which strongly depends on their size, shape, crystal structure and polydispersity. Among all developed synthetic methods, the hydrothermal method based on a water system has attracted more and more attention because of its outstanding advantages, such as high yield, simple manipulation, easy control, uniform products, lower air pollution, low energy consumption and so on. Precise control over the hydrothermal synthetic conditions is a key to the success of the preparation of high-quality inorganic semiconducting nanostructures. In this review, only the representative hydrothermal synthetic strategies of inorganic semiconducting nanostructures are selected and discussed. We will introduce the four types of strategies based on exterior reaction system adjustment, namely organic additive- and template-free hydrothermal synthesis, organic additive-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and substrate-assisted hydrothermal synthesis. In addition, the two strategies based on exterior reaction environment adjustment, including microwave-assisted and magnetic field-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, will be also described. Finally, we conclude and give the future prospects of this research area.

Deep level transient spectroscopic analysis of p/n junction implanted with boron in n-type silicon substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Wakimoto, Hiroki; Nakazawa, Haruo; Matsumoto, Takashi; Nabetani, Yoichi

2018-04-01

For P-i-N diodes implanted and activated with boron ions into a highly-resistive n-type Si substrate, it is found that there is a large difference in the leakage current between relatively low temperature furnace annealing (FA) and high temperature laser annealing (LA) for activation of the p-layer. Since electron trap levels in the n-type Si substrate is supposed to be affected, we report on Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) measurement results investigating what kinds of trap levels are formed. As a result, three kinds of electron trap levels are confirmed in the region of 1-4 μm from the p-n junction. Each DLTS peak intensity of the LA sample is smaller than that of the FA sample. In particular, with respect to the trap level which is the closest to the silicon band gap center most affecting the reverse leakage current, it was not detected in LA. It is considered that the electron trap levels are decreased due to the thermal energy of LA. On the other hand, four kinds of trap levels are confirmed in the region of 38-44 μm from the p-n junction and the DLTS peak intensities of FA and LA are almost the same, considering that the thermal energy of LA has not reached this area. The large difference between the reverse leakage current of FA and LA is considered to be affected by the deep trap level estimated to be the interstitial boron.

Tough, semiconducting polyethylene-poly(3-hexylthiophene) diblock copolymers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, C.; Goffri, S.; Breiby, Dag Werner

2007-01-01

Semiconducting diblock copolymers of polyethylene (PE) and regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are demonstrated to exhibit a rich phase behaviour, judicious use of which permitted us to fabricate field-effect transistors that show saturated charge carrier mobilities, mu(FET), as high as 2 x...

On-Chip Sorting of Long Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes for Multiple Transistors along an Identical Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Otsuka, Keigo; Inoue, Taiki; Maeda, Etsuo; Kometani, Reo; Chiashi, Shohei; Maruyama, Shigeo

2017-11-28

Ballistic transport and sub-10 nm channel lengths have been achieved in transistors containing one single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). To fill the gap between single-tube transistors and high-performance logic circuits for the replacement of silicon, large-area, high-density, and purely semiconducting (s-) SWNT arrays are highly desired. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of multiple transistors along a purely semiconducting SWNT array via an on-chip purification method. Water- and polymer-assisted burning from site-controlled nanogaps is developed for the reliable full-length removal of metallic SWNTs with the damage to s-SWNTs minimized even in high-density arrays. All the transistors with various channel lengths show large on-state current and excellent switching behavior in the off-state. Since our method potentially provides pure s-SWNT arrays over a large area with negligible damage, numerous transistors with arbitrary dimensions could be fabricated using a conventional semiconductor process, leading to SWNT-based logic, high-speed communication, and other next-generation electronic devices.

Stretchable and foldable silicon-based electronics

KAUST Repository

Cavazos Sepulveda, Adrian Cesar

2017-03-30

Flexible and stretchable semiconducting substrates provide the foundation for novel electronic applications. Usually, ultra-thin, flexible but often fragile substrates are used in such applications. Here, we describe flexible, stretchable, and foldable 500-μm-thick bulk mono-crystalline silicon (100) “islands” that are interconnected via extremely compliant 30-μm-thick connectors made of silicon. The thick mono-crystalline segments create a stand-alone silicon array that is capable of bending to a radius of 130 μm. The bending radius of the array does not depend on the overall substrate thickness because the ultra-flexible silicon connectors are patterned. We use fracture propagation to release the islands. Because they allow for three-dimensional monolithic stacking of integrated circuits or other electronics without any through-silicon vias, our mono-crystalline islands can be used as a “more-than-Moore” strategy and to develop wearable electronics that are sufficiently robust to be compatible with flip-chip bonding.

Stretchable and foldable silicon-based electronics

KAUST Repository

Cavazos Sepulveda, Adrian Cesar; Diaz Cordero, M. S.; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Nassar, Joanna M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2017-01-01

Flexible and stretchable semiconducting substrates provide the foundation for novel electronic applications. Usually, ultra-thin, flexible but often fragile substrates are used in such applications. Here, we describe flexible, stretchable, and foldable 500-μm-thick bulk mono-crystalline silicon (100) “islands” that are interconnected via extremely compliant 30-μm-thick connectors made of silicon. The thick mono-crystalline segments create a stand-alone silicon array that is capable of bending to a radius of 130 μm. The bending radius of the array does not depend on the overall substrate thickness because the ultra-flexible silicon connectors are patterned. We use fracture propagation to release the islands. Because they allow for three-dimensional monolithic stacking of integrated circuits or other electronics without any through-silicon vias, our mono-crystalline islands can be used as a “more-than-Moore” strategy and to develop wearable electronics that are sufficiently robust to be compatible with flip-chip bonding.

Development of N- and P- Types of Semiconducting Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-05

type, oligomeric donor monomers with fused thienobenzothiophene structures. These monomers are copolymerized with fluorinated thieno[3,4- b]thiophene...copolymerized with fluorinated thieno[3,4- b]thiophene ester to form a series of polymers which were investigated as donor materials in polymer/fullerene...effective but somewhat toxic drug, significantly lowered the dose of colistin required for killing bacteria and thus increased its safety. These

p-Type semiconducting nickel oxide as an efficiency-enhancing anodal interfacial layer in bulk heterojunction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Michael D; Buchholz, Donald B; Marks, Tobin J; Chang, Robert P. H.

2014-11-25

The present invention, in one aspect, relates to a solar cell. In one embodiment, the solar cell includes an anode, a p-type semiconductor layer formed on the anode, and an active organic layer formed on the p-type semiconductor layer, where the active organic layer has an electron-donating organic material and an electron-accepting organic material.

The electrical properties of semiconducting vanadium phosphate glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moridi, G.R.; Hogarth, C.A.; Hekmat Shooar, N.H.

1984-01-01

Vanadium phosphate glasses are a group of oxide glasses which show the semiconducting behaviour. In contrast to the conventional glasses, the conduction mechanism in these glasses is electronic, rather than being ionic. Since 1954, when the first paper appeared on the semiconducting properties of these glasses, much work has been carried out on transition-metal-oxide glasses in general, and vanadium phosphate glasses in particular. The mechanism of conduction is basicaly due to the transport of electrons between the transition-metal ions in different valency states. In the present paper, we have reviewed the previous works on the electrical characteristics of P 2 O 5 -V 2 O 5 glasses and also discussed the current theoretical ideas relevant for the interpretation of the experimental data

Binary Oxide p-n Heterojunction Piezoelectric Nanogenerators with an Electrochemically Deposited High p-Type Cu2O Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Seung Ki; Kwak, Sung Soo; Kim, Joo Sung; Kim, Sang Woo; Cho, Hyung Koun

2016-08-31

The high performance of ZnO-based piezoelectric nanogenerators (NGs) has been limited due to the potential screening from intrinsic electron carriers in ZnO. We have demonstrated a novel approach to greatly improve piezoelectric power generation by electrodepositing a high-quality p-type Cu2O layer between the piezoelectric semiconducting film and the metal electrode. The p-n heterojunction using only oxides suppresses the screening effect by forming an intrinsic depletion region, and thus sufficiently enhances the piezoelectric potential, compared to the pristine ZnO piezoelectric NG. Interestingly, a Sb-doped Cu2O layer has high mobility and low surface trap states. Thus, this doped layer is an attractive p-type material to significantly improve piezoelectric performance. Our results revealed that p-n junction NGs consisting of Au/ZnO/Cu2O/indium tin oxide with a Cu2O:Sb (cuprous oxide with a small amount of antimony) layer of sufficient thickness (3 μm) exhibit an extraordinarily high piezoelectric potential of 0.9 V and a maximum output current density of 3.1 μA/cm(2).

Perylene diimide: Synthesis, fabrication and temperature dependent electrical characterization of heterojunction with p-silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tahir, Muhammad [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology Topi, KPK 23640 (Pakistan); Department of Physics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200 KPK (Pakistan); Sayyad, Muhammad Hassan; Wahab, Fazal [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology Topi, KPK 23640 (Pakistan); Aziz, Fakhra, E-mail: fakhra69@yahoo.com [Department of Electronics, Jinnah College for Women, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120 (Pakistan); Shahid, Muhammad; Munawar, Munawar Ali [Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54000 (Pakistan)

2013-10-01

A novel, n-type, organic semiconductor N-Butyl-N′-(6-hydroxyhexyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid diimide (N-BuHHPDI) has been successfully synthesized in high yield. The compound has been characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to understand the morphological properties of a new n-type organic semiconducting material. A 120 nm thin film of N-BuHHPDI has been sandwiched between Al and p-Si to form Al/N-BuHHPDI/p-Si device using the vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The electrical properties of sandwich type Al/N-BuHHPDI/p-Si device have been investigated. The current voltage (I–V) characteristics of the device, in dark, have been measured in the temperature range of 300–330 K. At room temperature, the device exhibits rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 51.5 at ±6.8 V. The device parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height, series and shunt resistances have been extracted using the conventional I–V characterization method. The effect of temperature on these parameters is also studied. Alternative electrical characterization methods such as Cheung's functions and Norde's techniques have been employed to measure the device parameters for comparison. The conduction mechanisms are investigated through the interface of N-BuHHPDI and p-Si.

Tin (Sn) - An Unlikely Ally to Extend Moore's Law for Silicon CMOS?

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2012-01-01

growth in device performance. To overcome this problem, novel channel materials are being developed to enhance carrier mobility and hence increase device performance. This work explores a novel semiconducting alloy - Silicon-tin (SiSn) as a channel

Cu gettering by phosphorus-doped emitters in p-type silicon: Effect on light-induced degradation

Science.gov (United States)

Inglese, Alessandro; Laine, Hannu S.; Vähänissi, Ville; Savin, Hele

2018-01-01

The presence of copper (Cu) contamination is known to cause relevant light-induced degradation (Cu-LID) effects in p-type silicon. Due to its high diffusivity, Cu is generally regarded as a relatively benign impurity, which can be readily relocated during device fabrication from the wafer bulk, i.e. the region affected by Cu-LID, to the surface phosphorus-doped emitter. This contribution examines in detail the impact of gettering by industrially relevant phosphorus layers on the strength of Cu-LID effects. We find that phosphorus gettering does not always prevent the occurrence of Cu-LID. Specifically, air-cooling after an isothermal anneal at 800°C results in only weak impurity segregation to the phosphorus-doped layer, which turns out to be insufficient for effectively mitigating Cu-LID effects. Furthermore, we show that the gettering efficiency can be enhanced through the addition of a slow cooling ramp (-4°C/min) between 800°C and 600°C, resulting in the nearly complete disappearance of Cu-LID effects.

Formation of copper precipitates in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Flink, Christoph; Feick, Henning; McHugo, Scott A.; Mohammed, Amna; Seifert, Winfried; Hieslmair, Henry; Heiser, Thomas; Istratov, Andrei A.; Weber, Eicke R.

1999-12-01

The formation of copper precipitates in silicon was studied after high-temperature intentional contamination of p- and n-type FZ and Cz-grown silicon and quench to room temperature. With the Transient Ion Drift (TID) technique on p-type silicon a critical Fermi level position at EC-0.2 eV was found. Only if the Fermi level position, which is determined by the concentrations of the acceptors and the copper donors, surpasses this critical value precipitation takes place. If the Fermi level is below this level the supersaturated interstitial copper diffuses out. An electrostatic precipitation model is introduced that correlates the observed precipitation behavior with the electrical activity of the copper precipitates as detected with Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) on n-type and with Minority Carrier Transient Spectroscopy (MCTS) on p-type silicon.

Electroless deposition of Ni-P on a silicon surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

hassan El Grini

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present article concerns the metallization of silicon substrates by deposition of the nickel-phosphorus alloy produced by an autocatalytic chemical process. The deposition electrolyte is composed of a metal salt, a reducing agent (sodium hypophosphite, a complexing agent (sodium citrate and a buffer (ammonium acetate. The deposition could only be carried out after activation of the silicon by fixing catalytic species on its surface. The immersion of the silicon samples in palladium chloride made it possible to produce relatively thick and regular Ni-P coatings. The immersion time was optimized. The activation of Si was characterized by XPS and the Ni-P coating by XPS and M.E.B. The electrochemical study did not show any real mechanism changes compared to the Ni-P deposition on a conductive surface. 

Luminescence of porous silicon doped by erbium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondarenko, V.P.; Vorozov, N.N.; Dolgij, L.N.; Dorofeev, A.M.; Kazyuchits, N.M.; Leshok, A.A.; Troyanova, G.N.

1996-01-01

The possibility of the 1.54 μm intensive luminescence in the silicon dense porous layers, doped by erbium, with various structures is shown. Low-porous materials of both porous type on the p-type silicon and porous silicon with wood-like structure on the n + type silicon may be used for formation of light-emitting structures

Silicon diatom frustules as nanostructured photoelectrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekaran, Soundarrajan; Sweetman, Martin J; Kant, Krishna; Skinner, William; Losic, Dusan; Nann, Thomas; Voelcker, Nicolas H

2014-09-18

In the quest for solutions to meeting future energy demands, solar fuels play an important role. A particularly promising example is photocatalysis since even incremental improvements in performance in this process are bound to translate into significant cost benefits. Here, we report that semiconducting and high surface area 3D silicon replicas prepared from abundantly available diatom fossils sustain photocurrents and enable solar energy conversion.

Hadron-therapy beam monitoring: Towards a new generation of ultra-thin p-type silicon strip detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouterfa, M.; Aouadi, K.; Bertrand, D.; Olbrechts, B.; Delamare, R.; Raskin, J. P.; Gil, E. C.; Flandre, D.

2011-01-01

Hadron-therapy has gained increasing interest for cancer treatment especially within the last decade. System commissioning and quality assurance procedures impose to monitor the particle beam using 2D dose measurements. Nowadays, several monitoring systems exist for hadron-therapy but all show a relatively high influence on the beam properties: indeed, most devices consist of several layers of materials that degrade the beam through scattering and energy losses. For precise treatment purposes, ultra-thin silicon strip detectors are investigated in order to reduce this beam scattering. We assess the beam size increase provoked by the Multiple Coulomb Scattering when passing through Si, to derive a target thickness. Monte-Carlo based simulations show a characteristic scattering opening angle lower than 1 mrad for thicknesses below 20 μm. We then evaluated the fabrication process feasibility. We successfully thinned down silicon wafers to thicknesses lower than 10 μm over areas of several cm 2 . Strip detectors are presently being processed and they will tentatively be thinned down to 20 μm. Moreover, two-dimensional TCAD simulations were carried out to investigate the beam detector performances on p-type Si substrates. Additionally, thick and thin substrates have been compared thanks to electrical simulations. Reducing the pitch between the strips increases breakdown voltage, whereas leakage current is quite insensitive to strips geometrical configuration. The samples are to be characterized as soon as possible in one of the IBA hadron-therapy facilities. For hadron-therapy, this would represent a considerable step forward in terms of treatment precision. (authors)

Development of p-type amorphous Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films and fabrication of pn hetero junction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanal, K.C., E-mail: sanalcusat@gmail.com [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682022 (India); Inter University Center for Nanomaterials and Devices (IUCND), Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682022 (India); Center for Advanced Materials, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682022 (India); Jayaraj, M.K., E-mail: mkj@cusat.ac.in [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682022 (India); Center for Advanced Materials, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682022 (India)

2014-07-01

Highlights: • Growth of p-type semiconducting amorphous Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films by co-sputtering. • Atomic percentage of Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films from the XPS analysis. • Variation of bandgap with boron concentration in Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films. • Demonstration of p–n hetero junctions fabricated in the structure n-Si/p-Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ}/Au. - Abstract: Transparent conducting amorphous p type Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films were grown by RF magnetron co-sputtering at room temperature, using copper and boron targets in oxygen atmosphere. The structural, electrical as well as optical properties were studied. Composition of the films was analyzed by XPS. Amorphous structure of as deposited films was confirmed by GXRD. Surface morphology of the films was analyzed by AFM studies. p-Type nature and concentration of carriers were investigated by Hall effect measurement. Band gap of the films was found to increase with the atomic content of boron in the film. A p–n hetero junction using p-type Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} and n-type silicon was fabricated in the structure n-Si/p-Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ}/Au which showed rectifying behavior. As deposited amorphous Cu{sub 1−x}B{sub x}O{sub 2−δ} thin films with lower carrier concentration can be used as a channel layer for thin film transistors.

Growth and Functionality of Cells Cultured on Conducting and Semi-Conducting Surfaces Modified with Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajendra K. Aithal

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Bioengineering of dermal and epidermal cells on surface modified substrates is an active area of research. The cytotoxicity, maintenance of cell phenotype and long-term functionality of human dermal fibroblast (HDF cells on conducting indium tin oxide (ITO and semi-conducting, silicon (Si and gallium arsenide (GaAs, surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs containing amino (–NH2 and methyl (–CH3 end groups have been investigated. Contact angle measurements and infrared spectroscopic studies show that the monolayers are conformal and preserve their functional end groups. Morphological analyses indicate that HDFs grow well on all substrates except GaAs, exhibiting their normal spindle-shaped morphology and exhibit no visible signs of stress or cytoplasmic vacuolation. Cell viability analyses indicate little cell death after one week in culture on all substrates except GaAs, where cells died within 6 h. Cells on all surfaces proliferate except on GaAs and GaAs-ODT. Cell growth is observed to be greater on SAM modified ITO and Si-substrates. Preservation of cellular phenotype assessed through type I collagen immunostaining and positive staining of HDF cells were observed on all modified surfaces except that on GaAs. These results suggest that conducting and semi-conducting SAM-modified surfaces support HDF growth and functionality and represent a promising area of bioengineering research.

N-type polycrystalline silicon films formed on alumina by aluminium induced crystallization and overdoping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuezuen, O. [InESS, UMR 7163 CNRS-ULP, 23 rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg (France)], E-mail: Ozge.Tuzun@iness.c-strasbourg.fr; Slaoui, A. [InESS, UMR 7163 CNRS-ULP, 23 rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg (France); Gordon, I. [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Focsa, A. [InESS, UMR 7163 CNRS-ULP, 23 rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg (France); Ballutaud, D. [GEMaC-UMR 8635 CNRS, 1 place Aristide Briand, F-92195 Meudon (France); Beaucarne, G.; Poortmans, J. [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)

2008-08-30

In this work, we investigated the formation of n-type polysilicon films on alumina substrates by overdoping a p-type silicon layer obtained by aluminium induced crystallization of amorphous silicon (AIC), and subsequent epitaxy. The phosphorus doping of the AIC was carried out by thermal diffusion from a solid source. The structural quality of the n-type Si film was monitored by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The doping efficiency was determined by resistivity measurements and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The sheet resitivity changed from 2700{omega}/sq to 19.6{omega}/sq after thermal diffusion at 950 deg. C for 1h, indicating the overdoping effect. The SIMS profile carried out after the high temperature epitaxy exhibits a two steps phosphorus distribution, indicating the formation of an n{sup +}n structure.

Biocompatibility of biodegradable semiconducting melanin films for nerve tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettinger, Christopher J; Bruggeman, Joost P; Misra, Asish; Borenstein, Jeffrey T; Langer, Robert

2009-06-01

The advancement of tissue engineering is contingent upon the development and implementation of advanced biomaterials. Conductive polymers have demonstrated potential for use as a medium for electrical stimulation, which has shown to be beneficial in many regenerative medicine strategies including neural and cardiac tissue engineering. Melanins are naturally occurring pigments that have previously been shown to exhibit unique electrical properties. This study evaluates the potential use of melanin films as a semiconducting material for tissue engineering applications. Melanin thin films were produced by solution processing and the physical properties were characterized. Films were molecularly smooth with a roughness (R(ms)) of 0.341 nm and a conductivity of 7.00+/-1.10 x 10(-5)S cm(-1) in the hydrated state. In vitro biocompatibility was evaluated by Schwann cell attachment and growth as well as neurite extension in PC12 cells. In vivo histology was evaluated by examining the biomaterial-tissue response of melanin implants placed in close proximity to peripheral nerve tissue. Melanin thin films enhanced Schwann cell growth and neurite extension compared to collagen films in vitro. Melanin films induced an inflammation response that was comparable to silicone implants in vivo. Furthermore, melanin implants were significantly resorbed after 8 weeks. These results suggest that solution-processed melanin thin films have the potential for use as a biodegradable semiconducting biomaterial for use in tissue engineering applications.

Application of hydrogen-plasma technology for property modification of silicon and producing the silicon-based structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedotov, A.K.; Mazanik, A.V.; Ul'yashin, A.G.; Dzhob, R; Farner, V.R.

2000-01-01

Effects of atomic hydrogen on the properties of Czochralski-grown single crystal silicon as well as polycrystalline shaped silicon have been investigated. It was established that the buried defect layers created by high-energy hydrogen or helium ion implantation act as a good getter centers for hydrogen atoms introduced in silicon in the process of hydrogen plasma hydrogenation. Atomic hydrogen was shown to be active as a catalyzer significantly enhancing the rate of thermal donors formation in p-type single crystal silicon. This effect can be used for n-p- and p-n-p-silicon based device structures producing [ru

Anomalous X-ray scattering studies on semiconducting and metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosokawa, S.; Pilgrim, W.C.; Berar, J.F.; Kohara, S.

2012-01-01

In order to explore local- and intermediate-range atomic structures of several semiconducting and metallic glasses, anomalous X-ray scattering (AXS) experiments were performed using an improved detecting system suitable for third-generation synchrotron radiation facilities, and the obtained data were analyzed using reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modelling to obtain partial structure factors and to construct three-dimensional atomic configurations of these glasses. Examples of GeSe 2 semiconducting and Pd 40 Ni 40 P 20 metallic glasses are demonstrated to exhibit the feasibility of the combination of AXS and RMC techniques. Importance of an additional combination with neutron scattering is also described for alloys containing light elements. (authors)

Visible luminescence in photo-electrochemically etched p-type porous silicon: Effect of illumination wavelength

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Hamadeh, H.

2010-01-01

The effect of low power density of ∼5 μWcm - 2 monochromatic light of different wavelengths on the visible photoluminescence (PL) properties of photo-electrochemically formed p-type porous silicon (PS) has been investigated. Tow peak PL red and green is resolved in PS samples etched under blue-green wavelength illumination; 480,533 and 580 nm. It is found that the weight of green PL has maxima for the sample illuminated with 533 nm wavelength whereas, PL spectra of PS prepared under the influence of red illumination or in dark does not exhibit green PL band, but shows considerable enhancement in the red PL peak intensity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis reveals the relationship between the structures of chemical bonding in PS and the observed PL behavior. In particular, the PL efficiency is highly affected by the alteration of the relative content of hydride, oxide and hydroxyl species. Moreover, relative content of hydroxyl group with respect to oxide bonding is seen to have strong relationship to the blue PL. Although, the estimated energy gap value of PS samples shows a considerable enlargement with respect to that of bulk c-Si, the FTIR, low temperature PL and Raman measurements and analysis have inconsistency with quantum confinement of PS. (author)

Visible luminescence in photo-electrochemically etched p-type porous silicon: Effect of illumination wavelength

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Hamadeh, H.

2009-01-01

The effect of low power density of ∼ 5 μW/cm 2 monochromatic light of different wavelengths on the visible photoluminescence (PL) properties of photo-electrochemically formed p-type porous silicon (PS) has been investigated. Two-peak PL 'red' and 'green' is resolved in PS samples etched under blue-green wavelength illumination; 480, 533 and 580 nm. It is found that the weight of 'green' PL has maxima for the sample illuminated with 533 nm wavelength. Whereas, PL spectra of PS prepared under the influence of red illumination or in dark does not exhibit 'green' PL band, but shows considerable enhancement in the 'red' PL peak intensity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis reveals the relationship between the structures of chemical bonding in PS and the observed PL behavior. In particular, the PL efficiency is highly affected by the alteration of the relative content of hydride, oxide and hydroxyl species. Moreover, relative content of hydroxyl group with respect to oxide bonding is seen to have strong relationship to the blue PL. Although, the estimated energy gap value of PS samples shows a considerable enlargement with respect to that of bulk c-Si, the FTIR, low temperature PL and Raman measurements and analysis have inconsistency with quantum confinement of PS.

Low-temperature radiation damage in silicon - 1: Annealing studies on N-type material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awadelkarim, O.O.

1986-07-01

The presence of electrically active defects in electron-irradiated P-doped n-type silicon was monitored using capacitance and loss factor measurements. Irradiations were performed at temperatures c - 0.14) eV and (E c - 0.24) eV in the gap are ascribed to the carbon interstitial and the divacancy, respectively. (author)

Chromium Trioxide Hole-Selective Heterocontacts for Silicon Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wenjie; Wu, Weiliang; Liu, Zongtao; Qiu, Kaifu; Cai, Lun; Yao, Zhirong; Ai, Bin; Liang, Zongcun; Shen, Hui

2018-04-25

A high recombination rate and high thermal budget for aluminum (Al) back surface field are found in the industrial p-type silicon solar cells. Direct metallization on lightly doped p-type silicon, however, exhibits a large Schottky barrier for the holes on the silicon surface because of Fermi-level pinning effect. As a result, low-temperature-deposited, dopant-free chromium trioxide (CrO x , x solar cell as a hole-selective contact at the rear surface. By using 4 nm CrO x between the p-type silicon and Ag, we achieve a reduction of the contact resistivity for the contact of Ag directly on p-type silicon. For further improvement, we utilize a CrO x (2 nm)/Ag (30 nm)/CrO x (2 nm) multilayer film on the contact between Ag and p-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) to achieve a lower contact resistance (40 mΩ·cm 2 ). The low-resistivity Ohmic contact is attributed to the high work function of the uniform CrO x film and the depinning of the Fermi level of the SiO x layer at the silicon interface. Implementing the advanced hole-selective contacts with CrO x /Ag/CrO x on the p-type silicon solar cell results in a power conversion efficiency of 20.3%, which is 0.1% higher than that of the cell utilizing 4 nm CrO x . Compared with the commercialized p-type solar cell, the novel CrO x -based hole-selective transport material opens up a new possibility for c-Si solar cells using high-efficiency, low-temperature, and dopant-free deposition techniques.

P-type Oxide Semiconductors for Transparent & Energy Efficient Electronics

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhenwei

2018-03-11

Emerging transparent semiconducting oxide (TSO) materials have achieved their initial commercial success in the display industry. Due to the advanced electrical performance, TSOs have been adopted either to improve the performance of traditional displays or to demonstrate the novel transparent and flexible displays. However, due to the lack of feasible p-type TSOs, the applications of TSOs is limited to unipolar (n-type TSOs) based devices. Compared with the prosperous n-type TSOs, the performance of p-type counterparts is lag behind. However, after years of discovery, several p-type TSOs are confirmed with promising performance, for example, tin monoxide (SnO). By using p-type SnO, excellent transistor field-effect mobility of 6.7 cm2 V-1 s-1 has been achieved. Motivated by this encouraging performance, this dissertation is devoted to further evaluate the feasibility of integrating p-type SnO in p-n junctions and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. CMOS inverters are fabricated using p-type SnO and in-situ formed n-type tin dioxide (SnO2). The semiconductors are simultaneously sputtered, which simplifies the process of CMOS inverters. The in-situ formation of SnO2 phase is achieved by selectively sputtering additional capping layer, which serves as oxygen source and helps to balance the process temperature for both types of semiconductors. Oxides based p-n junctions are demonstrated between p-type SnO and n-type SnO2 by magnetron sputtering method. Diode operating ideality factor of 3.4 and rectification ratio of 103 are achieved. A large temperature induced knee voltage shift of 20 mV oC-1 is observed, and explained by the large band gap and shallow states in SnO, which allows minor adjustment of band structure in response to the temperature change. Finally, p-type SnO is used to demonstrating the hybrid van der Waals heterojunctions (vdWHs) with two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (2D MoS2) by mechanical exfoliation. The hybrid vdWHs show

Field-induced surface passivation of p-type silicon by using AlON films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, S.N.; Parm, I.O.; Dhungel, S.K.; Jang, K.S.; Jeong, S.W.; Yoo, J.; Hwang, S.H.; Yi, J. [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Chunchun dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-440746 (Korea)

2008-02-15

In the present work, we report on the evidence for a high negative charge density in aluminum oxynitride (AlON) coating on silicon. A comparative study was carried out on the composition and electrical properties of AlON and aluminum nitride (AlN). AlON films were deposited on p-type Si (1 0 0) substrate by RF magnetron sputtering using a mixture of argon and oxygen gases at substrate temperature of 300 C. The electrical properties of the AlON, AlN films were studied through capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) using the films as insulating layers. The flatband voltage shift V{sub FB} observed for AlON is around 4.5 V, which is high as compared to the AlN thin film. Heat treatment caused the V{sub FB} reduction to 3 V, but still the negative charge density was observed to be very high. In the AlN film, no fixed negative charge was observed at all. The XRD spectrum of AlON shows the major peaks of AlON (2 2 0) and AlN (0 0 2), located at 2{theta} value of 32.96 and 37.8 , respectively. The atomic percentage of Al, N in AlN film was found to be 42.5% and 57.5%, respectively. Atomic percentages of Al, N and O in EDS of AlON film are 20.21%, 27.31% and 52.48%, respectively. (author)

Fabrication of High-Frequency pMUT Arrays on Silicon Substrates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Thomas; Zawada, Tomasz; Hansen, Karsten

2010-01-01

A novel technique based on silicon micromachining for fabrication of linear arrays of high-frequency piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (pMUT) is presented. Piezoelectric elements are formed by deposition of lead zirconia titanate into etched features of a silicon substrate...

Formation of iron disilicide on amorphous silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Erlesand, U.; Östling, M.; Bodén, K.

1991-11-01

Thin films of iron disilicide, β-FeSi 2 were formed on both amorphous silicon and on crystalline silicon. The β-phase is reported to be semiconducting with a direct band-gap of about 0.85-0.89 eV. This phase is known to form via a nucleation-controlled growth process on crystalline silicon and as a consequence a rather rough silicon/silicide interface is usually formed. In order to improve the interface a bilayer structure of amorphous silicon and iron was sequentially deposited on Czochralski silicon in an e-gun evaporation system. Secondary ion mass spectrometry profiling (SIMS) and scanning electron micrographs revealed an improvement of the interface sharpness. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and X-ray diffractiometry showed β-FeSi 2 formation already at 525°C. It was also observed that the silicide growth was diffusion-controlled, similar to what has been reported for example in the formation of NiSi 2 for the reaction of nickel on amorphous silicon. The kinetics of the FeSi 2 formation in the temperature range 525-625°C was studied by RBS and the activation energy was found to be 1.5 ± 0.1 eV.

Electronic and elastic properties of new semiconducting oP12-type RuB2 and OsB2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Xianfeng; Xu Yuanhui; Gao Faming

2011-01-01

Using first-principles total energy calculations we investigate the structural, elastic and electronic properties of new hypothetical oP 12 -type phase RuB 2 and OsB 2 . The calculations indicate that the oP 12 -type phase RuB 2 and OsB 2 are thermodynamically and mechanically stable. Remarkably, the new phases RuB 2 and OsB 2 are predicted to be semiconductors, and the appearance of band gaps is ascribed to the enhanced B-B covalent hybridization. Compared to metallic oP 6 -type RuB 2 and OsB 2 phases, the new phases possess similar mechanical properties and hardness. The combination of the probability of tunable electronic properties, strong stiffness and high hardness make RuB 2 and OsB 2 attractive and interesting for advanced applications.

Porous Silicon Nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Yongquan; Zhou, Hailong; Duan, Xiangfeng

2011-01-01

In this minreview, we summarize recent progress in the synthesis, properties and applications of a new type of one-dimensional nanostructures — single crystalline porous silicon nanowires. The growth of porous silicon nanowires starting from both p- and n-type Si wafers with a variety of dopant concentrations can be achieved through either one-step or two-step reactions. The mechanistic studies indicate the dopant concentration of Si wafers, oxidizer concentration, etching time and temperature can affect the morphology of the as-etched silicon nanowires. The porous silicon nanowires are both optically and electronically active and have been explored for potential applications in diverse areas including photocatalysis, lithium ion battery, gas sensor and drug delivery. PMID:21869999

Visible luminescence in photo-electrochemically etched p-type porous silicon: Effect of illumination wavelength

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naddaf, M.; Hamadeh, H., E-mail: scientific@aec.org.sy [Department of Physics, Atomic Energy Commission of Syria (AECS), P.O. Box 6091 Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic)

2009-08-31

The effect of low power density of {approx} 5 {mu}W/cm{sup 2} monochromatic light of different wavelengths on the visible photoluminescence (PL) properties of photo-electrochemically formed p-type porous silicon (PS) has been investigated. Two-peak PL 'red' and 'green' is resolved in PS samples etched under blue-green wavelength illumination; 480, 533 and 580 nm. It is found that the weight of 'green' PL has maxima for the sample illuminated with 533 nm wavelength. Whereas, PL spectra of PS prepared under the influence of red illumination or in dark does not exhibit 'green' PL band, but shows considerable enhancement in the 'red' PL peak intensity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis reveals the relationship between the structures of chemical bonding in PS and the observed PL behavior. In particular, the PL efficiency is highly affected by the alteration of the relative content of hydride, oxide and hydroxyl species. Moreover, relative content of hydroxyl group with respect to oxide bonding is seen to have strong relationship to the blue PL. Although, the estimated energy gap value of PS samples shows a considerable enlargement with respect to that of bulk c-Si, the FTIR, low temperature PL and Raman measurements and analysis have inconsistency with quantum confinement of PS.

Selective Growth of Metallic and Semiconducting Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Textured Silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Mira; Lee, Jongtaek; Park, Teahee; Lee, Junyoung; Yang, Jonghee; Yi, Whikun

2016-03-01

We fabricated the etched Si substrate having the pyramidal pattern size from 0.5 to 4.2 μm by changing the texturing process parameters, i.e., KOH concentration, etching time, and temperature. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were then synthesized on the etched Si substrates with different pyramidal pattern by chemical vapor deposition. We investigated the optical and electronic properties of SWNT film grown on the etched Si substrates of different morphology by using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and conducting probe atomic force microscopy. We confirmed that the morphology of substrate strongly affected the selective growth of the SWNT film. Semiconducting SWNTs were formed on larger pyramidal sized Si wafer with higher ratio compared with SWNTs on smaller pyramidal sized Si.

Electronic and elastic properties of new semiconducting oP(12)-type RuB(2) and OsB(2).

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Xianfeng; Xu, Yuanhui; Gao, Faming

2011-03-30

Using first-principles total energy calculations we investigate the structural, elastic and electronic properties of new hypothetical oP(12)-type phase RuB(2) and OsB(2). The calculations indicate that the oP(12)-type phase RuB(2) and OsB(2) are thermodynamically and mechanically stable. Remarkably, the new phases RuB(2) and OsB(2) are predicted to be semiconductors, and the appearance of band gaps is ascribed to the enhanced B-B covalent hybridization. Compared to metallic oP(6)-type RuB(2) and OsB(2) phases, the new phases possess similar mechanical properties and hardness. The combination of the probability of tunable electronic properties, strong stiffness and high hardness make RuB(2) and OsB(2) attractive and interesting for advanced applications. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd

Extrinsic doping in silicon revisited

KAUST Repository

Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Chroneos, Alexander; Grimes, R. W.; Schuster, Cosima

2010-01-01

Both n-type and p-type doping of silicon is at odds with the charge transfer predicted by Pauling electronegativities and can only be reconciled if we no longer regarding dopant species as isolated atoms but rather consider them as clusters consisting of the dopant and its four nearest neighbor silicon atoms. The process that gives rise to n-type and p-type effects is the charge redistribution that occurs between the dopant and its neighbors, as we illustrate here using electronic structure calculations. This view point is able to explain why conventional substitutional n-type doping of carbon has been so difficult.

Extrinsic doping in silicon revisited

KAUST Repository

Schwingenschlögl, Udo

2010-06-17

Both n-type and p-type doping of silicon is at odds with the charge transfer predicted by Pauling electronegativities and can only be reconciled if we no longer regarding dopant species as isolated atoms but rather consider them as clusters consisting of the dopant and its four nearest neighbor silicon atoms. The process that gives rise to n-type and p-type effects is the charge redistribution that occurs between the dopant and its neighbors, as we illustrate here using electronic structure calculations. This view point is able to explain why conventional substitutional n-type doping of carbon has been so difficult.

Coaxial-structured ZnO/silicon nanowires extended-gate field-effect transistor as pH sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Hung-Hsien; Yang, Chi-En; Kei, Chi-Chung; Su, Chung-Yi; Dai, Wei-Syuan; Tseng, Jung-Kuei; Yang, Po-Yu; Chou, Jung-Chuan; Cheng, Huang-Chung

2013-01-01

An extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) of coaxial-structured ZnO/silicon nanowires as pH sensor was demonstrated in this paper. The oriented 1-μm-long silicon nanowires with the diameter of about 50 nm were vertically synthesized by the electroless metal deposition method at room temperature and were sequentially capped with the ZnO films using atomic layer deposition at 50 °C. The transfer characteristics (I DS –V REF ) of such ZnO/silicon nanowire EGFET sensor exhibited the sensitivity and linearity of 46.25 mV/pH and 0.9902, respectively for the different pH solutions (pH 1–pH 13). In contrast to the ZnO thin-film ones, the ZnO/silicon nanowire EGFET sensor achieved much better sensitivity and superior linearity. It was attributed to a high surface-to-volume ratio of the nanowire structures, reflecting a larger effective sensing area. The output voltage and time characteristics were also measured to indicate good reliability and durability for the ZnO/silicon nanowires sensor. Furthermore, the hysteresis was 9.74 mV after the solution was changed as pH 7 → pH 3 → pH 7 → pH 11 → pH 7. - Highlights: ► Coaxial-structured ZnO/silicon nanowire EGFET was demonstrated as pH sensor. ► EMD and ALD methods were proposed to fabricate ZnO/silicon nanowires. ► ZnO/silicon nanowire EGFET sensor achieved better sensitivity and linearity. ► ZnO/silicon nanowire EGFET sensor had good reliability and durability

Electrochemical characteristics of bundle-type silicon nanorods as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Si Hieu; Lim, Jong Choo; Lee, Joong Kee

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A metal-assisted chemical etching technique was performed on Si thin films. ► The etching process resulted in the formation of bundle-type Si nanorods. ► The morphology of Si electrodes closely relate to electrochemical characteristics. - Abstract: In order to prepare bundle-type silicon nanorods, a silver-assisted chemical etching technique was used to modify a 1.6 μm silicon thin film, which was deposited on Cu foil by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. The bundle-type silicon nanorods on Cu foil were employed as anodes for a lithium secondary battery, without further treatment. The electrochemical characteristics of the pristine silicon thin film anodes and the bundle-type silicon nanorod anodes are different from one another. The electrochemical performance of the bundle-type silicon nanorod anodes exceeded that of the pristine Si thin film anodes. The specific capacity of the bundle-type silicon nanorod anodes is much higher than 3000 mAh g −1 at the first charge (Li insertion) cycle. The coulombic efficiency of bundle-type silicon anodes was stable at more than 97%, and the charge capacity remained at 1420 mAh g −1 , even after 100 cycles of charging and discharging. The results from the differential voltage analysis showed a side reaction at around 0.44–0.5 V, and the specific potential of this side reaction decreased after each cycle. The apparent diffusion coefficients of the two anode types were in the range of 10 −13 –10 −16 cm 2 s −1 in the first cycle. In subsequent charge cycles, these values for the silicon thin film anodes and the silicon nanorod bundle anode were approximately 10 −12 –10 −14 and 10 −13 –10 −15 cm 2 s −1 , respectively.

Laser characterisation of a 3D single-type column p-type prototype module read out with ATLAS SCT electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrich, T.; Kuehn, S.; Boscardin, M.; Dalla Betta, G.-F.; Eckert, S.; Jakobs, K.; Maassen, M.; Parzefall, U.; Piemonte, C.; Pozza, A.; Ronchin, S.; Zorzi, N.

2007-01-01

In this paper measurements of a 3D single-type column (3D-stc) microstrip silicon device are shown. The 3D-stc sensor has n-type columns in p-type substrate. It has been connected to an ATLAS SCT ABCD3T chip and is readout with ATLAS SCT electronics at 40 MHz. Spatial measurements were done with a laser setup to investigate the expected low field region in 3D devices. An influence of the p-stops on the collected charge has been observed

Laser characterisation of a 3D single-type column p-type prototype module read out with ATLAS SCT electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehrich, T. [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Kuehn, S. [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany)], E-mail: susanne.kuehn@physik.uni-freiburg.de; Boscardin, M.; Dalla Betta, G.-F. [ITC-irst Trento, Microsystems Division, via Sommarive, 18 38050 Povo di Trento (Italy); Eckert, S.; Jakobs, K.; Maassen, M.; Parzefall, U. [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Freiburg, Hermann-Herder Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Piemonte, C.; Pozza, A.; Ronchin, S.; Zorzi, N. [ITC-irst Trento, Microsystems Division, via Sommarive, 18 38050 Povo di Trento (Italy)

2007-12-11

In this paper measurements of a 3D single-type column (3D-stc) microstrip silicon device are shown. The 3D-stc sensor has n-type columns in p-type substrate. It has been connected to an ATLAS SCT ABCD3T chip and is readout with ATLAS SCT electronics at 40 MHz. Spatial measurements were done with a laser setup to investigate the expected low field region in 3D devices. An influence of the p-stops on the collected charge has been observed.

Silicon nanocrystal films for electronic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lechner, Robert W.

2009-02-06

Whether nanoparticles of silicon are really suited for such applications, whether layers fabricated from this exhibit semiconducting properties, whether they can be doped, and whether for instance via the doping the conductivity can be tuned, was studied in the present thesis. Starting material for this were on the one hand spherical silicon nanocrystals with a sharp size distribution and mean diameters in the range from 4-50 nm. Furthermore silicon particle were available, which are with 50-500 nm distinctly larger and exhibit a broad distribution of the mean size and a polycrystalline fine structure with strongly bifurcated external morphology. The small conductivities and tje low mobility values of the charge carriers in the layers of silicon nanocrystals suggest to apply suited thermal after-treatment procedures. So was found that the aluminium-induced layer exchange (ALILE) also can be transferred to the porous layers of nanocrystals. With the deuteron passivation a method was available to change the charge-carrier concentration in the polycrystalline layers. Additionally to ALILE laser crystallization as alternative after-treatment procedure of the nanocrystal layers was studied.

Crystallinity, Surface Morphology, and Photoelectrochemical Effects in Conical InP and InN Nanowires Grown on Silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Parameshwaran, Vijay; Xu, Xiaoqing; Clemens, Bruce

2016-08-24

The growth conditions of two types of indium-based III-V nanowires, InP and InN, are tailored such that instead of yielding conventional wire-type morphologies, single-crystal conical structures are formed with an enlarged diameter either near the base or near the tip. By using indium droplets as a growth catalyst, combined with an excess indium supply during growth, "ice cream cone" type structures are formed with a nanowire "cone" and an indium-based "ice cream" droplet on top for both InP and InN. Surface polycrystallinity and annihilation of the catalyst tip of the conical InP nanowires are observed when the indium supply is turned off during the growth process. This growth design technique is extended to create single-crystal InN nanowires with the same morphology. Conical InN nanowires with an enlarged base are obtained through the use of an excess combined Au-In growth catalyst. Electrochemical studies of the InP nanowires on silicon demonstrate a reduction photocurrent as a proof of photovolatic behavior and provide insight as to how the observed surface polycrystallinity and the resulting interface affect these device-level properties. Additionally, a photovoltage is induced in both types of conical InN nanowires on silicon, which is not replicated in epitaxial InN thin films.

Nanomechanical properties of thick porous silicon layers grown on p- and p+-type bulk crystalline Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charitidis, C.A.; Skarmoutsou, A.; Nassiopoulou, A.G.; Dragoneas, A.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The nanomechanical properties of bulk crystalline Si. → The nanomechanical properties of porous Si. → The elastic-plastic deformation of porous Si compared to bulk crystalline quantified by nanoindentation data analysis. - Abstract: The nanomechanical properties and the nanoscale deformation of thick porous Si (PSi) layers of two different morphologies, grown electrochemically on p-type and p+-type Si wafers were investigated by the depth-sensing nanoindentation technique over a small range of loads using a Berkovich indenter and were compared with those of bulk crystalline Si. The microstructure of the thick PSi layers was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. PSi layers on p+-type Si show an anisotropic mesoporous structure with straight vertical pores of diameter in the range of 30-50 nm, while those on p-type Si show a sponge like mesoporous structure. The effect of the microstructure on the mechanical properties of the layers is discussed. It is shown that the hardness and Young's modulus of the PSi layers exhibit a strong dependence on their microstructure. In particular, PSi layers with the anisotropic straight vertical pores show higher hardness and elastic modulus values than sponge-like layers. However, sponge-like PSi layers reveal less plastic deformation and higher wear resistance compared with layers with straight vertical pores.

Study of araldite in edge protection of n-type and p-type surface barrier detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alencar, M.A.V.; Jesus, E.F.O.; Lopes, R.T.

1995-01-01

The aim of this work is the realization of a comparative study between the surface barrier detectors performance n and type using the epoxy resin Araldite as edge protection material with the purpose of determining which type of detector (n or p) the use of Araldite is more indicated. The surface barrier detectors were constructed using n and p type silicon wafer with resistivity of 3350Ω.cm and 5850 Ω.cm respectively. In the n type detectors, the metals used as ohmic and rectifier contacts were the Al and Au respectively, while in the p type detectors, the ohmic and rectifier contacts were Au and Al. All metallic contacts were done by evaporation in high vacuum (∼10 -4 Torr) and with deposit of 40 μm/cm 2 . The obtained results for the detectors (reverse current of -350nA and resolution from 21 to 26 keV for p type detectors and reserve current of 1μA and resolution from 44 to 49 keV for n type detectors) tend to demonstrate that use of epoxy resin Araldite in the edge protection is more indicated to p type surface barrier detectors. (author). 3 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Surface States and Effective Surface Area on Photoluminescent P-Type Porous Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Weisz, S. Z.; Porras, A. Ramirez; Resto, O.; Goldstein, Y.; Many, A.; Savir, E.

1997-01-01

The present study is motivated by the possibility of utilizing porous silicon for spectral sensors. Pulse measurements on the porous-Si/electrolyte system are employed to determine the surface effective area and the surface-state density at various stages of the anodization process used to produce the porous material. Such measurements were combined with studies of the photoluminescence spectra. These spectra were found to shift progressively to the blue as a function of anodization time. The luminescence intensity increases initially with anodization time, reaches a maximum and then decreases with further anodization. The surface state density, on the other hand, increases with anodization time from an initial value of about 2 x 10(exp 12)/sq cm surface to about 1013 sq cm for the anodized surface. This value is attained already after -2 min anodization and upon further anodization remains fairly constant. In parallel, the effective surface area increases by a factor of 10-30. This behavior is markedly different from the one observed previously for n-type porous Si.

Characterization of thermal, optical and carrier transport properties of porous silicon using the photoacoustic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng, Chan Kok; Mahmood Mat Yunus, W.; Yunus, Wan Md. Zin Wan; Abidin Talib, Zainal; Kassim, Anuar

2008-01-01

In this work, the porous silicon layer was prepared by the electrochemical anodization etching process on n-type and p-type silicon wafers. The formation of the porous layer has been identified by photoluminescence and SEM measurements. The optical absorption, energy gap, carrier transport and thermal properties of n-type and p-type porous silicon layers were investigated by analyzing the experimental data from photoacoustic measurements. The values of thermal diffusivity, energy gap and carrier transport properties have been found to be porosity-dependent. The energy band gap of n-type and p-type porous silicon layers was higher than the energy band gap obtained for silicon substrate (1.11 eV). In the range of porosity (50-76%) of the studies, our results found that the optical band-gap energy of p-type porous silicon (1.80-2.00 eV) was higher than that of the n-type porous silicon layer (1.70-1.86 eV). The thermal diffusivity value of the n-type porous layer was found to be higher than that of the p-type and both were observed to increase linearly with increasing layer porosity

Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Using p-Type ZnO Nanowire Arrays

KAUST Repository

Lu, Ming-Pei

2009-03-11

Using phosphorus-doped ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays grown on silicon substrate, energy conversion using the p-type ZnO NWs has been demonstrated for the first time. The p-type ZnO NWs produce positive output voltage pulses when scanned by a conductive atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode. The output voltage pulse is generated when the tip contacts the stretched side (positive piezoelectric potential side) of the NW. In contrast, the n-type ZnO NW produces negative output voltage when scanned by the AFM tip, and the output voltage pulse is generated when the tip contacts the compressed side (negative potential side) of the NW. In reference to theoretical simulation, these experimentally observed phenomena have been systematically explained based on the mechanism proposed for a nanogenerator. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction front- and back contacts for silicon solar cells with p-type base

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rostan, Philipp Johannes

2010-07-01

This thesis reports on low temperature amorphous silicon back and front contacts for high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells with a p-type base. The back contact uses a sequence of intrinsic amorphous (i-a-Si:H) and boron doped microcrystalline (p-{mu}c-Si:H) silicon layers fabricated by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and a magnetron sputtered ZnO:Al layer. The back contact is finished by evaporating Al onto the ZnO:Al and altogether prepared at a maximum temperature of 220 C. Analysis of the electronic transport of mobile charge carriers at the back contact shows that the two high-efficiency requirements low back contact series resistance and high quality c-Si surface passivation are in strong contradiction to each other, thus difficult to achieve at the same time. The preparation of resistance- and effective lifetime samples allows one to investigate both requirements independently. Analysis of the majority charge carrier transport on complete Al/ZnO:Al/a-Si:H/c-Si back contact structures derives the resistive properties. Measurements of the effective minority carrier lifetime on a-Si:H coated wafers determines the back contact surface passivation quality. Both high-efficiency solar cell requirements together are analyzed in complete photovoltaic devices where the back contact series resistance mainly affects the fill factor and the back contact passivation quality mainly affects the open circuit voltage. The best cell equipped with a diffused emitter with random texture and a full-area a-Si:H/c-Si back contact has an independently confirmed efficiency {eta} = 21.0 % with an open circuit voltage V{sub oc} = 681 mV and a fill factor FF = 78.7 % on an area of 1 cm{sup 2}. An alternative concept that uses a simplified a-Si:H layer sequence combined with Al-point contacts yields a confirmed efficiency {eta} = 19.3 % with an open circuit voltage V{sub oc} = 655 mV and a fill factor FF = 79.5 % on an area of 2 cm{sup 2}. Analysis of the

Silicon in Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv: content, distribution, and ultrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Rufo, Lourdes; Franco, Alejandro; de la Fuente, Vicenta

2014-07-01

Silicon concentration, distribution, and ultrastructure of silicon deposits in the Poaceae Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv. have been studied. This grass, known for its medicinal uses and also for Fe hyperaccumulation and biomineralization capacities, showed a concentration of silicon of 13,705 ± 9,607 mg/kg dry weight. Silicon was found as an important constituent of cell walls of the epidermis of the whole plant. Silica deposits were found in silica bodies, endodermis, and different cells with silicon-collapsed lumen as bulliforms, cortical, and sclerenchyma cells. Transmission electron microscope observations of these deposits revealed an amorphous material of an ultrastructure similar to that previously reported in silica bodies of other Poaceae.

Radiation damage and defect behavior in proton irradiated lithium-counterdoped n+p silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Stupica, John; Goradia, Chandra; Swartz, Clifford K.; Weinberg, Irving

1987-01-01

Two lithium-counterdoped n+p silicon solar cells with different lithium concentrations were irradiated by 10-MeV protons. Cell performance was measured as a function of fluence, and it was found that the cell with the highest concentration of lithium had the highest radiation resistance. Deep level transient spectroscopy which showed two deep level defects that were lithium related. Relating the defect energy levels obtained from this study with those from earlier work using 1-MeV electron irradiation shows no correlation of the defect energy levels. There is one marked similarity: the absence of the boron-interstitial-oxygen-interstitial defect. This consistency strengthens the belief that lithium interacts with oxygen to prevent the formation of the boron interstitial-oxygen interstitial defect. The results indicate that, in general, addition of lithium in small amounts to the p-base of a boron doped silicon solar cell such that the base remains p-type, tends to increase the radiation resistance of the cell.

Towards nanometer-spaced silicon contacts to proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Schukfeh, Muhammed I.; Sepunaru, Lior; Behr, Pascal; Li, Wenjie; Pecht, Israel; Sheves, Mordechai; Cahen, David; Tornow, Marc

2016-03-01

A vertical nanogap device (VND) structure comprising all-silicon contacts as electrodes for the investigation of electronic transport processes in bioelectronic systems is reported. Devices were fabricated from silicon-on-insulator substrates whose buried oxide (SiO2) layer of a few nanometers in thickness is embedded within two highly doped single crystalline silicon layers. Individual VNDs were fabricated by standard photolithography and a combination of anisotropic and selective wet etching techniques, resulting in p+ silicon contacts, vertically separated by 4 or 8 nm, depending on the chosen buried oxide thickness. The buried oxide was selectively recess-etched with buffered hydrofluoric acid, exposing a nanogap. For verification of the devices’ electrical functionality, gold nanoparticles were successfully trapped onto the nanogap electrodes’ edges using AC dielectrophoresis. Subsequently, the suitability of the VND structures for transport measurements on proteins was investigated by functionalizing the devices with cytochrome c protein from solution, thereby providing non-destructive, permanent semiconducting contacts to the proteins. Current-voltage measurements performed after protein deposition exhibited an increase in the junctions’ conductance of up to several orders of magnitude relative to that measured prior to cytochrome c immobilization. This increase in conductance was lost upon heating the functionalized device to above the protein’s denaturation temperature (80 °C). Thus, the VND junctions allow conductance measurements which reflect the averaged electronic transport through a large number of protein molecules, contacted in parallel with permanent contacts and, for the first time, in a symmetrical Si-protein-Si configuration.

Towards nanometer-spaced silicon contacts to proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schukfeh, Muhammed I; Behr, Pascal; Tornow, Marc; Sepunaru, Lior; Li, Wenjie; Pecht, Israel; Sheves, Mordechai; Cahen, David

2016-01-01

A vertical nanogap device (VND) structure comprising all-silicon contacts as electrodes for the investigation of electronic transport processes in bioelectronic systems is reported. Devices were fabricated from silicon-on-insulator substrates whose buried oxide (SiO_2) layer of a few nanometers in thickness is embedded within two highly doped single crystalline silicon layers. Individual VNDs were fabricated by standard photolithography and a combination of anisotropic and selective wet etching techniques, resulting in p"+ silicon contacts, vertically separated by 4 or 8 nm, depending on the chosen buried oxide thickness. The buried oxide was selectively recess-etched with buffered hydrofluoric acid, exposing a nanogap. For verification of the devices’ electrical functionality, gold nanoparticles were successfully trapped onto the nanogap electrodes’ edges using AC dielectrophoresis. Subsequently, the suitability of the VND structures for transport measurements on proteins was investigated by functionalizing the devices with cytochrome c protein from solution, thereby providing non-destructive, permanent semiconducting contacts to the proteins. Current–voltage measurements performed after protein deposition exhibited an increase in the junctions’ conductance of up to several orders of magnitude relative to that measured prior to cytochrome c immobilization. This increase in conductance was lost upon heating the functionalized device to above the protein’s denaturation temperature (80 °C). Thus, the VND junctions allow conductance measurements which reflect the averaged electronic transport through a large number of protein molecules, contacted in parallel with permanent contacts and, for the first time, in a symmetrical Si–protein–Si configuration. (paper)

Controlled p-type to n-type conductivity transformation in NiO thin films by ultraviolet-laser irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, Pranav; Dutta, Titas; Mal, Siddhartha; Narayan, Jagdish [Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606 (United States)

2012-01-01

We report the systematic changes in structural, electrical, and optical properties of NiO thin films on c-sapphire introduced by nanosecond ultraviolet excimer laser pulses. Epitaxial nature of as deposited NiO was determined by x-ray diffraction phi scans and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and it was established that NiO film growth takes place with twin domains on sapphire where two types of domains have 60 deg. in-plane rotation with respect to each other about the [111] growth direction. We determined that at pulsed laser energy density of 0.275 J/cm{sup 2}, NiO films exhibited conversion from p-type semiconducting to n-type conductive behavior with three orders of magnitude decrease in resistivity, while maintaining its cubic crystal structure and good epitaxial relationship. Our TEM and electron-energy-loss spectroscopy studies conclusively ruled out the presence of any Ni clustering or precipitation due to the laser treatment. The laser-induced n-type carrier transport and conductivity enhancement were shown to be reversible through subsequent thermal annealing in oxygen. This change in conductivity behavior was correlated with the nonequilibrium concentration of laser induced Ni{sup 0}-like defect states.

The electronic structure of radial p-n junction silicon nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Chiou, Shan-Haw; Grossman, Jeffrey

2007-03-01

Silicon nanowires with radial p-n junctions have recently been suggested for photovoltaic applications because incident light can be absorbed along the entire length of the wire, while photogenerated carriers only need to diffuse a maximum of one radius to reach the p-n junction. If the differential of the potential is larger than the binding energy of the electron-hole pair and has a range larger than the Bohr radius of electron-hole pair, then the charge separation mechanism will be similar to traditional silicon solar cells. However, in the small-diameter limit, where quantum confinement effects are prominent, both the exciton binding energy and the potential drop will increase, and the p-n junction itself may have a dramatically different character. We present ab initio calculations based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of silicon nanowires with 2-3 nm diameter in the [111] growth direction. A radial p-n junction was formed by symmetrically doping boron and phosphorous at the same vertical level along the axis of the nanowire. The competition between the slope and character of the radial electronic potential and the exciton binding energy will presented in the context of a charge separation mechanism.

Semiconducting La2AuP3, the metallic conductor Ce2AuP3, and other rare-earth gold phosphides Ln2AuP3 with two closely related crystal structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eschen, M.; Kotzyba, G.; Kuennen, B.; Jeitschko, W.

2001-01-01

The compounds Ln 2 AuP 3 were synthesized by reaction of the elemental components in evacuated silica tubes. Their crystal structures were determined from single-crystal diffractometer data. The compounds with Ln = La, Ce, and Pr crystallize with an orthorhombic U 2 NiC 3 type structure (Pnma, Z = 4). The structure refinement for Ce 2 AuP 3 resulted in a = 774.14(6) pm, b = 421.11(4) pm, c = 1612.3(1) pm, R = 0.019 for 1410 structure factors and 38 variable parameters. For Pr 2 AuP 3 a residual of R = 0.024 was obtained. Nd 2 AuP 3 crystallizes with a monoclinic distortion of this structure: P2 1 /c, Z = 4, a = 416.14(4) pm, b = 768.87(6) pm, c = 1647.1(2) pm, β = 104.06(1) , R = 0.022 for 1361 F values and 56 variables. The near-neighbor coordinations of the two structures are nearly the same. In both structures the gold and phosphorus atoms form two-dimensionally infinite nets, where the gold atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated by phosphorus atoms with Au-P distances varying between 245.8 and 284.2 pm. Two thirds of the phosphorus atoms form pairs with single-bond distances varying between 217.7 and 218.9 pm. Thus, using oxidation numbers the structures can be rationalized with the formulas (Ln +3 ) 2 [AuP 3 ] -6 and (Ln +3 ) 2 Au +1 (P 2 ) -4 P -3 . Accordingly, La 2 AuP 3 is a diamagnetic semiconductor. Pr 2 AuP 3 is semi-conducting with an antiferromagnetic ground state, showing metamagnetism with a critical field of B c = 0.5(±0.1) T. In contrast, the cerium compound is a metallic conductor, even though its cell volume indicates that the cerium atoms are essentially trivalent, as is also suggested by the ferro- or ferrimagnetic behavior of the compound. (orig.)

Proposal of a neutron transmutation doping facility for n-type spherical silicon solar cell at high-temperature engineering test reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Hai Quan; Honda, Yuki; Motoyama, Mizuki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Ishii, Toshiaki; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

2018-05-01

The p-type spherical silicon solar cell is a candidate for future solar energy with low fabrication cost, however, its conversion efficiency is only about 10%. The conversion efficiency of a silicon solar cell can be increased by using n-type silicon semiconductor as a substrate. This study proposed a new method of neutron transmutation doping silicon (NTD-Si) for producing the n-type spherical solar cell, in which the Si-particles are irradiated directly instead of the cylinder Si-ingot as in the conventional NTD-Si. By using a 'screw', an identical resistivity could be achieved for the Si-particles without a complicated procedure as in the NTD with Si-ingot. Also, the reactivity and neutron flux swing could be kept to a minimum because of the continuous irradiation of the Si-particles. A high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR), which is located in Japan, was used as a reference reactor in this study. Neutronic calculations showed that the HTTR has a capability to produce about 40t/EFPY of 10Ωcm resistivity Si-particles for fabrication of the n-type spherical solar cell. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of silicon:carbon P+ layer interfaces on solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeffrey, F.R.; Vernstrom, G.D.; Weber, M.F.; Gilbert, J.R.

1987-01-01

Results are presented showing the effects on amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic performance of the interfaces associated with a silicon carbide (a-Si:C) p+ layer. Carbon grading into the intrinsic layer from the p+ layer increases open circuit voltage (Voc) from 0.7V to 0.88V. This effect is very similar to the boron profile effect reported earlier and supports the contention that Voc is being limited by an electron current at the p-i interface. The interface between the p+ a-Si:C layer and the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) is shown to be a potential source of high series resistance, with an abrupt interface showing the most serious problem. The effect is explained by electron injection from the TCO into the p+ layer being inhibited as a result of band mismatch

FTIR studies of swift silicon and oxygen ion irradiated porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhave, Tejashree M.; Hullavarad, S.S.; Bhoraskar, S.V.; Hegde, S.G.; Kanjilal, D.

1999-01-01

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy has been used to study the bond restructuring in silicon and oxygen irradiated porous silicon. Boron doped p-type (1 1 1) porous silicon was irradiated with 10 MeV silicon and a 14 MeV oxygen ions at different doses ranging between 10 12 and 10 14 ions cm -2 . The yield of PL in porous silicon irradiated samples was observed to increase considerably while in oxygen irradiated samples it was seen to improve only by a small extent for lower doses whereas it decreased for higher doses. The results were interpreted in view of the relative intensities of the absorption peaks associated with O-Si-H and Si-H stretch bonds

Lifetime degradation of n-type Czochralski silicon after hydrogenation

Science.gov (United States)

Vaqueiro-Contreras, M.; Markevich, V. P.; Mullins, J.; Halsall, M. P.; Murin, L. I.; Falster, R.; Binns, J.; Coutinho, J.; Peaker, A. R.

2018-04-01

Hydrogen plays an important role in the passivation of interface states in silicon-based metal-oxide semiconductor technologies and passivation of surface and interface states in solar silicon. We have shown recently [Vaqueiro-Contreras et al., Phys. Status Solidi RRL 11, 1700133 (2017)] that hydrogenation of n-type silicon slices containing relatively large concentrations of carbon and oxygen impurity atoms {[Cs] ≥ 1 × 1016 cm-3 and [Oi] ≥ 1017 cm-3} can produce a family of C-O-H defects, which act as powerful recombination centres reducing the minority carrier lifetime. In this work, evidence of the silicon's lifetime deterioration after hydrogen injection from SiNx coating, which is widely used in solar cell manufacturing, has been obtained from microwave photoconductance decay measurements. We have characterised the hydrogenation induced deep level defects in n-type Czochralski-grown Si samples through a series of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS), and high-resolution Laplace DLTS/MCTS measurements. It has been found that along with the hydrogen-related hole traps, H1 and H2, in the lower half of the gap reported by us previously, hydrogenation gives rise to two electron traps, E1 and E2, in the upper half of the gap. The activation energies for electron emission from the E1 and E2 trap levels have been determined as 0.12, and 0.14 eV, respectively. We argue that the E1/H1 and E2/H2 pairs of electron/hole traps are related to two energy levels of two complexes, each incorporating carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms. Our results show that the detrimental effect of the C-O-H defects on the minority carrier lifetime in n-type Si:O + C materials can be very significant, and the carbon concentration in Czochralski-grown silicon is a key parameter in the formation of the recombination centers.

X- and gamma-ray N+PP+ silicon detectors with high radiation resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petris, M.; Ruscu, R.; Moraru, R.; Cimpoca, V.

1998-01-01

We have investigated the use of p-type silicon detectors as starting material for X-and gamma-ray detectors because of several potential benefits it would bring: 1. high purity p-type silicon grown by the float-zone process exhibits better radial dopant uniformity than n-type float-zone silicon; 2. it is free of radiation damage due to the neutron transmutation doping process and behaves better in a radiation field because mainly acceptor like centers are created through the exposure and the bulk material type inversion does not occur as in the n-type silicon. But the p-type silicon, in combination with a passivating layer of silicon dioxide, leads to a more complex detector layout since the positive charge in the oxide causes an inversion in the surface layer under the silicon dioxide. Consequently, it would be expected that N + P diodes have a higher leakage current than P + N ones. All these facts have been demonstrated experimentally. These features set stringent requirements for the technology of p-type silicon detectors. Our work presents two new geometries and an improved technology for p-type high resistivity material to obtain low noise radiation detectors. Test structures were characterized before and after the gamma exposure with a cumulative dose in the range 10 4 - 5 x 10 6 rad ( 60 Co). Results indicate that proposed structures and their technology enable the development of reliable N + PP + silicon detectors. For some samples (0.8 - 12 mm 2 ), extremely low reverse currents were obtained and, in combination with a low noise charge preamplifier, the splitting of 241 Am X-ray lines was possible and also the Mn Kα line (5.9 keV) was extracted from the noise with a 1.9 keV FWHM at the room temperature. An experimental model of a nuclear probe based on these diodes was designed for X-ray detection applications. (authors)

Hybrid single quantum well InP/Si nanobeam lasers for silicon photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fegadolli, William S; Kim, Se-Heon; Postigo, Pablo Aitor; Scherer, Axel

2013-11-15

We report on a hybrid InP/Si photonic crystal nanobeam laser emitting at 1578 nm with a low threshold power of ~14.7 μW. Laser gain is provided from a single InAsP quantum well embedded in a 155 nm InP layer bonded on a standard silicon-on-insulator wafer. This miniaturized nanolaser, with an extremely small modal volume of 0.375(λ/n)(3), is a promising and efficient light source for silicon photonics.

Dual Colorimetric and Fluorescent Authentication Based on Semiconducting Polymer Dots for Anticounterfeiting Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Wei-Kai; Lai, Yung-Sheng; Tseng, Po-Jung; Liao, Chia-Hsien; Chan, Yang-Hsiang

2017-09-13

Semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) have recently emerged as a novel type of ultrabright fluorescent probes that can be widely used in analytical sensing and material science. Here, we developed a dual visual reagent based on Pdots for anticounterfeiting applications. We first designed and synthesized two types of photoswitchable Pdots by incorporating photochromic dyes with multicolor semiconducting polymers to modulate their emission intensities and wavelengths. The resulting full-color Pdot assays showed that the colorimetric and fluorescent dual-readout abilities enabled the Pdots to serve as an anticounterfeiting reagent with low background interference. We also doped these Pdots into flexible substrates and prepared these Pdots as inks for pen handwriting as well as inkjet printing. We further applied this reagent in printing paper and checks for high-security anticounterfeiting purposes. We believe that this dual-readout method based on Pdots will create a new avenue for developing new generations of anticounterfeiting technologies.

Nuclear radiation detectors using high resistivity neutron transmutation doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gessner, T.; Irmer, K.

1983-01-01

A method for the production of semiconductor detectors based on high resistivity n-type silicon is described. The n-type silicon is produced by neutron irradiation of p-type silicon. The detectors are produced by planar technique. They are suitable for the spectrometry of alpha particles and for the pulse count measurement of beta particles at room temperature. (author)

Surface Passivation for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deligiannis, D.

2017-01-01

Silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ) are currently one of the most promising solar cell technologies in the world. The SHJ solar cell is based on a crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer, passivated on both sides with a thin intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer. Subsequently, p-type

Photo and electroluminescence of porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keshmini, S.H.; Samadpour, S.; Haji-Ali, E.; Rokn-Abadi, M.R.

1995-01-01

Porous silicon (PSi) layers were prepared by both chemical and electrochemical methods on n- and p-type Si substrates. In the former technique, light emission was obtained from p-type and n-type samples. It was found that intense light illumination during the preparation process was essential for PSi formation on n-type substrates. An efficient electrochemical cell with some useful features was designed for electrochemical etching of silicon. Various preparation parameters were studied and photoluminescence emissions ranging from dark red to light blue were obtained from PSi samples prepared on p-type substrates. N-type samples produced emission ranging from dark red to orange yellow. Electroluminescence of porous silicon samples showed that the color of the emission was the same as the photoluminescence color of the sample, and its intensity and duration depended on the current density passed through the sample. The effects of exposure of samples to air, storage in vacuum and heat treatment in air on luminescence intensity of the samples and preparation of patterned porous layers were also studied. (author)

Development of edgeless silicon pixel sensors on p-type substrate for the ATLAS high-luminosity upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calderini, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Universitá di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Bagolini, A. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); Bomben, M. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Boscardin, M. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Università degli studi di Trieste and INFN-Trieste (Italy); Chauveau, J. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Giacomini, G. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy); La Rosa, A. [Section de Physique (DPNC), Universitè de Geneve, Geneve (Switzerland); Marchiori, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et des Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Zorzi, N. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Povo di Trento (Italy)

2014-11-21

In view of the LHC upgrade for the high luminosity phase (HL-LHC), the ATLAS experiment is planning to replace the inner detector with an all-silicon system. The n-in-p bulk technology represents a valid solution for the modules of most of the layers, given the significant radiation hardness of this option and the reduced cost. The large area necessary to instrument the outer layers will demand to tile the sensors, a solution for which the inefficient region at the border of each sensor needs to be reduced to the minimum size. This paper reports on a joint R and D project by the ATLAS LPNHE Paris group and FBK Trento on a novel n-in-p edgeless planar pixel design, based on the deep-trench process available at FBK.

Profiling N-Type Dopants in Silicon

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hovorka, Miloš; Mika, Filip; Mikulík, P.; Frank, Luděk

2010-01-01

Roč. 51, č. 2 (2010), s. 237-242 ISSN 1345-9678 R&D Projects: GA ČR GP102/09/P543; GA AV ČR IAA100650803 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : silicon * dopant contrast * photoemission electron microscopy * scanning electron microscopy Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.779, year: 2010 http://www.jim.or.jp/journal/e/51/02/237.html

Metallization of DNA on silicon surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puchkova, Anastasiya Olegovna; Sokolov, Petr; Petrov, Yuri Vladimirovich; Kasyanenko, Nina Anatolievna

2011-01-01

New simple way for silver deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-based nanowires preparation on silicon surface was developed. The electrochemical reduction of silver ions fixed on DNA molecule provides the forming of tightly matched zonate silver clusters. Highly homogeneous metallic clusters have a size about 30 nm. So the thickness of nanowires does not exceed 30–50 nm. The surface of n-type silicon monocrystal is the most convenient substrate for this procedure. The comparative analysis of DNA metallization on of n-type silicon with a similar way for nanowires fabrication on p-type silicon, freshly cleaved mica, and glass surface shows the advantage of n-type silicon, which is not only the substrate for DNA fixation but also the source of electrons for silver reduction. Images of bound DNA molecules and fabricated nanowires have been obtained using an atomic force microscope and a scanning ion helium microscope. DNA interaction with silver ions in a solution was examined by the methods of ultraviolet spectroscopy and circular dichroism.

The study of 1 MeV electron irradiation induced defects in N-type and P-type monocrystalline silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Babaee, S.; Ghozati, S. B.

2017-12-01

Despite extensive use of GaAs cells in space, silicon cells are still being used. The reason is that not only they provide a good compromise between efficiency and cost, but also some countries do not have the required technology for manufacturing GaAs. Behavior of a silicon cell under any levels of charged particle irradiation could be deducted from the results of a damage equivalent 1 MeV electron irradiation using the NASA EQflux open source software package. In this paper for the first time, we have studied the behavior of a silicon cell before and after 1 MeV electron irradiation with 1014, 1015 and 1016 electrons-cm-2 fluences, using SILVACO TCAD simulation software package. Simulation was carried out at room temperature under AM0 condition. Results reveal that open circuit voltage and efficiency decrease after irradiation while short circuit current shows a slight increase in the trend around 5 × 1016 electrons-cm-2, and short circuit current loss plays an important role on efficiency changes rather than open circuit voltage.

Capacity spectroscopy of minority-carrier radiation traps in n-type silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchinskij, P.V.; Lomako, V.M.; Shakhlevich, L.N.

1987-01-01

Minority charge-carrier radiation traps in n-silicon, produced by neutron transmutation doping (NTD) and zone melting method, were studied using unsteady capacity spectroscopy method. Studying the parameters of defects, formed in the lower half of the restricted zone, was performed using minority carrier injection by forward current pulses. Samples were p + -n-structures, produced on the basis of silicon with different oxygen content. It is shown, that a trap with activation energy ≅E v +0.34 eV appears to be the main defect in oxygen p-silicon. Investigation into thermal stability has shown, that centers with E v +0.34 eV and E v +0.27 eV activation energies are annealed within the same temperature interval (300-400 deg C)

Logic circuits based on individual semiconducting and metallic carbon-nanotube devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Hyeyeon; Kaelblein, Daniel; Ante, Frederik; Zschieschang, Ute; Kern, Klaus; Klauk, Hagen; Weitz, R Thomas; Schmidt, Oliver G

2010-01-01

Nanoscale transistors employing an individual semiconducting carbon nanotube as the channel hold great potential for logic circuits with large integration densities that can be manufactured on glass or plastic substrates. Carbon nanotubes are usually produced as a mixture of semiconducting and metallic nanotubes. Since only semiconducting nanotubes yield transistors, the metallic nanotubes are typically not utilized. However, integrated circuits often require not only transistors, but also resistive load devices. Here we show that many of the metallic carbon nanotubes that are deposited on the substrate along with the semiconducting nanotubes can be conveniently utilized as load resistors with favorable characteristics for the design of integrated circuits. We also demonstrate the fabrication of arrays of transistors and resistors, each based on an individual semiconducting or metallic carbon nanotube, and their integration on glass substrates into logic circuits with switching frequencies of up to 500 kHz using a custom-designed metal interconnect layer.

Imperceptible and Ultraflexible p-Type Transistors and Macroelectronics Based on Carbon Nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xuan; Cao, Yu; Zhou, Chongwu

2016-01-26

Flexible thin-film transistors based on semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes are promising for flexible digital circuits, artificial skins, radio frequency devices, active-matrix-based displays, and sensors due to the outstanding electrical properties and intrinsic mechanical strength of carbon nanotubes. Nevertheless, previous research effort only led to nanotube thin-film transistors with the smallest bending radius down to 1 mm. In this paper, we have realized the full potential of carbon nanotubes by making ultraflexible and imperceptible p-type transistors and circuits with a bending radius down to 40 μm. In addition, the resulted transistors show mobility up to 12.04 cm(2) V(-1) S(-1), high on-off ratio (∼10(6)), ultralight weight (transistors and circuits have great potential to work as indispensable components for ultraflexible complementary electronics.

Hydrogen Production Using a Molybdenum Sulfide Catalyst on a Titanium-Protected n+p-Silicon Photocathode

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seger, Brian; Laursen, Anders Bo; Vesborg, Peter Christian Kjærgaard

2012-01-01

A low-cost substitute: A titanium protection layer on silicon made it possible to use silicon under highly oxidizing conditions without oxidation of the silicon. Molybdenum sulfide was electrodeposited on the Ti-protected n+p-silicon electrode. This electrode was applied as a photocathode for wat...

Silicon deposition in nanopores using a liquid precursor

Science.gov (United States)

Masuda, Takashi; Tatsuda, Narihito; Yano, Kazuhisa; Shimoda, Tatsuya

2016-11-01

Techniques for depositing silicon into nanosized spaces are vital for the further scaling down of next-generation devices in the semiconductor industry. In this study, we filled silicon into 3.5-nm-diameter nanopores with an aspect ratio of 70 by exploiting thermodynamic behaviour based on the van der Waals energy of vaporized cyclopentasilane (CPS). We originally synthesized CPS as a liquid precursor for semiconducting silicon. Here we used CPS as a gas source in thermal chemical vapour deposition under atmospheric pressure because vaporized CPS can fill nanopores spontaneously. Our estimation of the free energy of CPS based on Lifshitz van der Waals theory clarified the filling mechanism, where CPS vapour in the nanopores readily undergoes capillary condensation because of its large molar volume compared to those of other vapours such as water, toluene, silane, and disilane. Consequently, a liquid-specific feature was observed during the deposition process; specifically, condensed CPS penetrated into the nanopores spontaneously via capillary force. The CPS that filled the nanopores was then transformed into solid silicon by thermal decomposition at 400 °C. The developed method is expected to be used as a nanoscale silicon filling technology, which is critical for the fabrication of future quantum scale silicon devices.

Formation of nanosize poly(p-phenylene vinylene) in porous silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Rendu, P.; Nguyen, T.P.; Cheah, K.; Joubert, P.

2003-01-01

We report the results of optical investigations in porous silicon (PS)/poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) systems obtained by filling the pores of silicon wafers with polymer. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), IR, and Raman spectroscopy, we observed that the porous silicon layer was thoroughly filled by the polymer with no significant change in the structure of the materials. This suggests that there is no interaction between the components. On the other hand, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the devices investigated at different temperatures (from 11 to 290 K) showed that both materials are active at low temperatures. Porous silicon has a band located at 398 nm while PPV has two bands at 528 and 570 nm. As the temperature increases, the PL intensity of porous silicon decreases and that PPV is blue shifted. A new band emerging at 473 nm may indicate an energy transfer from the porous silicon to PPV, involving short segments of the polymer. The band of PPV located at 515 nm becomes more dominant and indicates that the nanosize polymer films are formed in the pores of the silicon layer, in agreement with the results obtained by SEM, IR, and Raman analyses

Mid-IR optical properties of silicon doped InP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Panah, Mohammad Esmail Aryaee; Han, Li; Norrman, Kion

2017-01-01

of growth conditions on the optical and electrical properties of silicon doped InP (InP:Si) in the wavelength range from 3 to 40 μm was studied. The carrier concentration of up to 3.9 × 1019 cm-3 is achieved by optimizing the growth conditions. The dielectric function, effective mass of electrons and plasma...

Morphological and optical properties of n-type porous silicon

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

type silicon wafer have been reported in the present article. Method of PS fabrication is by photo-assisted electrochemical etching with different etching current densities ( J ). Porosity and PS layer thickness, obtained by the gravimetric method, ...

Fabrication of Completely Polymer-Based Solar Cells with p- and n-Type Semiconducting Block Copolymers with Electrically Inert Polystyrene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eri Tomita

2018-02-01

Full Text Available It is widely recognized that fullerene derivatives show several advantages as n-type materials in photovoltaic applications. However, conventional [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM exhibits weak absorption in the visible region, and poor morphological stability, due to the facile aggregation. For further improvement of the device performance and durability, utilization of n-type polymeric materials instead of PCBM is considered to be a good way to solve the problems. In this study, we fabricated completely polymer-based solar cells utilizing p- and n-type block copolymers consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene (P3HT and poly{[N,N′-bis(2-octyldodecylnaphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene} [P(NDI2OD-T2], respectively, containing common polystyrene (PSt inert blocks, which decreased the size of phase separated structures. Electron mobility in synthesized P(NDI2OD-T2-b-PSt film enhanced by a factor of 8 compared with homopolymer. The root mean square roughness of the blend film of two block copolymers (12.2 nm was decreased, compared with that of the simple homopolymers blend (18.8 nm. From the current density-voltage characteristics, it was confirmed that the introduction of PSt into both P3HT and P(NDI2OD-T2 improves short-circuit current density (1.16 to 1.73 mA cm−2 and power-conversion efficiency (0.24% to 0.32%. Better performance is probably due to the uniformity of the phase separation, and the enhancement of charge mobility.

Wurtzite-Phased InP Micropillars Grown on Silicon with Low Surface Recombination Velocity.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kun; Ng, Kar Wei; Tran, Thai-Truong D; Sun, Hao; Lu, Fanglu; Chang-Hasnain, Connie J

2015-11-11

The direct growth of III-V nanostructures on silicon has shown great promise in the integration of optoelectronics with silicon-based technologies. Our previous work showed that scaling up nanostructures to microsize while maintaining high quality heterogeneous integration opens a pathway toward a complete photonic integrated circuit and high-efficiency cost-effective solar cells. In this paper, we present a thorough material study of novel metastable InP micropillars monolithically grown on silicon, focusing on two enabling aspects of this technology-the stress relaxation mechanism at the heterogeneous interface and the microstructure surface quality. Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy studies show that InP grows directly on silicon without any amorphous layer in between. A set of periodic dislocations was found at the heterointerface, relaxing the 8% lattice mismatch between InP and Si. Single crystalline InP therefore can grow on top of the fully relaxed template, yielding high-quality micropillars with diameters expanding beyond 1 μm. An interesting power-dependence trend of carrier recombination lifetimes was captured for these InP micropillars at room temperature, for the first time for micro/nanostructures. By simply combining internal quantum efficiency with carrier lifetime, we revealed the recombination dynamics of nonradiative and radiative portions separately. A very low surface recombination velocity of 1.1 × 10(3) cm/sec was obtained. In addition, we experimentally estimated the radiative recombination B coefficient of 2.0 × 10(-10) cm(3)/sec for pure wurtzite-phased InP. These values are comparable with those obtained from InP bulk. Exceeding the limits of conventional nanowires, our InP micropillars combine the strengths of both nanostructures and bulk materials and will provide an avenue in heterogeneous integration of III-V semiconductor materials onto silicon platforms.

Nano semiconducting materials

CERN Document Server

Saravanan, R

2016-01-01

The main focus of the present book is the characterization of a number of nano-semiconducting materials, using such techniques as powder X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectrophotometry, Raman spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The materials studied include ZnS, TiO2, NiO, Ga doped ZnO, Mn doped SnO2, Mn doped CeO2 and Mn doped ZrO2.

Nickel Electroless Plating: Adhesion Analysis for Mono-Type Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Eun Gu; Rehman, Atteq ur; Lee, Sang Hee; Lee, Soo Hong

2015-10-01

The adhesion of the front electrodes to silicon substrate is the most important parameters to be optimized. Nickel silicide which is formed by sintering process using a silicon substrate improves the mechanical and electrical properties as well as act as diffusion barrier for copper. In this experiment p-type mono-crystalline czochralski (CZ) silicon wafers having resistivity of 1.5 Ω·cm were used to study one step and two step nickel electroless plating process. POCl3 diffusion process was performed to form the emitter with the sheet resistance of 70 ohm/sq. The Six, layer was set down as an antireflection coating (ARC) layer at emitter surface by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. Laser ablation process was used to open SiNx passivation layer locally for the formation of the front electrodes. Nickel was deposited by electroless plating process by one step and two step nickel electroless deposition process. The two step nickel plating was performed by applying a second nickel deposition step subsequent to the first sintering process. Furthermore, the adhesion analysis for both one step and two steps process was conducted using peel force tester (universal testing machine, H5KT) after depositing Cu contact by light induced plating (LIP).

Texturization of as-cut p-type monocrystalline silicon wafer using different wet chemical solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Hashmi, Galib; Hasanuzzaman, Muhammad; Basher, Mohammad Khairul; Hoq, Mahbubul; Rahman, Md. Habibur

2018-06-01

Implementing texturization process on the monocrystalline silicon substrate reduces reflection and enhances light absorption of the substrate. Thus texturization is one of the key elements to increase the efficiency of solar cell. Considering as-cut monocrystalline silicon wafer as base substrate, in this work different concentrations of Na2CO3 and NaHCO3 solution, KOH-IPA (isopropyl alcohol) solution and tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution with different time intervals have been investigated for texturization process. Furthermore, saw damage removal process was conducted with 10% NaOH solution, 20 wt% KOH-13.33 wt% IPA solution and HF/nitric/acetic acid solution. The surface morphology of saw damage, saw damage removed surface and textured wafer were observed using optical microscope and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Texturization causes pyramidal micro structures on the surface of (100) oriented monocrystalline silicon wafer. The height of the pyramid on the silicon surface varies from 1.5 to 3.2 µm and the inclined planes of the pyramids are acute angle. Contact angle value indicates that the textured wafer's surface fall in between near-hydrophobic to hydrophobic range. With respect to base material absolute reflectance 1.049-0.75% within 250-800 nm wavelength region, 0.1-0.026% has been achieved within the same wavelength region when textured with 0.76 wt% KOH-4 wt% IPA solution for 20 min. Furthermore, an alternative route of using 1 wt% Na2CO3-0.2 wt% NaHCO3 solution for 50 min has been exploited in the texturization process.

Microscopic study of electrical properties of CrSi2 nanocrystals in silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lányi Štefan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Semiconducting CrSi2 nanocrystallites (NCs were grown by reactive deposition epitaxy of Cr onto n-type silicon and covered with a 50-nm epitaxial silicon cap. Two types of samples were investigated: in one of them, the NCs were localized near the deposition depth, and in the other they migrated near the surface. The electrical characteristics were investigated in Schottky junctions by current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. Atomic force microscopy (AFM, conductive AFM and scanning probe capacitance microscopy (SCM were applied to reveal morphology and local electrical properties. The scanning probe methods yielded specific information, and tapping-mode AFM has shown up to 13-nm-high large-area protrusions not seen in the contact-mode AFM. The electrical interaction of the vibrating scanning tip results in virtual deformation of the surface. SCM has revealed NCs deep below the surface not seen by AFM. The electrically active probe yielded significantly better spatial resolution than AFM. The conductive AFM measurements have shown that the Cr-related point defects near the surface are responsible for the leakage of the macroscopic Schottky junctions, and also that NCs near the surface are sensitive to the mechanical and electrical stress induced by the scanning probe.

The integration of InGaP LEDs with CMOS on 200 mm silicon wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bing; Lee, Kwang Hong; Wang, Cong; Wang, Yue; Made, Riko I.; Sasangka, Wardhana Aji; Nguyen, Viet Cuong; Lee, Kenneth Eng Kian; Tan, Chuan Seng; Yoon, Soon Fatt; Fitzgerald, Eugene A.; Michel, Jurgen

2017-02-01

The integration of photonics and electronics on a converged silicon CMOS platform is a long pursuit goal for both academe and industry. We have been developing technologies that can integrate III-V compound semiconductors and CMOS circuits on 200 mm silicon wafers. As an example we present our work on the integration of InGaP light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with CMOS. The InGaP LEDs were epitaxially grown on high-quality GaAs and Ge buffers on 200 mm (100) silicon wafers in a MOCVD reactor. Strain engineering was applied to control the wafer bow that is induced by the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion between III-V films and silicon substrate. Wafer bonding was used to transfer the foundry-made silicon CMOS wafers to the InGaP LED wafers. Process trenches were opened on the CMOS layer to expose the underneath III-V device layers for LED processing. We show the issues encountered in the 200 mm processing and the methods we have been developing to overcome the problems.

Tailoring the optical characteristics of microsized InP nanoneedles directly grown on silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kun; Sun, Hao; Ren, Fan; Ng, Kar Wei; Tran, Thai-Truong D; Chen, Roger; Chang-Hasnain, Connie J

2014-01-08

Nanoscale self-assembly offers a pathway to realize heterogeneous integration of III-V materials on silicon. However, for III-V nanowires directly grown on silicon, dislocation-free single-crystal quality could only be attained below certain critical dimensions. We recently reported a new approach that overcomes this size constraint, demonstrating the growth of single-crystal InGaAs/GaAs and InP nanoneedles with the base diameters exceeding 1 μm. Here, we report distinct optical characteristics of InP nanoneedles which are varied from mostly zincblende, zincblende/wurtzite-mixed, to pure wurtzite crystalline phase. We achieved, for the first time, pure single-crystal wurtzite-phase InP nanoneedles grown on silicon with bandgaps of 80 meV larger than that of zincblende-phase InP. Being able to attain excellent material quality while scaling up in size promises outstanding device performance of these nanoneedles. At room temperature, a high internal quantum efficiency of 25% and optically pumped lasing are demonstrated for single nanoneedle as-grown on silicon substrate. Recombination dynamics proves the excellent surface quality of the InP nanoneedles, which paves the way toward achieving multijunction photovoltaic cells, long-wavelength heterostructure lasers, and advanced photonic integrated circuits.

Photonic porous silicon as a pH sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pace, Stephanie; Vasani, Roshan B; Zhao, Wei; Perrier, Sébastien; Voelcker, Nicolas H

2014-01-01

Chronic wounds do not heal within 3 months, and during the lengthy healing process, the wound is invariably exposed to bacteria, which can colonize the wound bed and form biofilms. This alters the wound metabolism and brings about a change of pH. In this work, porous silicon photonic films were coated with the pH-responsive polymer poly(2-diethylaminoethyl acrylate). We demonstrated that the pH-responsive polymer deposited on the surface of the photonic film acts as a barrier to prevent water from penetrating inside the porous matrix at neutral pH. Moreover, the device demonstrated optical pH sensing capability visible by the unaided eye.

Photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanorods/p-type Si heterojunction structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafal Pietruszka

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Selected properties of photovoltaic (PV structures based on n-type zinc oxide nanorods grown by a low temperature hydrothermal method on p-type silicon substrates (100 are investigated. PV structures were covered with thin films of Al doped ZnO grown by atomic layer deposition acting as transparent electrodes. The investigated PV structures differ in terms of the shapes and densities of their nanorods. The best response is observed for the structure containing closely-spaced nanorods, which show light conversion efficiency of 3.6%.

Two-dimensional ferromagnet/semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenide contacts: p-type Schottky barrier and spin-injection control

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Zhang, Qingyun

2013-01-01

We study the ferromagnet/semiconductor contacts formed by transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, focusing on semiconducting MoS2 and WS2 and ferromagnetic VS2. We investigate the degree of p-type doping and demonstrate tuning of the Schottky barrier height by vertical compressive pressure. An analytical model is presented for the barrier heights that accurately describes the numerical findings and is expected to be of general validity for all transition metal dichalcogenide metal/semiconductor contacts. Furthermore, magnetic proximity effects induce a 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level in the semiconductor where the spin splitting increases up to 0.70 eV for increasing pressure.

Two-dimensional ferromagnet/semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenide contacts: p-type Schottky barrier and spin-injection control

KAUST Repository

Gan, Liyong

2013-09-26

We study the ferromagnet/semiconductor contacts formed by transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, focusing on semiconducting MoS2 and WS2 and ferromagnetic VS2. We investigate the degree of p-type doping and demonstrate tuning of the Schottky barrier height by vertical compressive pressure. An analytical model is presented for the barrier heights that accurately describes the numerical findings and is expected to be of general validity for all transition metal dichalcogenide metal/semiconductor contacts. Furthermore, magnetic proximity effects induce a 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level in the semiconductor where the spin splitting increases up to 0.70 eV for increasing pressure.

High-performance thin-film-transistors based on semiconducting-enriched single-walled carbon nanotubes processed by electrical-breakdown strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aïssa, B., E-mail: aissab@emt.inrs.ca [Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, INRS, 1650, boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec J3X 1S2 (Canada); Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 5825, Doha (Qatar); Nedil, M. [Telebec Wireless Underground Communication Laboratory, UQAT, 675, 1" è" r" e Avenue, Val d’Or, Québec J9P 1Y3 (Canada); Habib, M.A. [Computer Sciences and Engineering Department, Yanbu University College, P.O. Box 30031 (Saudi Arabia); Abdul-Hafidh, E.H. [High Energy Physics Department, Yanbu University College, P.O. Box 30031 (Saudi Arabia); Rosei, F. [Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, INRS, 1650, boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Quebec J3X 1S2 (Canada)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • We selectively burn metallic single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) by electrical breakdown. • We successfully achieve a semiconducting enriched-SWCNT in TFT configuration. • High performance, like On/Off of 10{sup 5} and a subthreshold swing of 165 mV/decades were obtained. • After PMMA coating, the SWCNT–TFTs were found stables for more than 4 months. - Abstract: Over the past two decades, among remarkable variety of nanomaterials, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) remain the most intriguing and uniquely well suited materials for applications in high-performance electronics. The most advanced technologies require the ability to form purely semiconducting SWCNTs. Here, we report on our strategy based on the well known progressive electrical breakdown process that offer this capability and serves as highly efficient means for selectively removing metallic carbon nanotubes from electronically heterogeneous random networks, deposited on silicon substrates in a thin film transistor (TFT) configuration. We demonstrate the successful achievement of semiconducting enriched-SWCNT networks in TFT scheme that reach On/Off switching ratios of ∼100,000, on-conductance of 20 μS, and a subthreshold swing of less than 165 mV/decades. The obtained TFT devices were then protected with thin film poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to keep the percolation level of the SWCNTs network spatially and temporally stable, while protecting it from atmosphere exchanges. TFT devices were found to be air-stable and maintained their excellent characteristics in ambient atmosphere for more than 4 months. This approach could work as a platform for future nanotube-based nanoelectronics.

Identification of photoluminescence P line in indium doped silicon as In{sub Si}-Si{sub i} defect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauer, Kevin, E-mail: klauer@cismst.de; Möller, Christian [CiS Forschungsinstitut für Mikrosensorik und Photovoltaik GmbH, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 14, 99099 Erfurt (Germany); Schulze, Dirk [TU Ilmenau, Institut für Physik, Weimarer Str. 32, 98693 Ilmenau (Germany); Ahrens, Carsten [Infineon Technologies AG, Am Campeon 1-12, 85579 Neubiberg (Germany)

2015-01-15

Indium and carbon co-implanted silicon was investigated by low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy. A photoluminescence peak in indium doped silicon (P line) was found to depend on the position of a silicon interstitial rich region, the existence of a SiN{sub x}:H/SiO{sub x} stack and on characteristic illumination and annealing steps. These results led to the conclusion that silicon interstitials are involved in the defect and that hydrogen impacts the defect responsible for the P line. By applying an unique illumination and annealing cycle we were able to link the P line defect with a defect responsible for degradation of charge carrier lifetime in indium as well as boron doped silicon. We deduced a defect model consisting of one acceptor and one silicon interstitial atom denoted by A{sub Si}-Si{sub i}, which is able to explain the experimental data of the P line as well as the light-induced degradation in indium and boron doped silicon. Using this model we identified the defect responsible for the P line as In{sub Si}-Si{sub i} in neutral charge state and C{sub 2v} configuration.

Tin (Sn) - An Unlikely Ally to Extend Moore's Law for Silicon CMOS?

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2012-12-01

There has been an exponential increase in the performance of silicon based semiconductor devices in the past few decades. This improvement has mainly been due to dimensional scaling of the MOSFET. However, physical constraints limit the continued growth in device performance. To overcome this problem, novel channel materials are being developed to enhance carrier mobility and hence increase device performance. This work explores a novel semiconducting alloy - Silicon-tin (SiSn) as a channel material for CMOS applications. For the first time ever, MOS devices using SiSn as channel material have been demonstrated. A low cost, scalable and manufacturable process for obtaining SiSn by diffusion of Sn into silicon has also been explored. The channel material thus obtained is electrically characterized by fabricating MOSCAPs and Mesa-shaped MOSFETs. The SiSn devices have been compared to similar devices fabricated using silicon as channel material.

Photo-EMF Sensitivity of Porous Silicon Thin Layer–Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction to Ammonia Adsorption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kae Dal Kwack

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light.

Photo-EMF sensitivity of porous silicon thin layer-crystalline silicon heterojunction to ammonia adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Vashpanov, Yuriy; Jung, Jae Il; Kwack, Kae Dal

2011-01-01

A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light.

Photo-EMF Sensitivity of Porous Silicon Thin Layer–Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction to Ammonia Adsorption

Science.gov (United States)

Vashpanov, Yuriy; Jung, Jae Il; Kwack, Kae Dal

2011-01-01

A new method of using photo-electromotive force in detecting gas and controlling sensitivity is proposed. Photo-electromotive force on the heterojunction between porous silicon thin layer and crystalline silicon wafer depends on the concentration of ammonia in the measurement chamber. A porous silicon thin layer was formed by electrochemical etching on p-type silicon wafer. A gas and light transparent electrical contact was manufactured to this porous layer. Photo-EMF sensitivity corresponding to ammonia concentration in the range from 10 ppm to 1,000 ppm can be maximized by controlling the intensity of illumination light. PMID:22319353

Radiation damage and defect behavior in proton irradiated lithium-counterdoped n/sup +/p silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stupica, J.; Goradia, C.; Swartz, C.K.; Weinberg, I.

1987-01-01

Two lithium-counterdoped n/sup +/p silicon solar cells with different lithium concentrations were irradiated by 10 MeV protons. Cell performance was measured as a function of fluence, and it was found that the cell with the highest concentration of lithium had the higher radiation resistance. Deep level defects were studied using deep level transient spectroscopy which yielded two defects that were lithium related. Relating the defect energy levels obtained from this study under 10 MeV protons, with an earlier work using 1 MeV electron irradiations shows no correlation of the defect energy levels. There is one marked comparison though. The absence of the boron interstitial-oxygen interstitial defect. This consistency strengthens the belief that lithium interacts with oxygen to prevent the formation of the boron interstitial-oxygen interstitial defect. The present results indicate that, in general, addition of lithium in small amounts to the p-base of a boron doped silicon solar cell such that the base remains p-type, tends to increase the radiation resistance of the cell

A silicon nanowire heater and thermometer

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xingyan; Dan, Yaping

2017-07-01

In the thermal conductivity measurements of thermoelectric materials, heaters and thermometers made of the same semiconducting materials under test, forming a homogeneous system, will significantly simplify fabrication and integration. In this work, we demonstrate a high-performance heater and thermometer made of single silicon nanowires (SiNWs). The SiNWs are patterned out of a silicon-on-insulator wafer by CMOS-compatible fabrication processes. The electronic properties of the nanowires are characterized by four-probe and low temperature Hall effect measurements. The I-V curves of the nanowires are linear at small voltage bias. The temperature dependence of the nanowire resistance allows the nanowire to be used as a highly sensitive thermometer. At high voltage bias, the I-V curves of the nanowire become nonlinear due to the effect of Joule heating. The temperature of the nanowire heater can be accurately monitored by the nanowire itself as a thermometer.

Enhanced H2S Sensing Performance of a p-type Semiconducting PdO-NiO Nanoscale Heteromixture

Science.gov (United States)

Balamurugan, C.; Jeong, Y. J.; Lee, D. W.

2017-10-01

Semiconducting nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO) and PdO-doped NiO heteromixture (2, 5 and 10 wt%) have been synthesized via a metal-citrate complex method. The obtained materials were further characterized using TG/DTA, FT-IR, UV-vis, XRD, XPS, BET/BJH, SEM and TEM analyses to determine their structural and morphological properties. The results indicated that the spherical, uniform PdO nanoparticles were densely deposited on the NiO surface mainly in diameters of 10-15 nm. Moreover, the existence of various defect states was also analyzed with the help of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The gas response characteristics of synthesized materials were evaluated in the presence and absence of toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), and ethanol (C2H5OH). The experimental results revealed that the sensitivity and selectivity of the NiO-based sensor material are dependent on the weight% of PdO loading in the NiO nanopowder. Among the investigated compound, the 5 wt% PdO-doped NiO sensor material showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity to 100 ppm H2S with a fast response/recovery characteristics of 6 s and 10 s, respectively. Furthermore, the 5 wt% PdO-doped NiO based sensor showed a linear relationship between the different concentrations of H2S gas and a significantly higher response to H2S even at the low concentration of 20 ppm (43%) at 60 °C. The dominant H2S gas sensing mechanisms in the NiO and 5 wt% PdO-doped NiO nanomaterials are systematically discussed based on the obtained characterization results.

High-mobility ultrathin semiconducting films prepared by spin coating

Science.gov (United States)

Mitzi, David B.; Kosbar, Laura L.; Murray, Conal E.; Copel, Matthew; Afzali, Ali

2004-03-01

The ability to deposit and tailor reliable semiconducting films (with a particular recent emphasis on ultrathin systems) is indispensable for contemporary solid-state electronics. The search for thin-film semiconductors that provide simultaneously high carrier mobility and convenient solution-based deposition is also an important research direction, with the resulting expectations of new technologies (such as flexible or wearable computers, large-area high-resolution displays and electronic paper) and lower-cost device fabrication. Here we demonstrate a technique for spin coating ultrathin (~50Å), crystalline and continuous metal chalcogenide films, based on the low-temperature decomposition of highly soluble hydrazinium precursors. We fabricate thin-film field-effect transistors (TFTs) based on semiconducting SnS2-xSex films, which exhibit n-type transport, large current densities (>105Acm-2) and mobilities greater than 10cm2V-1s-1-an order of magnitude higher than previously reported values for spin-coated semiconductors. The spin-coating technique is expected to be applicable to a range of metal chalcogenides, particularly those based on main group metals, as well as for the fabrication of a variety of thin-film-based devices (for example, solar cells, thermoelectrics and memory devices).

Rectification properties of n-type nanocrystalline diamond heterojunctions to p-type silicon carbide at high temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goto, Masaki; Amano, Ryo; Shimoda, Naotaka [Graduate School of Automotive Science, Kyushu University, Nishiku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Kato, Yoshimine, E-mail: yoshimine.kato@zaiko.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyushu University, Nishiku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Teii, Kungen [Department of Applied Science for Electronics and Materials, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2014-04-14

Highly rectifying heterojunctions of n-type nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films to p-type 4H-SiC substrates are fabricated to develop p-n junction diodes operable at high temperatures. In reverse bias condition, a potential barrier for holes at the interface prevents the injection of reverse leakage current from the NCD into the SiC and achieves the high rectification ratios of the order of 10{sup 7} at room temperature and 10{sup 4} even at 570 K. The mechanism of the forward current injection is described with the upward shift of the defect energy levels in the NCD to the conduction band of the SiC by forward biasing. The forward current shows different behavior from typical SiC Schottky diodes at high temperatures.

Technology development of p-type microstrip detectors with radiation hard p-spray isolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellegrini, G.; Fleta, C.; Campabadal, F.; Diez, S.; Lozano, M.; Rafi, J.M.; Ullan, M.

2006-01-01

A technology for the fabrication of p-type microstrip silicon radiation detectors using p-spray implant isolation has been developed at CNM-IMB. The p-spray isolation has been optimized in order to withstand a gamma irradiation dose up to 50 Mrad (Si), which represents the ionization radiation dose expected in the middle region of the SCT-Atlas detector of the future Super-LHC during 10 years of operation. The best technological options for the p-spray implant were found by using a simulation software package and dedicated calibration runs. Using the optimized technology, detectors have been fabricated in the Clean Room facility of CNM-IMB, and characterized by reverse current and capacitance measurements before and after irradiation. The average full depletion voltage measured on the non-irradiated detectors was V FD =41±3 V, while the leakage current density for the microstrip devices at V FD +20 V was 400 nA/cm 2

Scanning microwave microscopy applied to semiconducting GaAs structures

Science.gov (United States)

Buchter, Arne; Hoffmann, Johannes; Delvallée, Alexandra; Brinciotti, Enrico; Hapiuk, Dimitri; Licitra, Christophe; Louarn, Kevin; Arnoult, Alexandre; Almuneau, Guilhem; Piquemal, François; Zeier, Markus; Kienberger, Ferry

2018-02-01

A calibration algorithm based on one-port vector network analyzer (VNA) calibration for scanning microwave microscopes (SMMs) is presented and used to extract quantitative carrier densities from a semiconducting n-doped GaAs multilayer sample. This robust and versatile algorithm is instrument and frequency independent, as we demonstrate by analyzing experimental data from two different, cantilever- and tuning fork-based, microscope setups operating in a wide frequency range up to 27.5 GHz. To benchmark the SMM results, comparison with secondary ion mass spectrometry is undertaken. Furthermore, we show SMM data on a GaAs p-n junction distinguishing p- and n-doped layers.

A multiple p-n junction structure obtained from as-grown Czochralski silicon crystals by heat treatment - Application to solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Chi, J. Y.; Gatos, H. C.; Mao, B. Y.

1980-01-01

Multiple p-n junctions have been prepared in as-grown Czochralski p-type silicon through overcompensation near the oxygen periodic concentration maxima by oxygen thermal donors generated during heat treatment at 450 C. Application of the multiple p-n-junction configuration to photovoltaic energy conversion has been investigated. A new solar-cell structure based on multiple p-n-junctions was developed. Theoretical analysis showed that a significant increase in collection efficiency over the conventional solar cells can be achieved.

Electrodeposition of cadmium on n-type silicon single crystals of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sea

type silicon have been studied as a function of different potential steps. Within appropriate potential ... including progressive nucleation on active sites and diffusion controlled cluster growth. ..... al CdSe nanocrystals on {111} gold. Surf. Sci.

pH-controlled silicon nanowires fluorescence switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu Lixuan; Shi Wensheng; Zhang Taiping; Zhang Hongyan; She Guangwei

2010-01-01

Covalently immobilizing photoinduced electronic transfer (PET) fluorophore 3-[N, N-bis(9-anthrylmethyl)amino]-propyltriethoxysilane (DiAN) on the surface of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) resulted a SiNWs-based fluorescence switch. This fluorescence switch is operated by adjustment of the acidity of the environment and exhibits sensitive response to pH at the range from 8 to 10. Such response is attributed to the effect of pH on the PET process. The successful combination of logic switch and SiNWs provides a rational approach to assemble different logic molecules on SiNWs for realization of miniaturization and modularization of switches and logic devices.

Electrochemical characterization of carbon coated bundle-type silicon nanorod for anode material in lithium ion secondary batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halim, Martin; Kim, Jung Sub; Choi, Jeong-Gil; Lee, Joong Kee

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Bundle-type silicon nanorods (BSNR) were synthesized by metal assisted chemical etching. • Novel bundle-type nanorods electrode showed self-relaxant characteristics. • The self-relaxant property was enhanced by increasing the silver concentration. • PAA binder enhanced the self-relaxant property of the silicon material. • Carbon coated BSNR (BSNR@C) has evidently provided better cycle performance. - Abstract: Nanostructured silicon synthesis by surface modification of commercial micro-powder silicon was investigated in order to reduce the maximum volume change over cycle. The surface of micro-powder silicon was modified using an Ag metal-assisted chemical etching technique to produce nanostructured material in the form of bundle-type silicon nanorods. The volume change of the electrode using the nanostructured silicon during cycle was investigated using an in-situ dilatometer. Our result shows that nanostructured silicon synthesized using this method showed a self-relaxant characteristic as an anode material for lithium ion battery application. Moreover, binder selection plays a role in enhancing self-relaxant properties during delithiation via strong hydrogen interaction on the surface of the silicon material. The nanostructured silicon was then coated with carbon from propylene gas and showed higher capacity retention with the use of polyacrylic acid (PAA) binder. While the nano-size of the pore diameter control may significantly affect the capacity fading of nanostructured silicon, it can be mitigated via carbon coating, probably due to the prevention of Li ion penetration into 10 nano-meter sized pores

Electrochemical characterization of carbon coated bundle-type silicon nanorod for anode material in lithium ion secondary batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halim, Martin [Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Energy and Environmental Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology, Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Sub [Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Material Science & Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jeong-Gil [Department of Chemical Engineering, Hannam University, 461-1 Junmin-dong, Yusung-gu, Taejon 305-811 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Joong Kee, E-mail: leejk@kist.re.kr [Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Energy and Environmental Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology, Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Bundle-type silicon nanorods (BSNR) were synthesized by metal assisted chemical etching. • Novel bundle-type nanorods electrode showed self-relaxant characteristics. • The self-relaxant property was enhanced by increasing the silver concentration. • PAA binder enhanced the self-relaxant property of the silicon material. • Carbon coated BSNR (BSNR@C) has evidently provided better cycle performance. - Abstract: Nanostructured silicon synthesis by surface modification of commercial micro-powder silicon was investigated in order to reduce the maximum volume change over cycle. The surface of micro-powder silicon was modified using an Ag metal-assisted chemical etching technique to produce nanostructured material in the form of bundle-type silicon nanorods. The volume change of the electrode using the nanostructured silicon during cycle was investigated using an in-situ dilatometer. Our result shows that nanostructured silicon synthesized using this method showed a self-relaxant characteristic as an anode material for lithium ion battery application. Moreover, binder selection plays a role in enhancing self-relaxant properties during delithiation via strong hydrogen interaction on the surface of the silicon material. The nanostructured silicon was then coated with carbon from propylene gas and showed higher capacity retention with the use of polyacrylic acid (PAA) binder. While the nano-size of the pore diameter control may significantly affect the capacity fading of nanostructured silicon, it can be mitigated via carbon coating, probably due to the prevention of Li ion penetration into 10 nano-meter sized pores.

Investigating the effect of silicon surface chemical treatment on Al/Si contact properties in GaP/Si solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kudryashov, D.; Gudovskikh, A.

2018-03-01

In the present work, experimental studies have been carried out to reveal how chemical treatment of a silicon surface affects the properties of the Al/Si contact. It has been shown that for p-type monocrystalline silicon substrates with a resistivity of 10 ohm cm, it is possible to form an ohmic Al/Si contact by magnetron sputtering of an aluminum thin film and its further annealing at temperatures of 400 - 450 °C. In the range of annealing temperatures of 250 - 400 °C, the Si substrate treatment in the HF solution leads to a significant increase in currents on the current-voltage curves of the Al/Si contact, while in the range of 450 - 700 °C, the effect of chemical treatment of the silicon is not detected.

Band structure properties of (BGa)P semiconductors for lattice matched integration on (001) silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hossain, Nadir; Sweeney, Stephen [Advanced Technology Institute and Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Hosea, Jeff [Advanced Technology Institute and Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK and Ibnu Sina Institute for Fundamental Science Studies, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310 (Malaysia); Liebich, Sven; Zimprich, Martin; Volz, Kerstin; Stolz, Wolfgang [Material Sciences Center and Faculty of Physics, Philipps-University, 35032 Marburg (Germany); Kunert, Bernerdette [NAsP III/V GmbH, Am Knechtacker 19, 35041 Marburg (Germany)

2013-12-04

We report the band structure properties of (BGa)P layers grown on silicon substrate using metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy. Using surface photo-voltage spectroscopy we find that both the direct and indirect band gaps of (BGa)P alloys (strained and unstrained) decrease with Boron content. Our experimental results suggest that the band gap of (BGa)P layers up to 6% Boron is large and suitable to be used as cladding and contact layers in GaP-based quantum well heterostructures on silicon substrates.

Effect of cobalt-60 {gamma} radiation and of thermal neutrons on high resistance P and N silicon. Possibility of obtaining a nuclear compensation for P type silicon; Effects du rayonnement {gamma} du cobalt 60 et de neutrons thermiques sur du silicium P et N de haute resistivite. Possibilite de realiser une compensation nucleaire d'un silicium du type P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Messier, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1965-11-01

Type P silicon has been compensated by the production of a controlled and uniform amount of donor atoms ({sup 31}P) using thermal neutrons to bring about a nuclear transformation. It is shown that it is possible in this way to reduce by a factor of about one hundred the overall concentration of residual ionised impurities in the purest crystals obtained by floating zone purification (2 x 10{sup 12} atoms/cm{sup 3}). The degree compensation obtained is limited by the initial inhomogeneity of acceptor impurities which have to be compensated. Lattice defects which still remain after prolonged annealings reduce the life-time of the material to about 10 {mu}s approximately. Particle detectors having thicknesses of 2 to 5 mm have been built by this process; they give good results, particularly at low temperatures. A study has also been made of the number and of the nature of lattice defects produced by thermal neutrons in high resistivity P and N type crystals. These defects have been compared to those produced by {gamma} rays from {sup 60}Co. A discussion is given of the validity of the Wertheim model concerning pronounced recombination at low temperatures (77 deg. K - 300 deg. K) of primary defect-interstitial pairs. The nature of the defects introducing energy levels into the lower half of the forbidden band has been studied. (author) [French] On a compense du silicium de type P en produisant, au moyen de neutrons thermiques, par transmutation nucleaire une quantite controlee et uniforme d'atomes donneurs ({sup 31}P). On montre qu'on peut ainsi reduire de cent fois environ la densite nette d'impuretes ionisees residuelles subsistant dans les cristaux les plus purs obtenus par purification par zone flottante (2.10{sup 12} atomes/cm{sup 3}). Le degre de compensation obtenu est limite par i'inhomogeneite initiale des impuretes acceptrices a compenser. Des defauts de reseau qui subsistent meme apres des recuits prolonges reduisent la duree de vie du materiau a 10 {mu

Determination of Shear Deformation Potentials from the Free-Carrier Piezobirefringence in Germanium and Silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riskaer, Sven

1966-01-01

The present investigations of the free-carrier piezobirefringence phenomenon verify that in n-type germanium and silicon as well as in p-type silicon this effect can be ascribed to intraband transitions of the carriers. It is demonstrated how a combined investigation of the low-stress and high......-stress piezobirefringence in these materials provides a direct and independent method for determining deformation-potential constants. For n-type germanium we obtain Ξu=18.0±0.5 eV, for n-type silicon Ξu=8.5±0.4 eV; for p-type silicon a rather crude analytical approximation yields b=-3.1 eV and d=-8.3 eV. Finally...

Amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunctions for nuclear radiation detector applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, J.T.; Hong, W.S.; Luke, P.N.; Wang, N.W.; Ziemba, F.P.

1996-01-01

Results on the characterization of the electrical properties of amorphous silicon films for the three different growth methods, RF sputtering, PECVD, and LPCVD are reported. The performance of these a-Si films as heterojunctions on high resistivity p-type and n-type crystalline silicon is examined by measuring the noise, leakage current and the alpha particle response of 5 mm diameter detector structures. It is demonstrated that heterojunction detectors formed by RF sputtered films and PECVD films are comparable in performance with conventional surface barrier detectors. The results indicate that the a-Si/c-Si heterojunctions have the potential to greatly simplify detector fabrication. Directions for future avenues of nuclear particle detector development are indicated

Superconductivity in an Inhomogeneous Bundle of Metallic and Semiconducting Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilya Grigorenko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Using Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism for inhomogeneous systems, we have studied superconducting properties of a bundle of packed carbon nanotubes, making a triangular lattice in the bundle's transverse cross-section. The bundle consists of a mixture of metallic and doped semiconducting nanotubes, which have different critical transition temperatures. We investigate how a spatially averaged superconducting order parameter and the critical transition temperature depend on the fraction of the doped semiconducting carbon nanotubes in the bundle. Our simulations suggest that the superconductivity in the bundle will be suppressed when the fraction of the doped semiconducting carbon nanotubes will be less than 0.5, which is the percolation threshold for a two-dimensional triangular lattice.

Effect of fabrication parameters on morphological and optical properties of highly doped p-porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zare, Maryam, E-mail: mar.zare@gmail.com [Young Researchers Club, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shokrollahi, Abbas [Young Researchers Club, Khomeinishahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khomeinishahr (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Seraji, Faramarz E. [Optical Communication Group, Iran Telecom Research Center, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-09-01

Porous silicon (PS) layers were fabricated by anodization of low resistive (highly doped) p-type silicon in HF/ethanol solution, by varying current density, etching time and HF concentration. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analyses were used to investigate the physical properties and reflection spectrum was used to investigate the optical behavior of PS layers in different fabrication conditions. Vertically aligned mesoporous morphology is observed in fabricated films and with HF concentration higher than 20%. The dependence of porosity, layer thickness and rms roughness of the PS layer on current density, etching time and composition of electrolyte is also observed in obtained results. Correlation between reflectivity and fabrication parameters was also explored. Thermal oxidation was performed on some mesoporous layers that resulted in changes of surface roughness, mean height and reflectivity of the layers.

Electrical transport properties of manganese containing pyrochlore type semiconducting oxides using impedance analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumi, S.; Prabhakar Rao, P.; Mahesh, S.K.; Koshy, Peter

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: DC conductivity variation of CaCe 1−x Mn x SnNbO 7−δ (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6) with inverse of temperature. Variation of conductivity with Mn concentration at 600 °C is shown in the inset. Display Omitted Highlights: ► We have observed that the structural ordering as well as grain size increase with Mn substitution. ► Impedance analysis proved that a correlated barrier hopping type conduction mechanism is involved in the materials. ► Activation energy as well as electrical conductivity increases with increase in Mn substitution. ► Localization of electrons associated with Mn 2+ and structural ordering are the key factors for the increased activation energy with Mn substitution. ► All the materials showed good NTC thermistor properties. -- Abstract: A new series of manganese containing pyrochlore type semiconducting oxides CaCe 1−x Mn x SnNbO 7−δ (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6) have been synthesized to study the effect of Mn substitution on the structure, microstructure and electrical properties of these samples. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy studies revealed an increase of structural ordering and grain size respectively with increase of Mn substitution. Rietveld analysis and Raman spectroscopy were also employed to corroborate the XRD results. The bulk resistance measurements with temperature exhibit negative temperature coefficient behavior. The impedance analysis of the samples revealed a non-Debye type relaxation existed in the materials. The ac conductivity variation with temperature and frequency indicates a correlated barrier hopping type conduction mechanism in these materials. The barrier height and the intersite separation for hopping influence the electrical conductivity of these samples and are found to be a function of localization of electrons associated with the Mn 2+ ions and the unit cell volume respectively. The Mn substitution increases both electrical conductivity and activation energy

p-Type semiconducting nickel oxide as an efficiency-enhancing anode interfacial layer in polymer bulk-heterojunction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Michael D.; Buchholz, D. Bruce; Hains, Alexander W.; Chang, Robert P. H.; Marks, Tobin J.

2008-01-01

To minimize interfacial power losses, thin (5–80 nm) layers of NiO, a p-type oxide semiconductor, are inserted between the active organic layer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) + [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), and the ITO (tin-doped indium oxide) anode of bulk-heterojunction ITO/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al solar cells. The interfacial NiO layer is deposited by pulsed laser deposition directly onto cleaned ITO, and the active layer is subsequently deposited by spin-coating. Insertion of the NiO layer affords cell power conversion efficiencies as high as 5.2% and enhances the fill factor to 69% and the open-circuit voltage (Voc) to 638 mV versus an ITO/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al control device. The value of such hole-transporting/electron-blocking interfacial layers is clearly demonstrated and should be applicable to other organic photovoltaics.

Epitaxy - a new technology for fabrication of advanced silicon radiation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemmer, J.; Wiest, F.; Pahlke, A.; Boslau, O.; Goldstrass, P.; Eggert, T.; Schindler, M.; Eisele, I.

2005-01-01

Twenty five years after the introduction of the planar process to the fabrication of silicon radiation detectors a new technology, which replaces the ion implantation doping by silicon epitaxy is presented. The power of this new technique is demonstrated by fabrication of silicon drift detectors (SDDs), whereby both the n-type and p-type implants are replaced by n-type and p-type epi-layers. The very first SDDs ever produced with this technique show energy resolutions of 150 eV for 55 Fe at -35 deg C. The area of the detectors is 10 mm 2 and the thickness 300 μm. The high potential of epitaxy for future detectors with integrated complex electronics is described

Electronic and elastic properties of new semiconducting oP{sub 12}-type RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hao Xianfeng; Xu Yuanhui; Gao Faming, E-mail: xfhao1980@yahoo.com.cn [Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

2011-03-30

Using first-principles total energy calculations we investigate the structural, elastic and electronic properties of new hypothetical oP{sub 12}-type phase RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2}. The calculations indicate that the oP{sub 12}-type phase RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2} are thermodynamically and mechanically stable. Remarkably, the new phases RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2} are predicted to be semiconductors, and the appearance of band gaps is ascribed to the enhanced B-B covalent hybridization. Compared to metallic oP{sub 6}-type RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2} phases, the new phases possess similar mechanical properties and hardness. The combination of the probability of tunable electronic properties, strong stiffness and high hardness make RuB{sub 2} and OsB{sub 2} attractive and interesting for advanced applications.

Structure-Property Relationships of Semiconducting Polymers for Flexible and Durable Polymer Field-Effect Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min Je; Jung, A-Ra; Lee, Myeongjae; Kim, Dongjin; Ro, Suhee; Jin, Seon-Mi; Nguyen, Hieu Dinh; Yang, Jeehye; Lee, Kyung-Koo; Lee, Eunji; Kang, Moon Sung; Kim, Hyunjung; Choi, Jong-Ho; Kim, BongSoo; Cho, Jeong Ho

2017-11-22

We report high-performance top-gate bottom-contact flexible polymer field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated by flow-coating diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based and naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based polymers (P(DPP2DT-T2), P(DPP2DT-TT), P(DPP2DT-DTT), P(NDI2OD-T2), P(NDI2OD-F2T2), and P(NDI2OD-Se2)) as semiconducting channel materials. All of the polymers displayed good FET characteristics with on/off current ratios exceeding 10 7 . The highest hole mobility of 1.51 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and the highest electron mobility of 0.85 cm 2 V -1 s -1 were obtained from the P(DPP2DT-T2) and P(NDI2OD-Se2) polymer FETs, respectively. The impacts of the polymer structures on the FET performance are well-explained by the interplay between the crystallinity, the tendency of the polymer backbone to adopt an edge-on orientation, and the interconnectivity of polymer fibrils in the film state. Additionally, we demonstrated that all of the flexible polymer-based FETs were highly resistant to tensile stress, with negligible changes in their carrier mobilities and on/off ratios after a bending test. Conclusively, these high-performance, flexible, and durable FETs demonstrate the potential of semiconducting conjugated polymers for use in flexible electronic applications.

Electrical leakage phenomenon in heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Zielinski, Marcin; Bosi, Matteo; Verzellesi, Giovanni; Gaskill, D. Kurt; Iacopi, Francesca

2018-06-01

Heteroepitaxial 3C-SiC films on silicon substrates are of technological interest as enablers to integrate the excellent electrical, electronic, mechanical, thermal, and epitaxial properties of bulk silicon carbide into well-established silicon technologies. One critical bottleneck of this integration is the establishment of a stable and reliable electronic junction at the heteroepitaxial interface of the n-type SiC with the silicon substrate. We have thus investigated in detail the electrical and transport properties of heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide films grown via different methods on low-doped and high-resistivity silicon substrates by using van der Pauw Hall and transfer length measurements as test vehicles. We have found that Si and C intermixing upon or after growth, particularly by the diffusion of carbon into the silicon matrix, creates extensive interstitial carbon traps and hampers the formation of a stable rectifying or insulating junction at the SiC/Si interface. Although a reliable p-n junction may not be realistic in the SiC/Si system, we can achieve, from a point of view of the electrical isolation of in-plane SiC structures, leakage suppression through the substrate by using a high-resistivity silicon substrate coupled with deep recess etching in between the SiC structures.

Compensation of native donor doping in ScN: Carrier concentration control and p-type ScN

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Bivas; Garbrecht, Magnus; Perez-Taborda, Jaime A.; Fawey, Mohammed H.; Koh, Yee Rui; Shakouri, Ali; Martin-Gonzalez, Marisol; Hultman, Lars; Sands, Timothy D.

2017-06-01

Scandium nitride (ScN) is an emerging indirect bandgap rocksalt semiconductor that has attracted significant attention in recent years for its potential applications in thermoelectric energy conversion devices, as a semiconducting component in epitaxial metal/semiconductor superlattices and as a substrate material for high quality GaN growth. Due to the presence of oxygen impurities and native defects such as nitrogen vacancies, sputter-deposited ScN thin-films are highly degenerate n-type semiconductors with carrier concentrations in the (1-6) × 1020 cm-3 range. In this letter, we show that magnesium nitride (MgxNy) acts as an efficient hole dopant in ScN and reduces the n-type carrier concentration, turning ScN into a p-type semiconductor at high doping levels. Employing a combination of high-resolution X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and room temperature optical and temperature dependent electrical measurements, we demonstrate that p-type Sc1-xMgxN thin-film alloys (a) are substitutional solid solutions without MgxNy precipitation, phase segregation, or secondary phase formation within the studied compositional region, (b) exhibit a maximum hole-concentration of 2.2 × 1020 cm-3 and a hole mobility of 21 cm2/Vs, (c) do not show any defect states inside the direct gap of ScN, thus retaining their basic electronic structure, and (d) exhibit alloy scattering dominating hole conduction at high temperatures. These results demonstrate MgxNy doped p-type ScN and compare well with our previous reports on p-type ScN with manganese nitride (MnxNy) doping.

Synthesis and Applications of Semiconducting Graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahrima Maharubin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Semimetal-to-semiconductor transition in graphene can bestow graphene with numerous novel and enhanced structural, electrical, optical, and physicochemical characteristics. The scope of graphene and its prospective for an array of implications could be significantly outspread by this transition. In consideration of the recent advancements of semiconducting graphene, this article widely reviews the properties, production, and developing operations of this emergent material. The comparisons among the benefits and difficulties of current methods are made, intending to offer evidences to develop novel and scalable synthesis approaches. The emphasis is on the properties and applications resulting from various conversion methods (doping, controlled reduction, and functionalization, expecting to get improved knowledge on semiconducting graphene materials. Intending to motivate further efficient implications, the mechanisms leading to their beneficial usages for energy conversion and storage are also emphasized.

High-mobility ultrathin semiconducting films prepared by spin coating.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitzi, David B; Kosbar, Laura L; Murray, Conal E; Copel, Matthew; Afzali, Ali

2004-03-18

The ability to deposit and tailor reliable semiconducting films (with a particular recent emphasis on ultrathin systems) is indispensable for contemporary solid-state electronics. The search for thin-film semiconductors that provide simultaneously high carrier mobility and convenient solution-based deposition is also an important research direction, with the resulting expectations of new technologies (such as flexible or wearable computers, large-area high-resolution displays and electronic paper) and lower-cost device fabrication. Here we demonstrate a technique for spin coating ultrathin (approximately 50 A), crystalline and continuous metal chalcogenide films, based on the low-temperature decomposition of highly soluble hydrazinium precursors. We fabricate thin-film field-effect transistors (TFTs) based on semiconducting SnS(2-x)Se(x) films, which exhibit n-type transport, large current densities (>10(5) A cm(-2)) and mobilities greater than 10 cm2 V(-1) s(-1)--an order of magnitude higher than previously reported values for spin-coated semiconductors. The spin-coating technique is expected to be applicable to a range of metal chalcogenides, particularly those based on main group metals, as well as for the fabrication of a variety of thin-film-based devices (for example, solar cells, thermoelectrics and memory devices).

Type I Clathrates as Novel Silicon Anodes: An Electrochemical and Structural Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ying; Raghavan, Rahul; Wagner, Nicholas A.; Davidowski, Stephen K.; Baggetto, Loïc; Zhao, Ran; Cheng, Qian; Yarger, Jeffery L.; Veith, Gabriel M.; Ellis‐Terrell, Carol; Miller, Michael A.; Chan, Kwai S.

2015-01-01

Silicon clathrates contain cage‐like structures that can encapsulate various guest atoms or molecules. An electrochemical evaluation of type I silicon clathrates based on Ba8AlySi46−y as the anode material for lithium‐ion batteries is presented here. Postcycling characterization with nuclear magnetic resonance and X‐ray diffraction shows no discernible structural or volume changes even after electrochemical insertion of 44 Li (≈1 Li/Si) into the clathrate structure. The observed properties are in stark contrast with lithiation of other silicon anodes, which become amorphous and suffer from large volume changes. The electrochemical reactions are proposed to occur as single phase reactions at approximately 0.2 and 0.4 V versus Li/Li+ during lithiation and delithiation, respectively, distinct from diamond cubic or amorphous silicon anodes. Reversible capacities as high as 499 mAh g−1 at a 5 mA g−1 rate were observed for silicon clathrate with composition Ba8Al8.54Si37.46, corresponding to ≈1.18 Li/Si. These results show that silicon clathrates could be promising durable anodes for lithium‐ion batteries. PMID:27980951

Embedding and electropolymerization of terthiophene derivatives in porous n-type silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badeva, Diyana, E-mail: diyana.badeva@cnrs-imn.fr [Equipe Physique des Materiaux et Nanostructures, IMN, B.P. 32229, 44322 Nantes cedex 3 (France); Tran-Van, Francois, E-mail: francois.tran@univ-tours.fr [Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Materiaux et des Electrolytes pour l' Energie (PCM2E), E.A 6299, Universite de Tours, Faculte des Sciences et Techniques, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours (France); Beouch, Layla, E-mail: layla.beouch@u-cergy.fr [Laboratoire de Physicochimie des Polymeres et des Interfaces, 5, mail Gay-Lussac, F-95031 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex (France); Chevrot, Claude, E-mail: claude.chevrot@u-cergy.fr [Laboratoire de Physicochimie des Polymeres et des Interfaces, 5, mail Gay-Lussac, F-95031 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex (France); Markova, Ivania, E-mail: vania@uctm.edu [Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 St. Kliment Ohridski blvd., 1756 Sofia (Bulgaria); Racheva, Todora, E-mail: todora@uctm.edu [Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 St. Kliment Ohridski blvd., 1756 Sofia (Bulgaria); Froyer, Gerard, E-mail: gerard.froyer@cnrs-imn.fr [Equipe Physique des Materiaux et Nanostructures, IMN, B.P. 32229, 44322 Nantes cedex 3 (France)

2012-04-16

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Development of a mesoporous silicon with special morphological and chemical properties. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Successful embedding of carboxylic-acid terthiophenic monomer in porous silicon. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In situ electrochemical polymerization. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polarized IRTF scattering provides the tendency to preferential organization. - Abstract: A mesoporous n-type silicon/poly (3 Prime -acetic acid-2,2 Prime -5 Prime ,2 Prime Prime terthiophene)-(Poly (3TAA) nanocomposite was elaborated in order to realize new components for optoelectronics. Non-oxidized and oxidized porous silicon substrates is used and their physical and chemical properties have been studied by different techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Terthiophene based conjugated structure has been successfully incorporated inside the pores by capillarity at the melting temperature of the monomer. The filling of the monomer into the porous volume was probed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Polarized infrared absorption spectroscopy results indicated that the monomer molecules show preferential orientation along the pore axis, due to hydrogen bonding, in particular that of the carboxylic groups with silanol-rich oxidized porous silicon surface. The 3TAA monomer molecules embedded in porous silicon matrix were electrochemically polymerized in situ and resonance Raman scattering spectroscopy proved the above-mentioned polymerization.

Recent Advances in Photoelectrochemical Applications of Silicon Materials for Solar-to-Chemicals Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Doudou; Shi, Jingying; Zi, Wei; Wang, Pengpeng; Liu, Shengzhong Frank

2017-11-23

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology for the conversion of solar energy into chemicals requires cost-effective photoelectrodes to efficiently and stably drive anodic and/or cathodic half-reactions to complete the overall reactions for storing solar energy in chemical bonds. The shared properties among semiconducting photoelectrodes and photovoltaic (PV) materials are light absorption, charge separation, and charge transfer. Earth-abundant silicon materials have been widely applied in the PV industry, and have demonstrated their efficiency as alternative photoabsorbers for photoelectrodes. Many efforts have been made to fabricate silicon photoelectrodes with enhanced performance, and significant progress has been achieved in recent years. Herein, recent developments in crystalline and thin-film silicon-based photoelectrodes (including amorphous, microcrystalline, and nanocrystalline silicon) immersed in aqueous solution for PEC hydrogen production from water splitting are summarized, as well as applications in PEC CO 2 reduction and PEC regeneration of discharged species in redox flow batteries. Silicon is an ideal material for the cost-effective production of solar chemicals through PEC methods. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Optimization of Magnetically Driven Directional Solidification of Silicon Using Artificial Neural Networks and Gaussian Process Models

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dropka, N.; Holeňa, Martin

2017-01-01

Roč. 471, 1 August (2017), s. 53-61 ISSN 0022-0248 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-01251S Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : computer simulation * fluid flows * magnetic fields * directional solidification * semiconducting silicon Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 1.751, year: 2016

The performance of Y2O3 as interface layer between La2O3 and p-type silicon substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shulong Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, the performance of Y2O3 as interface layer between La2O3 and p-type silicon substrate is studied with the help of atomic layer deposition (ALD and magnetron sputtering technology. The surface morphology of the bilayer films with different structures are observed after rapid thermal annealing (RTA by atomic force microscopy (AFM. The results show that Y2O3/Al2O3/Si structure has a larger number of small spikes on the surface and its surface roughness is worse than Al2O3/Y2O3/Si structure. The reason is that the density of Si substrate surface is much higher than that of ALD growth Al2O3. With the help of high-frequency capacitance-voltage(C-V measurement and conductivity method, the density of interface traps can be calculated. After a high temperature annealing, the metal silicate will generate at the substrate interface and result in silicon dangling bond and interface trap charge, which has been improved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and interface trap charge density calculation. The interface trapped charge density of La2O3/Al2O3/Si stacked gate structure is lower than that of La2O3/Y2O3/Si gate structure. If Y2O3 is used to replace Al2O3 as the interfacial layer, the accumulation capacitance will increase obviously, which means lower equivalent oxide thickness (EOT. Our results show that interface layer Y2O3 grown by magnetron sputtering can effectively ensure the interface traps near the substrate at relative small level while maintain a relative higher dielectric constant than Al2O3.

1/f noise in metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Reza, Shahed; Huynh, Quyen T.; Bosman, Gijs; Sippel-Oakley, Jennifer; Rinzler, Andrew G.

2006-11-01

The charge transport and noise properties of three terminal, gated devices containing multiple single-wall metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes were measured at room temperature. Applying a high voltage pulsed bias at the drain terminal the metallic tubes were ablated sequentially, enabling the separation of measured conductance and 1/f noise into metallic and semiconducting nanotube contributions. The relative low frequency excess noise of the metallic tubes was observed to be two orders of magnitude lower than that of the semiconductor tubes.

Modification of the properties of porous silicon on adsorption of iodine molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorontsov, A. S.; Osminkina, L. A.; Tkachenko, A. E.; Konstantinova, E. A.; Elenskii, V. G.; Timoshenko, V. Yu.; Kashkarov, P. K.

2007-01-01

Infrared spectroscopy and electron spin resonance measurements are used to study the properties of porous silicon layers on adsorption of the I 2 iodine molecules. The layers are formed on the p-an n-Si single-crystal wafers. It is established that, in the atmosphere of I 2 molecules, the charge-carrier concentration in the layers produced on the p-type wafers can be noticeably increased: the concentration of holes can attain values on the order of ∼10 18 -10 19 cm -3 . In porous silicon layers formed on the n-type wafers, the adsorption-induced inversion of the type of charge carriers and the partial substitution of silicon-hydrogen bonds by silicon-iodine bonds are observed. A decrease in the concentration of surface paramagnetic defects, P b centers, is observed in the samples with adsorbed iodine. The experimental data are interpreted in the context of the model in which it is assumed that both deep and shallow acceptor states are formed at the surface of silicon nanocrystals upon the adsorption of I 2 molecules

Ohmic contacts to semiconducting diamond

Science.gov (United States)

Zeidler, James R.; Taylor, M. J.; Zeisse, Carl R.; Hewett, C. A.; Delahoussaye, Paul R.

1990-10-01

Work was carried out to improve the electron beam evaporation system in order to achieve better deposited films. The basic system is an ion pumped vacuum chamber, with a three-hearth, single-gun e-beam evaporator. Four improvements were made to the system. The system was thoroughly cleaned and new ion pump elements, an e-gun beam adjust unit, and a more accurate crystal monitor were installed. The system now has a base pressure of 3 X 10(exp -9) Torr, and can easily deposit high-melting-temperature metals such as Ta with an accurately controlled thickness. Improved shadow masks were also fabricated for better alignment and control of corner contacts for electrical transport measurements. Appendices include: A Thermally Activated Solid State Reaction Process for Fabricating Ohmic Contacts to Semiconducting Diamond; Tantalum Ohmic Contacts to Diamond by a Solid State Reaction Process; Metallization of Semiconducting Diamond: Mo, Mo/Au, and Mo/Ni/Au; Specific Contact Resistance Measurements of Ohmic Contracts to Diamond; and Electrical Activation of Boron Implanted into Diamond.

Radiation damage studies for the DOe silicon detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, Frank

2004-01-01

We report on irradiation studies performed on spare production silicon detector modules for the current DOe silicon detector. The lifetime expectations due to radiation damage effects of the existing silicon detector are reviewed. A new upgrade project was started with the goal of a complete replacement of the existing silicon detector. In that context, several investigations on the radiation hardness of new prototype silicon microstrip detectors were carried out. The irradiation on different detector types was performed with 10 MeV protons up to fluences of 10 14 p/cm 2 at the J.R. Mcdonald Laboratory at Kansas State University. The flux calibration was carefully checked using different normalisation techniques. As a result, we observe roughly 40-50% less radiation damage in silicon for 10 MeV p exposure than it is expected by the predicted NIEL scaling

A novel model of photothermal diffusion (PTD) for polymer nano-composite semiconducting of thin circular plate

Science.gov (United States)

Lotfy, Kh.

2018-05-01

In this article, theoretical discussions for a novel mathematical-physical Photothermal diffusion (PTD) model in the generalized thermoelasticity theory with photothermal processes and chemical action are introduced. The mean idea of this model depends on the interaction between quasi-particles (plasma waves) that depends on the kind of the used materials, the mechanical forces acting on the surface, the generalized thermo and mass diffusion (due to coupling of temperature fields with thermal waves and chemical potential) and the elastic waves. The one dimensional Laplace transforms is used to obtain the exact solution for some physical and chemical quantities for a thin circular plate of a semiconducting polymer nanocomposite such as silicon (Si). New variables are deduced and discussed. The obtained results of the physical quantities are presented analytically and illustrated graphically with some important applications.

Creation of paired electron states in the gap of semiconducting carbon nanotubes by correlated hydrogen adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchs, Gilles; Krasheninnikov, Arkady V; Ruffieux, Pascal; Groening, Pierangelo; Foster, Adam S; Nieminen, Risto M; Groening, Oliver

2007-01-01

The specific, local modification of the electronic structure of carbon nanomaterials is as important for novel electronic device fabrication as the doping in the case of silicon-based electronics. Here, we report low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study of semiconducting carbon nanotubes subjected to hydrogen-plasma treatment. We show that plasma treatment mostly results in the creation of paired electronic states in the nanotube band gap. Combined with extensive first-principle simulations, our results provide direct evidence that these states originate from correlated chemisorption of hydrogen adatoms on the tube surface. The energy splitting of the paired states is governed by the adatom-adatom interaction, so that controlled hydrogenation can be used for engineering the local electronic structure of nanotubes and other sp 2 -bonded nanocarbon systems

Silicon diode for measurement of integral neutron dose and method of its production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, H.; Seda, J.; Trousil, J.

1978-01-01

The silicon diode consists of an N or P type silicon plate having a specific resistance exceeding 10 ohm.cm and minority carrier life exceeding 100μs. The plate thickness is a quintuple to a ten-tuple of the diffusion length and the plate consists of layers. Ions of, eg., boron, at a concentration exceeding 10 14 cm -2 are implanted into the P + type silicon layer and a layer of a metal, eg., nickel, is deposited onto it. Ions of eg., phosphorus, at a concentration exceeding 10 14 cm -2 are implanted in the N + type layer and a metal layer, eg., nickel is again depositeJ onto it. Implantation proceeds at an ion acceleration voltage of 10 to 200 kV. Metal layer deposition follows, and simultaneously with annealing of the P + and N + types of silicon layers, the metal layers are annealed at 600 to 900 degC for 1 to 60 minutes with subsequent temperature decrease at a rate less than 10 degC/min, down to a temperature of 300 degC. (J.P.)

Microstructure and oxidative degradation behavior of silicon carbide fiber Hi-Nicalon type S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, M.; Urano, A.; Sakamoto, J.; Imai, Y.

1998-01-01

Polycarbosilane-derived SiC fibers, Nicalon, Hi-Nicalon, and Hi-Nicalon type S were exposed for 1 to 100 h at 1273-1773 K in air. Oxide layer growth and tensile strength change of these fibers were examined after the oxidation test. As a result, three types of SiC fibers decreased their strength as oxide layer thickness increased. Fracture origins were determined at near the oxide layer-fiber interface. Adhered fibers arised from softening of silicon oxide at high temperature were also observed. In this study, Hi-Nicalon type S showed better oxidation resistance than other polycarbosilane-derived SiC fibers after 1673 K or higher temperature exposure in air for 10 h. This result was explained by the poreless silicon oxide layer structure of Hi-Nicalon type S. (orig.)

Mobility of charge carriers in porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsh, P. A.; Martyshov, M. N.; Latysheva, A. P.; Vorontsov, A. S.; Timoshenko, V. Yu.; Kashkarov, P. K.

2008-01-01

The (conduction) mobility of majority charge carriers in porous silicon layers of the n and p types is estimated by joint measurements of electrical conductivity and free charge carrier concentration, which is determined from IR absorption spectra. Adsorption of donor and acceptor molecules leading to a change in local electric fields in the structure is used to identify the processes controlling the mobility in porous silicon. It is found that adsorption of acceptor and donor molecules at porous silicon of the p and n types, respectively, leads to a strong increase in electrical conductivity, which is associated with an increase in the concentration of free carrier as well as in their mobility. The increase in the mobility of charge carriers as a result of adsorption indicates the key role of potential barriers at the boundaries of silicon nanocrystals and may be due to a decrease in the barrier height as a result of adsorption

Type I Clathrates as Novel Silicon Anodes: An Electrochemical and Structural Investigation

OpenAIRE

Li, Ying; Raghavan, Rahul; Wagner, Nicholas A.; Davidowski, Stephen K.; Baggetto, Lo?c; Zhao, Ran; Cheng, Qian; Yarger, Jeffery L.; Veith, Gabriel M.; Ellis?Terrell, Carol; Miller, Michael A.; Chan, Kwai S.; Chan, Candace K.

2015-01-01

Silicon clathrates contain cage?like structures that can encapsulate various guest atoms or molecules. An electrochemical evaluation of type I silicon clathrates based on Ba8Al y Si46?y as the anode material for lithium?ion batteries is presented here. Postcycling characterization with nuclear magnetic resonance and X?ray diffraction shows no discernible structural or volume changes even after electrochemical insertion of 44 Li (?1 Li/Si) into the clathrate structure. The observed properties ...

Development of n.sup.+./sup.-in-p large-area silicon microstrip sensors for very high radiation environments – ATLAS12 design and initial results

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Unno, Y.; Edwards, S.O.; Pyatt, S.; Böhm, Jan; Mikeštíková, Marcela

2014-01-01

Roč. 765, Nov (2014), s. 80-90 ISSN 0168-9002 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LG13009 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon strip * n + -in-p * P-type * Radiation-tolerant * HL- LHC * PTP Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 1.216, year: 2014

Study of optical and luminescence properties of silicon — semiconducting silicide — silicon multilayer nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galkin, N.G.; Galkin, K.N.; Dotsenko, S.A.; Goroshko, D.L.; Shevlyagin, A.V.; Chusovitin, E.A.; Chernev, I.M.

2017-01-01

By method of in situ differential spectroscopy it was established that at the formation of monolayer Fe, Cr, Ca, Mg silicide and Mg stannide islands on the atomically clean silicon surface an appearance of loss peaks characteristic for these materials in the energy range of 1.1-2.6 eV is observed. An optimization of growth processes permit to grow monolithic double nanoheterostructures (DNHS) with embedded Fe, Cr and Ca nanocrystals, and also polycrystalline DNHS with NC of Mg silicide and Mg stannide and Ca disilicide. By methods of optical spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy it was shown that embedded NC form intensive peaks in the reflectance spectra at energies up to 2.5 eV and Raman peaks. In DNS with β-FeSi2 NC a photoluminescence and electroluminescence at room temperature were firstly observed.

Fabrication and characterization of inverted organic solar cells using shuttle cock-type metal phthalocyanine and PCBM:P3HT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Atsushi, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp; Furukawa, Ryo, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp; Oku, Takeo, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp [Department of Materials Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, Shiga 522-8533 (Japan)

2015-02-27

Inverted organic solar cells using shuttle cock-type phthalocyanine, semiconducting polymer and fullerenes were fabricated and characterized. Photovoltaic and optical properties of the solar cells with inverted structures were investigated by optical absorption, current density-voltage characteristics. The photovoltaic properties of the tandem organic solar cell using titanyl phthalocyanine, vanadyl phthalocyanine, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6, 6]-phenyl C{sub 61}-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were improved. Effect of annealing and solvent treatment on surface morphologies of the active layer was investigated. The photovoltaic mechanisms, energy levels and band gap of active layers were discussed for improvement of the photovoltaic performance.

Fabrication and characterization of inverted organic solar cells using shuttle cock-type metal phthalocyanine and PCBM:P3HT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Atsushi; Furukawa, Ryo; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi; Oku, Takeo

2015-01-01

Inverted organic solar cells using shuttle cock-type phthalocyanine, semiconducting polymer and fullerenes were fabricated and characterized. Photovoltaic and optical properties of the solar cells with inverted structures were investigated by optical absorption, current density-voltage characteristics. The photovoltaic properties of the tandem organic solar cell using titanyl phthalocyanine, vanadyl phthalocyanine, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6, 6]-phenyl C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were improved. Effect of annealing and solvent treatment on surface morphologies of the active layer was investigated. The photovoltaic mechanisms, energy levels and band gap of active layers were discussed for improvement of the photovoltaic performance

Nanostructured silicon ferromagnet collected by a permanent neodymium magnet.

Science.gov (United States)

Okuno, Takahisa; Thürmer, Stephan; Kanoh, Hirofumi

2017-11-30

Nanostructured silicon (N-Si) was prepared by anodic electroetching of p-type silicon wafers. The obtained magnetic particles were separated by a permanent neodymium magnet as a magnetic nanostructured silicon (mN-Si). The N-Si and mN-Si exhibited different magnetic properties: the N-Si exhibited ferromagnetic-like behaviour, whereas the mN-Si exhibited superparamagnetic-like behaviour.

Study of porous silicon morphologies for electron transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pang, Y.; Demroff, H.P.; Elliott, T.S.; Lee, B.; Lu, J.; Madduri, V.B.; Mazumdar, T.K.; McIntyre, P.M.; Smith, D.D.; Trost, H.J.

1993-01-01

Field emitter devices are being developed for the gigatron, a high-efficiency, high frequency and high power microwave source. One approach being investigated is porous silicon, where a dense matrix of nanoscopic pores are galvanically etched into a silicon surface. In the present paper pore morphologies were used to characterize these materials. Using of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images of both N-type and P-type porous layers, it is found that pores propagate along the crystallographic direction, perpendicular to the surface of (100) silicon. Distinct morphologies were observed systematically near the surface, in the main bulk and near the bottom of N-type (100) silicon lift-off samples. It is seen that the pores are not cylindrical but exhibit more or less approximately square cross sections. X-ray diffraction spectra and electron diffraction patterns verified that bulk porous silicon is still a single crystal. In addition, a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) and an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) were successfully applied to image the 40 angstrom gold film structure which was coated upon a cooled porous silicon layer. By associating the morphology study with the measured emitting current density of the Oxidized Porous Silicon Field Emission Triode (OPSFET), techniques for the surface treatment of porous silicon will be optimized

Formation of photoluminescent n-type macroporous silicon: Effect of magnetic field and lateral electric potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antunez, E.E. [Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, CP 62210 (Mexico); Estevez, J.O. [Instituto de Física, B. Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, A.P. J-48, Puebla 72570 (Mexico); Campos, J. [Instituto de Energías Renovables, UNAM, Priv. Xochicalco S/N, Temixco, Morelos, CP 62580 (Mexico); Basurto-Pensado, M.A. [Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, CP 62210 (Mexico); Agarwal, V., E-mail: vagarwal@uaem.mx [Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, CP 62210 (Mexico)

2014-11-15

Metal electrode-free electrochemical etching of low doped n-type silicon substrates, under the combined effect of magnetic and lateral electric field, is used to fabricate photoluminescent n-type porous silicon structures in dark conditions. A lateral gradient in terms of structural characteristics (i.e. thickness and pore dimensions) along the electric field direction is formed. Enhancement of electric and magnetic field resulted in the increase of pore density and a change in the shape of the macropore structure, from circular to square morphology. Broad photoluminescence (PL) emission from 500 to 800 nm, with a PL peak wavelength ranging from 571 to 642 nm, is attributed to the wide range of microporous features present on the porous silicon layer.

Semiconducting compounds and devices incorporating same

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Tobin J.; Facchetti, Antonio; Boudreault, Pierre-Luc; Miyauchi, Hiroyuki

2016-01-19

Disclosed are molecular and polymeric compounds having desirable properties as semiconducting materials. Such compounds can exhibit desirable electronic properties and possess processing advantages including solution-processability and/or good stability. Organic transistor and photovoltaic devices incorporating the present compounds as the active layer exhibit good device performance.

Roadmap for integration of InP based photonics and silicon electronics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Williams, K.A.

2015-01-01

We identify the synergies and a roadmap for the intimate integration of InP photonic integrated circuits and Silicon electronic ICs using wafer-scale processes. Advantages are foreseen in terms of bandwidth, energy savings and package simplification.

X-ray and synchrotron studies of porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sivkov, V. N., E-mail: svn@dm.komisc.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch (Russian Federation); Lomov, A. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Physical-Technological Institute (Russian Federation); Vasil' ev, A. L. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography (Russian Federation); Nekipelov, S. V. [Komi State Pedagogical Institute (Russian Federation); Petrova, O. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch (Russian Federation)

2013-08-15

The results of comprehensive studies of layers of porous silicon of different conductivity types, grown by anodizing standard Si(111) substrates in an electrolyte based on fluoric acid and ethanol with the addition of 5% of iodine and kept in air for a long time, are discussed. Measurements are performed by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and ultrasoft X-ray spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The structural parameters of the layers (thickness, strain, and porosity) and atomic and chemical composition of the porous-silicon surface are determined. It is found that an oxide layer 1.5-2.3-nm thick is formed on the surface of the silicon skeleton. The near-edge fine structure of the Si 2p absorption spectrum of this layer corresponds to the fine structure of the 2p spectrum of well coordinated SiO{sub 2}. In this case, the fine structure in the Si 2p-edge absorption region of the silicon skeleton is identical to that of the 2p absorption spectrum of crystalline silicon.

Quantum conductance in silicon quantum wires

CERN Document Server

Bagraev, N T; Klyachkin, L E; Malyarenko, A M; Gehlhoff, W; Ivanov, V K; Shelykh, I A

2002-01-01

The results of investigations of electron and hole quantum conductance staircase in silicon quantum wires are presented. The characteristics of self-ordering quantum wells of n- and p-types, which from on the silicon (100) surface in the nonequilibrium boron diffusion process, are analyzed. The results of investigations of the quantum conductance as the function of temperature, carrier concentration and modulation degree of silicon quantum wires are given. It is found out, that the quantum conductance of the one-dimensional channels is observed, for the first time, at an elevated temperature (T >= 77 K)

Surface wave photonic device based on porous silicon multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillermain, E.; Lysenko, V.; Benyattou, T.

2006-01-01

Porous silicon is widely studied in the field of photonics due to its interesting optical properties. In this work, we present theoretical and first experimental studies of a new kind of porous silicon photonic device based on optical surface wave. A theoretical analysis of the device is presented using plane-wave approximation. The porous silicon multilayered structures are realized using electrochemical etching of p + -type silicon. Morphological and optical characterizations of the realized structures are reported

Fabrication of a novel silicon single electron transistor for Si:P quantum computer devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angus, S.J.; Smith, C.E.A.; Gauja, E.; Dzurak, A.S.; Clark, R.G.; Snider, G.L.

2004-01-01

Full text: Quantum computation relies on the successful measurement of quantum states. Single electron transistors (SETs) are known to be able to perform fast and sensitive charge measurements of solid state qubits. However, due to their sensitivity, SETs are also very susceptible to random charge fluctuations in a solid-state materials environment. In previous dc transport measurements, silicon-based SETs have demonstrated greater charge stability than A1/A1 2 O 3 SETs. We have designed and fabricated a novel silicon SET architecture for a comparison of the noise characteristics of silicon and aluminium based devices. The silicon SET described here is designed for controllable and reproducible low temperature operation. It is fabricated using a novel dual gate structure on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. A silicon quantum wire is formed in a 100nm thick high-resistivity superficial silicon layer using reactive ion etching. Carriers are induced in the silicon wire by a back gate in the silicon substrate. The tunnel barriers are created electrostatically, using lithographically defined metallic electrodes (∼40nm width). These tunnel barriers surround the surface of the quantum wire, thus producing excellent electrostatic confinement. This architecture provides independent control of tunnel barrier height and island occupancy, thus promising better control of Coulomb blockade oscillations than in previously investigated silicon SETs. The use of a near intrinsic silicon substrate offers compatibility with Si:P qubits in the longer term

Leakage current of amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes made by ion shower doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee Joon; Cho, Gyuseong; Choi, Joonhoo; Jung, Kwan-Wook

2002-01-01

In this letter, we report the leakage current of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n photodiodes, of which the p layer is formed by ion shower doping. The ion shower doping technique has an advantage over plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the fabrication of a large-area amorphous silicon flat-panel detector. The leakage current of the ion shower diodes shows a better uniformity within a 30 cmx40 cm substrate than that of the PECVD diodes. However, it shows a higher leakage current of 2-3 pA/mm 2 at -5 V. This high current originates from the high injection current at the p-i junction

Triboelectric charge generation by semiconducting SnO2 film grown by atomic layer deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, No Ho; Yoon, Seong Yu; Kim, Dong Ha; Kim, Seong Keun; Choi, Byung Joon

2017-07-01

Improving the energy harvesting efficiency of triboelectric generators (TEGs) requires exploring new types of materials that can be used, and understanding their properties. In this study, we have investigated semiconducting SnO2 thin films as friction layers in TEGs, which has not been explored thus far. Thin films of SnO2 with various thicknesses were grown by atomic layer deposition on Si substrates. Either polymer or glass was used as counter friction layers. Vertical contact/separation mode was utilized to evaluate the TEG efficiency. The results indicate that an increase in the SnO2 film thickness from 5 to 25 nm enhances the triboelectric output voltage of the TEG. Insertion of a 400-nm-thick Pt sub-layer between the SnO2 film and Si substrate further increased the output voltage up to 120 V in a 2 cm × 2 cm contact area, while the enhancement was cancelled out by inserting a 10-nm-thick insulating Al2O3 film between SnO2 and Pt films. These results indicate that n-type semiconducting SnO2 films can provide triboelectric charge to counter-friction layers in TEGs.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Quasi-2D silicon structures based on ultrathin Me2Si (Me = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) films

Science.gov (United States)

Migas, D. B.; Bogorodz, V. O.; Filonov, A. B.; Borisenko, V. E.; Skorodumova, N. V.

2018-04-01

By means of ab initio calculations with hybrid functionals we show a possibility for quasi-2D silicon structures originated from semiconducting Mg2Si, Ca2Si, Sr2Si and Ba2Si silicides to exist. Such a 2D structure is similar to the one of transition metal chalcogenides where silicon atoms form a layer in between of metal atoms aligned in surface layers. These metal surface atoms act as pseudo passivation species stabilizing crystal structure and providing semiconducting properties. Considered 2D Mg2Si, Ca2Si, Sr2Si and Ba2Si have band gaps of 1.14 eV, 0.69 eV, 0.33 eV and 0.19 eV, respectively, while the former one is also characterized by a direct transition with appreciable oscillator strength. Electronic states of the surface atoms are found to suppress an influence of the quantum confinement on the band gaps. Additionally, we report Sr2Si bulk in the cubic structure to have a direct band gap of 0.85 eV as well as sizable oscillator strength of the first direct transition.

Radiation damage studies for the D0 silicon detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, F.

2004-01-01

We report on irradiation studies performed on spare production silicon detector modules for the current D0 silicon detector. The lifetime expectations due to radiation damage effects of the existing silicon detector are reviewed. A new upgrade project was started with the goal of a complete replacement of the existing silicon detector. In that context, several investigations on the radiation hardness of new prototype silicon microstrip detectors were carried out. The irradiation on different detector types was performed with 10 MeV protons up to fluences of 10 14 p/cm 2 at the J.R. Mcdonald Laboratory at Kansas State University. The flux calibration was carefully checked using different normalization techniques. As a result, we observe roughly 40-50% less radiation damage in silicon for 10 MeV p exposure than it is expected by the predicted NIEL scaling

Development of a miniaturized watch-type dosimeter using a silicon printed-circuit board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikura, Takeshi; Sakamaki, Tsuyoshi; Matsumoto, Iwao; Aoyama, Kei; Nakamura, Takashi

2008-01-01

The electrical personal dosimeter using a silicon semiconductor sensor has the advantage of real time response and alarm function, which can prevent unexpected over-exposure. We tried to develop a miniaturized watch-type dosimeter by incorporating the silicon semiconductor sensor on a silicon printed-circuit board. Thin film resistors, capacitors and wiring patterns are formed on a downsized printed-circuit board. Electronic parts including transistors are mounted by soldering on the silicon printed-circuit board. The dosimeter is further miniaturized by downsizing the amplifier circuit, the semiconductor radiation sensor, the power supply circuit, setting parts and alarm part. The performance of the developed dosimeter was evaluated with respect to the gamma-ray spectra, angular dependence and linearity to dose equivalent rate, and it was confirmed that this dosimeter has the performance equivalent to a commercially available electrical personal dosimeter. (author)

Effect of the CO2/SiH4 Ratio in the p-μc-SiO:H Emitter Layer on the Performance of Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

OpenAIRE

Sritharathikhun, Jaran; Krajangsang, Taweewat; Moollakorn, Apichan; Inthisang, Sorapong; Limmanee, Amornrat; Hongsingtong, Aswin; Boriraksantikul, Nattaphong; Taratiwat, Tianchai; Akarapanjavit, Nirod; Sriprapha, Kobsak

2014-01-01

This paper reports the preparation of wide gap p-type hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (p-μc-SiO:H) films using a 40 MHz very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The reported work focused on the effects of the CO2/SiH4 ratio on the properties of p-μc-SiO:H films and the effectiveness of the films as an emitter layer of crystalline silicon heterojunction (c-Si-HJ) solar cells. A p-μc-SiO:H film with a wide optical band gap (E04), 2.1 eV, can be obtain...

Intravitreal properties of porous silicon photonic crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, L; Anglin, E; Cunin, F; Kim, D; Sailor, M J; Falkenstein, I; Tammewar, A; Freeman, W R

2009-01-01

Aim To determine the suitability of porous silicon photonic crystals for intraocular drug-delivery. Methods A rugate structure was electrochemically etched into a highly doped p-type silicon substrate to create a porous silicon film that was subsequently removed and ultrasonically fractured into particles. To stabilise the particles in aqueous media, the silicon particles were modified by surface alkylation (using thermal hydrosilylation) or by thermal oxidation. Unmodified particles, hydrosilylated particles and oxidised particles were injected into rabbit vitreous. The stability and toxicity of each type of particle were studied by indirect ophthalmoscopy, biomicroscopy, tonometry, electroretinography (ERG) and histology. Results No toxicity was observed with any type of the particles during a period of >4 months. Surface alkylation led to dramatically increased intravitreal stability and slow degradation. The estimated vitreous half-life increased from 1 week (fresh particles) to 5 weeks (oxidised particles) and to 16 weeks (hydrosilylated particles). Conclusion The porous silicon photonic crystals showed good biocompatibility and may be used as an intraocular drug-delivery system. The intravitreal injectable porous silicon photonic crystals may be engineered to host a variety of therapeutics and achieve controlled drug release over long periods of time to treat chronic vitreoretinal diseases. PMID:18441177

Silicon surface passivation by PEDOT: PSS functionalized by SnO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Tecedor, M; Karazhanov, S Zh; Vásquez, G C; Haug, H; Maestre, D; Cremades, A; Taeño, M; Ramírez-Castellanos, J; González-Calbet, J M; Piqueras, J; You, C C; Marstein, E S

2018-01-19

In this paper, we present a study of silicon surface passivation based on the use of spin-coated hybrid composite layers. We investigate both undoped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), as well as PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanomaterials (TiO 2 and SnO 2 ). The hybrid compound was deposited at room temperature by spin coating-a potentially lower cost, lower processing time and higher throughput alternative compared with the commonly used vacuum-based techniques. Photoluminescence imaging was used to characterize the electronic properties of the Si/PEDOT:PSS interface. Good surface passivation was achieved by PEDOT:PSS functionalized by semiconducting oxides. We show that control of the concentration of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles in the polymer is crucial in determining the passivation performance. A charge carrier lifetime of about 275 μs has been achieved when using SnO 2 nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.5 wt.% as a filler in the composite film. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive x-ray in an SEM, and μ-Raman spectroscopy have been used for the morphological, chemical and structural characterization. Finally, a simple model of a photovoltaic device based on PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanoparticles has been fabricated and electrically characterized.

Influence of fabrication parameter on the nanostructure and photoluminescence of highly doped p-porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Shaoyuan [National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and energy engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Ma, Wenhui, E-mail: mwhsilicon@163.com [National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and energy engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Zhou, Yang, E-mail: zhouyangnano@163.com [National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and energy engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Chen, Xiuhua [Faculty of Physical Science and Technology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091 (China); Ma, Mingyu [National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and energy engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Xiao, Yongyin [Faculty of Physical Science and Technology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091 (China); Xu, Yaohui [National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and energy engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China)

2014-02-15

Porous silicon (PS) was prepared by anodizing highly doped p-type silicon in the solution of H{sub 2}O/ethanol/HF. The effects of key fabrication parameters (HF concentration, etching time and current density) on the nanostructure of PS were carefully investigated by AFM, SEM and TEM characterization. According to the experimental results, a more full-fledged model was developed to explain the crack behaviors on PS surface. The photoluminescence (PL) of resulting PS was studied by a fluorescence spectrophotometer and the results show that PL peak positions shift to shorter wavelength with the increasing current density, anodisation time and dilution of electrolyte. The PL spectra blue shift of the sample with higher porosity is confirmed by HRTEM results that the higher porosity results in smaller Si nanocrystals. A linear model (λ{sub PL/nm}=620.3–0.595P, R=0.905) was established to describe the correlation between PL peak positions and porosity of PS. -- Highlights: • The effect of fabrication parameter on the nanostructure of PS is investigated. • The influence of nanostructure on the photoluminescence behaviors is studied • A full-fledged model for expounding the crack behaviors of PS is presented. • The correlation between the porosity and PL peak blue shift is described by a linear model.

Signal amplification and leakage current suppression in amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes by field profile tailoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, W.S.; Zhong, F.; Mireshghi, A.; Perez-Mendez, V.

1999-01-01

The performance of amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes as radiation detectors in terms of signal amplitude can be greatly improved when there is a built-in signal gain mechanism. The authors describe an avalanche gain mechanism which is achieved by introducing stacked intrinsic, p-type, and n-type layers into the diode structure. They replaced the intrinsic layer of the conventional p-i-n diode with i 1 -p-i 2 -n-i 3 multilayers. The i 2 layer (typically 1 ∼ 3 microm) achieves an electric field > 10 6 V/cm, while maintaining the p-i interfaces to the metallic contact at electric fields 4 V/cm, when the diode is fully depleted. For use in photo-diode applications the whole structure is less than 10 microm thick. Avalanche gains of 10 ∼ 50 can be obtained when the diode is biased to ∼ 500 V. Also, dividing the electrodes to strips of 2 microm width and 20 microm pitch reduced the leakage current up to an order of magnitude, and increased light transmission without creating inactive regions

Radiation damage in lithium-counterdoped N/P silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hermann, A. M.; Swartz, C. K.; Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.; Weinberg, I.

1980-01-01

The radiation resistance and low-temperature annealing properties of lithium-counterdoped n(+)-p silicon solar cells are investigated. Cells fabricated from float zone and Czochralski grown silicon were irradiated with 1 MeV electrons and their performance compared to that of 0.35 ohm-cm control cells. The float zone cells demonstrated superior radiation resistance compared to the control cells, while no improvement was noted for the Czochralski grown cells. Annealing kinetics were found to lie between first and second order for relatively short times, and the most likely annealing mechanism was found to be the diffusion of lithium to defects with the subsequent neutralization of defects by combination with lithium. Cells with zero lithium gradients exhibited the best radiation resistance.

Effect of gate dielectrics on the performance of p-type Cu2O TFTs processed at room temperature

KAUST Repository

Al-Jawhari, Hala A.

2013-12-01

Single-phase Cu2O films with p-type semiconducting properties were successfully deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature followed by post annealing process at 200°C. Subsequently, such films were used to fabricate bottom gate p-channel Cu2O thin film transistors (TFTs). The effect of using high-κ SrTiO3 (STO) as a gate dielectric on the Cu2O TFT performance was investigated. The results were then compared to our baseline process which uses a 220 nm aluminum titanium oxide (ATO) dielectric deposited on a glass substrate coated with a 200 nm indium tin oxide (ITO) gate electrode. We found that with a 150 nm thick STO, the Cu2O TFTs exhibited a p-type behavior with a field-effect mobility of 0.54 cm2.V-1.s-1, an on/off ratio of around 44, threshold voltage equaling -0.62 V and a sub threshold swing of 1.64 V/dec. These values were obtained at a low operating voltage of -2V. The advantages of using STO as a gate dielectric relative to ATO are discussed. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Complementary p- and n-type polymer doping for ambient stable graphene inverter.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Je Moon; Park, Seokhan; Hwang, Young Hwan; Lee, Eui-Sup; Maiti, Uday; Moon, Hanul; Kim, Bo-Hyun; Bae, Byeong-Soo; Kim, Yong-Hyun; Kim, Sang Ouk

2014-01-28

Graphene offers great promise to complement the inherent limitations of silicon electronics. To date, considerable research efforts have been devoted to complementary p- and n-type doping of graphene as a fundamental requirement for graphene-based electronics. Unfortunately, previous efforts suffer from undesired defect formation, poor controllability of doping level, and subtle environmental sensitivity. Here we present that graphene can be complementary p- and n-doped by simple polymer coating with different dipolar characteristics. Significantly, spontaneous vertical ordering of dipolar pyridine side groups of poly(4-vinylpyridine) at graphene surface can stabilize n-type doping at room-temperature ambient condition. The dipole field also enhances and balances the charge mobility by screening the impurity charge effect from the bottom substrate. We successfully demonstrate ambient stable inverters by integrating p- and n-type graphene transistors, which demonstrated clear voltage inversion with a gain of 0.17 at a 3.3 V input voltage. This straightforward polymer doping offers diverse opportunities for graphene-based electronics, including logic circuits, particularly in mechanically flexible form.

Semiconducting ZnSnN{sub 2} thin films for Si/ZnSnN{sub 2} p-n junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qin, Ruifeng [Hebei Engineering Laboratory of Photoelectronic Functional Crystals, Hebei University of Technology (HEBUT), Tianjin 300401 (China); Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo 315201 (China); Cao, Hongtao; Liang, Lingyan, E-mail: lly@nimte.ac.cn, E-mail: swz@hebut.edu.cn; Xie, Yufang; Zhuge, Fei; Zhang, Hongliang; Gao, Junhua; Javaid, Kashif [Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo 315201 (China); Liu, Caichi; Sun, Weizhong, E-mail: lly@nimte.ac.cn, E-mail: swz@hebut.edu.cn [Hebei Engineering Laboratory of Photoelectronic Functional Crystals, Hebei University of Technology (HEBUT), Tianjin 300401 (China)

2016-04-04

ZnSnN{sub 2} is regarded as a promising photovoltaic absorber candidate due to earth-abundance, non-toxicity, and high absorption coefficient. However, it is still a great challenge to synthesize ZnSnN{sub 2} films with a low electron concentration, in order to promote the applications of ZnSnN{sub 2} as the core active layer in optoelectronic devices. In this work, polycrystalline and high resistance ZnSnN{sub 2} films were fabricated by magnetron sputtering technique, then semiconducting films were achieved after post-annealing, and finally Si/ZnSnN{sub 2} p-n junctions were constructed. The electron concentration and Hall mobility were enhanced from 2.77 × 10{sup 17} to 6.78 × 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} and from 0.37 to 2.07 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, corresponding to the annealing temperature from 200 to 350 °C. After annealing at 300 °C, the p-n junction exhibited the optimum rectifying characteristics, with a forward-to-reverse ratio over 10{sup 3}. The achievement of this ZnSnN{sub 2}-based p-n junction makes an opening step forward to realize the practical application of the ZnSnN{sub 2} material. In addition, the nonideal behaviors of the p-n junctions under both positive and negative voltages are discussed, in hope of suggesting some ideas to further improve the rectifying characteristics.

Site-Controlled Growth of Monolithic InGaAs/InP Quantum Well Nanopillar Lasers on Silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Fabian; Kapraun, Jonas; Malheiros-Silveira, Gilliard N; Deshpande, Saniya; Chang-Hasnain, Connie J

2017-04-12

In this Letter, we report the site-controlled growth of InP nanolasers on a silicon substrate with patterned SiO 2 nanomasks by low-temperature metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, compatible with silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) post-processing. A two-step growth procedure is presented to achieve smooth wurtzite faceting of vertical nanopillars. By incorporating InGaAs multiquantum wells, the nanopillar emission can be tuned over a wide spectral range. Enhanced quality factors of the intrinsic InP nanopillar cavities promote lasing at 0.87 and 1.21 μm, located within two important optical telecommunication bands. This is the first demonstration of a site-controlled III-V nanolaser monolithically integrated on silicon with a silicon-transparent emission wavelength, paving the way for energy-efficient on-chip optical links at typical telecommunication wavelengths.

Integrated Amorphous Silicon p-i-n Temperature Sensor for CMOS Photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro Rao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H shows interesting optoelectronic and technological properties that make it suitable for the fabrication of passive and active micro-photonic devices, compatible moreover with standard microelectronic devices on a microchip. A temperature sensor based on a hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diode integrated in an optical waveguide for silicon photonics applications is presented here. The linear dependence of the voltage drop across the forward-biased diode on temperature, in a range from 30 °C up to 170 °C, has been used for thermal sensing. A high sensitivity of 11.9 mV/°C in the bias current range of 34–40 nA has been measured. The proposed device is particularly suitable for the continuous temperature monitoring of CMOS-compatible photonic integrated circuits, where the behavior of the on-chip active and passive devices are strongly dependent on their operating temperature.

Efficient Naphthalenediimide-Based Hole Semiconducting Polymer with Vinylene Linkers between Donor and Acceptor Units

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Lei

2016-11-04

We demonstrate a new method to reverse the polarity and charge transport behavior of naphthalenediimide (NDI)-based copolymers by inserting a vinylene linker between the donor and acceptor units. The vinylene linkers minimize the intrinsic steric congestion between the NDI and thiophene moieties to prompt backbone planarity. The polymers with vinylene linkers exhibit electron n-channel transport characteristics under vacuum, similar to the benchmark polymer, P(NDI2OD-T2). To our surprise, when the polymers are measured in air, the dominant carrier type switches from n- to p-type and yield hole mobilities up to 0.45 cm(2) s(-1) with hole to electron mobility ratio of three (mu(h)/mu(e), similar to 3), which indicates that the hole density in the active layer can be significantly increased by exposure to air. This increase is consistent with the intrinsic more delocalized nature of the highest occupied molecular orbital of the charged vinylene polymer, as estimated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which facilitates hole transport within the polymer chains. This is the first demonstration of an efficient NDI-based hole semiconducting polymer, which will enable new developments in all-polymer solar cells, complementary circuits, and dopable polymers for use in thermoelectrics.

Efficient Naphthalenediimide-Based Hole Semiconducting Polymer with Vinylene Linkers between Donor and Acceptor Units

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Lei; Rose, Bradley Daniel; Liu, Yao; Nahid, Masrur M.; Gann, Eliot; Ly, Jack; Zhao, Wei; Rosa, Stephen J.; Russell, Thomas P.; Facchetti, Antonio; McNei, Christopher R.; Bredas, Jean-Luc; Briseno, Alejandro L.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate a new method to reverse the polarity and charge transport behavior of naphthalenediimide (NDI)-based copolymers by inserting a vinylene linker between the donor and acceptor units. The vinylene linkers minimize the intrinsic steric congestion between the NDI and thiophene moieties to prompt backbone planarity. The polymers with vinylene linkers exhibit electron n-channel transport characteristics under vacuum, similar to the benchmark polymer, P(NDI2OD-T2). To our surprise, when the polymers are measured in air, the dominant carrier type switches from n- to p-type and yield hole mobilities up to 0.45 cm(2) s(-1) with hole to electron mobility ratio of three (mu(h)/mu(e), similar to 3), which indicates that the hole density in the active layer can be significantly increased by exposure to air. This increase is consistent with the intrinsic more delocalized nature of the highest occupied molecular orbital of the charged vinylene polymer, as estimated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which facilitates hole transport within the polymer chains. This is the first demonstration of an efficient NDI-based hole semiconducting polymer, which will enable new developments in all-polymer solar cells, complementary circuits, and dopable polymers for use in thermoelectrics.

Multicomponent semiconducting polymer systems with low crystallization-induced percolation threshold

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goffri, S.; Müller, C.; Stingelin-Stutzmann, N.

2006-01-01

of the two components, during which the semiconductor is predominantly expelled to the surfaces of cast films, we can obtain vertically stratified structures in a one-step process. Incorporating these as active layers in polymer field-effect transistors, we find that the concentration of the semiconductor......–crystalline/semiconducting–insulating multicomponent systems offer expanded flexibility for realizing high-performance semiconducting architectures at drastically reduced materials cost with improved mechanical properties and environmental stability, without the need to design all performance requirements into the active semiconducting polymer...

Synthesis and semiconducting properties of tin(II) sulfide: Application to photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under sun light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kabouche, S. [Laboratory of Electrochemistry-Corrosion, Metallurgy and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, Algiers, 16111 (Algeria); Bellal, B. [Laboratory of Storage and Valorization of Renewable Energies, Faculty of the Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, Algiers, 16111 (Algeria); Louafi, Y. [Laboratory of Electrochemistry-Corrosion, Metallurgy and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, Algiers, 16111 (Algeria); Trari, M., E-mail: solarchemistry@gmail.com [Laboratory of Storage and Valorization of Renewable Energies, Faculty of the Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, Algiers, 16111 (Algeria)

2017-07-01

We have investigated the semiconducting and photoelectrochemical properties of SnS grown by a template-free chemical route using thiourea as precursor. Tin(II) sulfide is characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance and Raman spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction indicates an orthorhombic SnS phase (SG: Pbnm) with a crystallite size of 52 nm while the optical measurements give a direct band gap of 1.33 eV. The Mott–Schottky plot exhibits a linear behavior, characteristic of n-type conductivity with a flat band potential of 0.19 V{sub SCE} and a donor density of 4.12 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3}. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measured in the range (10{sup -2}–5 × 10{sup 4} Hz) shows one semicircle attributed to the bulk resistance (R{sub b} = 20.37 kΩ cm{sup 2}). The conduction band, located at 4.84 eV below vacuum, is made up of Sn{sup 2+:}5p while the valence band (6.17 eV) derives mainly from S{sup 2-}: 3p character. The energy band diagram, constructed from the photoelectrochemical characterization, predicts the photodegradation of Rhodamine B on SnS by H{sub 2}O{sub 2} generated photoelectrochemically. 88.46% of the initial concentration (10 mg L{sup -1}) disappears after adsorption and 4 h of exposure to solar light. The photoactivity is nearly restored during the second cycle and follows a second order kinetic with a rate constant of 1.55 × 10{sup -3} mg{sup -1} L min{sup -1}. - Highlights: • The semiconducting properties of SnS synthesized by chemical route are studied. • The n type conductivity is evidenced by chrono-amperometry and photoelectrochemistry. • The conduction band, located at 4.84 eV below vacuum, is made up of Sn{sup 2+}: 5p. • SnS was successfully used for the Rhodamine B oxidation under sunlight.

Doping of silicon carbide by ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimbert, J.

1999-01-01

It appeared that in some fields, as the hostile environments (high temperature or irradiation), the silicon compounds showed limitations resulting from the electrical and mechanical properties. Doping of 4H and 6H silicon carbide by ion implantation is studied from a physicochemical and electrical point of view. It is necessary to obtain n-type and p-type material to realize high power and/or high frequency devices, such as MESFETs and Schottky diodes. First, physical and electrical properties of silicon carbide are presented and the interest of developing a process technology on this material is emphasised. Then, physical characteristics of ion implantation and particularly classical dopant implantation, such as nitrogen, for n-type doping, and aluminium and boron, for p-type doping are described. Results with these dopants are presented and analysed. Optimal conditions are extracted from these experiences so as to obtain a good crystal quality and a surface state allowing device fabrication. Electrical conduction is then described in the 4H and 6H-SiC polytypes. Freezing of free carriers and scattering processes are described. Electrical measurements are carried out using Hall effect on Van der Panw test patterns, and 4 point probe method are used to draw the type of the material, free carrier concentrations, resistivity and mobility of the implanted doped layers. These results are commented and compared to the theoretical analysis. The influence of the technological process on electrical conduction is studied in view of fabricating implanted silicon carbide devices. (author)

N-type nano-silicon powders with ultra-low electrical resistivity as anode materials in lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Zhihao; Zhou, Lang; Jin, Chenxin; Xu, Guojun; Liu, Liekai; Tang, Hao; Li, Xiaomin; Sun, Fugen; Huang, Haibin; Yuan, Jiren

2017-06-01

N-type silicon wafers with electrical resistivity of 0.001 Ω cm were ball-milled to powders and part of them was further mechanically crushed by sand-milling to smaller particles of nano-size. Both the sand-milled and ball-milled silicon powders were, respectively, mixed with graphite powder (silicon:graphite = 5:95, weight ratio) as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. Electrochemical measurements, including cycle and rate tests, present that anode using sand-milled silicon powder performed much better. The first discharge capacity of sand-milled silicon anode is 549.7 mAh/g and it is still up to 420.4 mAh/g after 100 cycles. Besides, the D50 of sand-milled silicon powder shows ten times smaller in particle size than that of ball-milled silicon powder, and they are 276 nm and 2.6 μm, respectively. In addition, there exist some amorphous silicon components in the sand-milled silicon powder excepting the multi-crystalline silicon, which is very different from the ball-milled silicon powder made up of multi-crystalline silicon only.

Quality evaluation of resistivity-controlled silicon crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jong Hoe

2006-01-01

The segregation phenomenon of dopants causes a low production yield of silicon crystal that meets the resistivity tolerance required by device manufacturers. In order to control the macroscopic axial resistivity distribution in bulk crystal growth, numerous studies including continuous Czochralski method and double crucible technique have been studied. The simple B-P codoping method for improving the productivity of p-type silicon single-crystal growth by controlling axial specific resistivity distribution was proposed by Wang [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 43 (2004) 4079]. In this work, the quality of Czochralski-grown silicon single crystals with a diameter 200 mm using B-P codoping method was studied from the chemical and structural points of view. It was found that the characteristics of B-P codoped wafers including the oxygen precipitation behavior and the grown-in defects are same as that of conventional B-doped Czochralski crystals.

Silicon doped InP as an alternative plasmonic material for mid-infrared

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Panah, Mohammad Esmail Aryaee; Han, Li; Christensen, Dennis Valbjørn

2016-01-01

Silicon-doped InP is grown on top of semiinsulating iron-doped and sulfur-doped InP substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), and the growth parameters are adjusted to obtain various free carrier concentrations from 1.05×1019 cm-3 up to 3.28×1019 cm-3. Midinfrared (IR) reflection...

Selfsupported epitaxial silicon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazarovici, D.; Popescu, A.

1975-01-01

The methods of removing the p or p + support of an n-type epitaxial silicon layer using electrochemical etching are described. So far, only n + -n junctions have been processed. The condition of anodic dissolution for some values of the support and layer resistivity are given. By this method very thin single crystal selfsupported targets of convenient areas can be obtained for channeling - blocking experiments

Complexing agents and pH influence on chemical durability of type I moulded glass containers.

Science.gov (United States)

Biavati, Alberto; Poncini, Michele; Ferrarini, Arianna; Favaro, Nicola; Scarpa, Martina; Vallotto, Marta

2017-06-16

Among the factors that affect the glass surface chemical durability, pH and complexing agents presence in aqueous solution have the main role (1). Glass surface attack can be also related to the delamination issue with glass particles appearance in the pharmaceutical preparation. A few methods to check for glass containers delamination propensity and some control guidelines have been proposed (2,3). The present study emphasizes the possible synergy between a few complexing agents with pH on the borosilicate glass chemical durability. Hydrolytic attack was performed in small volume 23 ml type I glass containers autoclaved according to EP or USP for 1 hour at 121°C, in order to enhance the chemical attack due to time, temperature and the unfavourable surface/volume ratio. 0,048 M or 0.024 M (moles/liter) solutions of the acids citric, glutaric, acetic, EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and sodium phosphate with water for comparison, were used for the trials. The pH was adjusted ± 0,05 units at fixed values 5,5-6,6-7-7,4-8-9 by LiOH diluted solution. Since silicon is the main glass network former, silicon release into the attack solutions was chosen as the main index of the glass surface attack and analysed by ICPAES. The work was completed by the analysis of the silicon release in the worst attack conditions, of moulded glass, soda lime type II and tubing borosilicate glass vials to compare different glass compositions and forming technologies. Surface analysis by SEM was finally performed to check for the surface status after the worst chemical attack condition by citric acid. Copyright © 2017, Parenteral Drug Association.

Synthesis, structural and semiconducting properties of Ba(Cu1/3 Sb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 solid solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Chandra Bhal; Kumar, Dinesh; Prashant, Verma, Narendra Kumar; Singh, Akhilesh Kumar

2018-05-01

We report the synthesis and properties of a new solid solution 0.05Ba(Cu1/3Sb2/3)O3-0.95PbTiO3 (BCS-PT) which shows the semiconducting properties. In this study, we have designed new perovskite-type (ABO3) solid solution of BCS-PT that have tunable optical band gap. BCS-PT compounds were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method and their structural, micro-structural and optical properties were analyzed. The calcination temperature for BCS-PT solid solutions has been optimized to obtain a phase pure system. The Reitveld analysis of X-ray data show that all samples crystallize in tetragonal crystal structure with space group P4mm. X-ray investigation revealed that increase in calcination temperature led to increase of lattice parameter `a' while `c' parameter value lowered. The band gap of PbTiO3 is reduced from 3.2 eV to 2.8 eV with BCS doping and with increasing calcination temperature it further reduces to 2.56 eV. The reduced band gap indicated that the compounds are semiconducting and can be used for photovoltaic device applications.

Semiconducting La{sub 2}AuP{sub 3}, the metallic conductor Ce{sub 2}AuP{sub 3}, and other rare-earth gold phosphides Ln{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} with two closely related crystal structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eschen, M.; Kotzyba, G.; Kuennen, B.; Jeitschko, W. [Anorganisch-Chemisches Inst. der Westfaelischen Wilhelms-Univ., Muenster (Germany)

2001-07-01

The compounds Ln{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} were synthesized by reaction of the elemental components in evacuated silica tubes. Their crystal structures were determined from single-crystal diffractometer data. The compounds with Ln = La, Ce, and Pr crystallize with an orthorhombic U{sub 2}NiC{sub 3} type structure (Pnma, Z = 4). The structure refinement for Ce{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} resulted in a = 774.14(6) pm, b = 421.11(4) pm, c = 1612.3(1) pm, R = 0.019 for 1410 structure factors and 38 variable parameters. For Pr{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} a residual of R = 0.024 was obtained. Nd{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} crystallizes with a monoclinic distortion of this structure: P2{sub 1}/c, Z = 4, a = 416.14(4) pm, b = 768.87(6) pm, c = 1647.1(2) pm, {beta} = 104.06(1) , R = 0.022 for 1361 F values and 56 variables. The near-neighbor coordinations of the two structures are nearly the same. In both structures the gold and phosphorus atoms form two-dimensionally infinite nets, where the gold atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated by phosphorus atoms with Au-P distances varying between 245.8 and 284.2 pm. Two thirds of the phosphorus atoms form pairs with single-bond distances varying between 217.7 and 218.9 pm. Thus, using oxidation numbers the structures can be rationalized with the formulas (Ln{sup +3}){sub 2}[AuP{sub 3}]{sup -6} and (Ln{sup +3}){sub 2}Au{sup +1}(P{sub 2}){sup -4}P{sup -3}. Accordingly, La{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} is a diamagnetic semiconductor. Pr{sub 2}AuP{sub 3} is semi-conducting with an antiferromagnetic ground state, showing metamagnetism with a critical field of B{sub c} = 0.5({+-}0.1) T. In contrast, the cerium compound is a metallic conductor, even though its cell volume indicates that the cerium atoms are essentially trivalent, as is also suggested by the ferro- or ferrimagnetic behavior of the compound. (orig.)

Silicon P.I.N. Junctions used for studies of radiation damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanore, J.

1964-06-01

Irradiation of silicon P.I.N. junction has been studied primarily for the purpose of developing a radiation damage dosimeter, but also for the purpose of investigating silicon itself. It is known that the rate of recombination of electrons and holes is a linear function of defects introduced by neutron irradiation. Two methods have been used to measure that rate of recombination: forward characteristic measurements, recovery time measurements. In order to explain how these two parameters depend on recombination rate we have given a theory of the P.I.N. junction. We have also given an idea of the carrier lifetime dependence versus temperature. Annealing effects in the range of 70 to 700 K have also been studied, we found five annealing stages with corresponding activation energies. As an application for these studies, we developed a radiation damage dosimeter with which we made several experiments in facilities such as Naiade or Marias. (author) [fr

Structural Ordering of Semiconducting Polymers and Small-Molecules for Organic Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hara, Kathryn Allison

Semiconducting polymers and small-molecules can be readily incorporated into electronic devices such as organic photovoltaics (OPVs), thermoelectrics (OTEs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), and organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). Organic materials offer the advantage of being processable from solution to form flexible and lightweight thin films. The molecular design, processing, and resulting thin film morphology of semiconducting polymers drastically affect the optical and electronic properties. Charge transport within films of semiconducting polymers relies on the nanoscale organization to ensure electronic coupling through overlap of molecular orbitals and to provide continuous transport pathways. While the angstrom-scale packing details can be studied using X-ray scattering methods, an understanding of the mesoscale, or the length scale over which smaller ordered regions connect, is much harder to achieve. Grain boundaries play an important role in semiconducting polymer thin films where the average grain size is much smaller than the total distance which charges must traverse in order to reach the electrodes in a device. The majority of semiconducting polymers adopt a lamellar packing structure in which the conjugated backbones align in parallel pi-stacks separated by the alkyl side-chains. Only two directions of transport are possible--along the conjugated backbone and in the pi-stacking direction. Currently, the discussion of transport between crystallites is centered around the idea of tie-chains, or "bridging" polymer chains connecting two ordered regions. However, as molecular structures become increasingly complex with the development of new donor-acceptor copolymers, additional forms of connectivity between ordered domains should be considered. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is a powerful tool for directly imaging the crystalline grain boundaries in polymer and small-molecule thin films. Recently, structures

Intrinsic gettering of nickel impuriy deep levels in silicon substrate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The intrinsic gettering of nickel impurity in p-type silicon substrate has been investigated. The density of electrically active nickel in intentionally contaminated silicon was determined before and after oxygen precipitation by means of resistivity measurements. These data, coupled with minority carrier lifetime and infrared ...

Electrically active defects in p-type silicon after alpha-particle irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Danga, Helga T.; Auret, F. Danie; Tunhuma, Shandirai M.; Omotoso, Ezekiel; Igumbor, Emmanuel; Meyer, Walter E.

2018-04-01

In this work, we investigated the defects introduced when boron (B) doped silicon (Si) was irradiated by making use of a 5.4 MeV americium (Am) 241 foil radioactive source with a fluence rate of 7×106 cm-2 s-1 at room temperature. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace-DLTS measurements were used to investigate the electronic properties of the introduced defects. After exposure at a fluence of 5.1×1010 cm-2, the energy levels of the hole traps measured were: H(0.10), H(0.16), H(0.33) and H(0.52) The defect level H(0.10) was tri-vacancy related. H(0.33) was identified as the interstitial carbon (Ci) related defect which was a result of radiation induced damage. H(0.52) was a B-related defect. Explicit deductions about the origin of H(0.16) have not yet been achieved.

Robustness up to 400°C of the passivation of c-Si by p-type a-Si:H thanks to ion implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Defresne, A.; Plantevin, O.; Roca i Cabarrocas, Pere

2016-12-01

Heterojunction solar cells based on crystalline silicon (c-Si) passivated by hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films are one of the most promising architectures for high energy conversion efficiency. Indeed, a-Si:H thin films can passivate both p-type and n-type wafers and can be deposited at low temperature (layers, in particular p-type a-Si:H, show a dramatic degradation in passivation quality above 200°C. Yet, annealing at 300 - 400°C the TCO layer and metallic contacts is highly desirable to reduce the contact resistance as well as the TCO optical absorption. In this work, we show that as expected, ion implantation (5 - 30 keV) introduces defects at the c-Si/a-Si:H interface which strongly degrade the effective lifetime, down to a few micro-seconds. However, the passivation quality can be restored and lifetime values can be improved up to 2 ms over the initial value with annealing. We show here that effective lifetimes above 1 ms can be maintained up to 380°C, opening up the possibility for higher process temperatures in silicon heterojunction device fabrication.

Light-induced enhancement of the minority carrier lifetime in boron-doped Czochralski silicon passivated by doped silicon nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hongzhe; Chen, Chao; Pan, Miao; Sun, Yiling; Yang, Xi

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The phosphorus-doped SiN x with negative fixed charge was deposited by PECVD. • The increase of lifetime was observed on P-doped SiN x passivated Si under illumination. • The enhancement of lifetime was caused by the increase of negative fixed charges. - Abstract: This study reports a doubling of the effective minority carrier lifetime under light soaking conditions, observed in a boron-doped p-type Czochralski grown silicon wafer passivated by a phosphorus-doped silicon nitride thin film. The analysis of capacitance–voltage curves revealed that the fixed charge in this phosphorus-doped silicon nitride film was negative, which was unlike the well-known positive fixed charges observed in traditional undoped silicon nitride. The analysis results revealed that the enhancement phenomenon of minority carrier lifetime was caused by the abrupt increase in the density of negative fixed charge (from 7.2 × 10 11 to 1.2 × 10 12 cm −2 ) after light soaking.

Admittance studies of neutron-irradiated silicon p+-n diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Y.; Usami, A.

1977-01-01

Defects introduced in n-type silicon by neutron irradiation were investigated by measuring the conductance (G) and the capacitance (C) of p + -n diodes. The method of the determination of the energy level, capture cross section, and concentration for each defect from the G-T and C-T curves for various frequencies was presented. Assuming that capture cross sections are independent of temperature, the energy levels of E/sub c/-0.15 eV, E/sub c/-0.22 eV, and E/sub c/-0.39 eV were obtained. For these defects, the calculated values of the electron capture cross section were 2.6 x 10 -14 , 3.7 x 10 -15 , and 2.0 x 10 -14 cm 2 , respectively. The introduction rate of defects for E/sub c/-0.39 eV was twice that for E/sub c/-0.22 eV which was twice that for E/sub c/-0.15 eV. Comparing with other published data, the energy levels of E/sub c/-0.15 eV and E/sub c/-0.39 eV were found to be correlated with the A center and the divacancy, respectively

Temperature-Dependent Asymmetry of Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Silicon p-n Junctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, D Z; Wang, T; Sui, W B; Si, M S; Guo, D W; Shi, Z; Wang, F C; Xue, D S

2015-09-01

We report a large but asymmetric magnetoresistance in silicon p-n junctions, which contrasts with the fact of magnetoresistance being symmetric in magnetic metals and semiconductors. With temperature decreasing from 293 K to 100 K, the magnetoresistance sharply increases from 50% to 150% under a magnetic field of 2 T. At the same time, an asymmetric magnetoresistance, which manifests itself as a magnetoresistance voltage offset with respect to the sign of magnetic field, occurs and linearly increases with magnetoresistance. More interestingly, in contrast with other materials, the lineshape of anisotropic magnetoresistance in silicon p-n junctions significantly depends on temperature. As temperature decreases from 293 K to 100 K, the width of peak shrinks from 90° to 70°. We ascribe these novel magnetoresistance to the asymmetric geometry of the space charge region in p-n junction induced by the magnetic field. In the vicinity of the space charge region the current paths are deflected, contributing the Hall field to the asymmetric magnetoresistance. Therefore, the observed temperature-dependent asymmetry of magnetoresistance is proved to be a direct consequence of the spatial configuration evolution of space charge region with temperature.

Liquid phase epitaxial growth of silicon on porous silicon for photovoltaic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, S.; Quoizola, S.; Fave, A.; Kaminski, A.; Perichon, S.; Barbier, D.; Laugier, A.

2001-01-01

The aim of this experiment is to grow a thin silicon layer ( 2 atmosphere, and finally LPE silicon growth with different temperature profiles in order to obtain a silicon layer on the sacrificial porous silicon (p-Si). We observed a pyramidal growth on the surface of the (100) porous silicon but the coalescence was difficult to obtain. However, on a p-Si (111) oriented wafer, homogeneous layers were obtained. (orig.)

Characterization of oxygen dimer-enriched silicon detectors

CERN Document Server

Boisvert, V; Moll, M; Murin, L I; Pintilie, I

2005-01-01

Various types of silicon material and silicon p+n diodes have been treated to increase the concentration of the oxygen dimer (O2i) defect. This was done by exposing the bulk material and the diodes to 6 MeV electrons at a temperature of about 350 °C. FTIR spectroscopy has been performed on the processed material confirming the formation of oxygen dimer defects in Czochralski silicon pieces. We also show results from TSC characterization on processed diodes. Finally, we investigated the influence of the dimer enrichment process on the depletion voltage of silicon diodes and performed 24 GeV/c proton irradiations to study the evolution of the macroscopic diode characteristics as a function of fluence.

Thin film silicon by a microwave plasma deposition technique: Growth and devices, and, interface effects in amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Jagannathan, Basanth

Thin film silicon (Si) was deposited by a microwave plasma CVD technique, employing double dilution of silane, for the growth of low hydrogen content Si films with a controllable microstructure on amorphous substrates at low temperatures (prepared by this technique. Such films showed a dark conductivity ˜10sp{-6} S/cm, with a conduction activation energy of 0.49 eV. Film growth and properties have been compared for deposition in Ar and He carrier systems and growth models have been proposed. Low temperature junction formation by undoped thin film silicon was examined through a thin film silicon/p-type crystalline silicon heterojunctions. The thin film silicon layers were deposited by rf glow discharge, dc magnetron sputtering and microwave plasma CVD. The hetero-interface was identified by current transport analysis and high frequency capacitance methods as the key parameter controlling the photovoltaic (PV) response. The effect of the interface on the device properties (PV, junction, and carrier transport) was examined with respect to modifications created by chemical treatment, type of plasma species, their energy and film microstructure interacting with the substrate. Thermally stimulated capacitance was used to determine the interfacial trap parameters. Plasma deposition of thin film silicon on chemically clean c-Si created electron trapping sites while hole traps were seen when a thin oxide was present at the interface. Under optimized conditions, a 10.6% efficient cell (11.5% with SiOsb2 A/R) with an open circuit voltage of 0.55 volts and a short circuit current density of 30 mA/cmsp2 was fabricated.

An alternative approach to charge transport in semiconducting electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Thomchick, J.; Buoncristiani, A. M.

1980-01-01

The excess-carrier charge transport through the space-charge region of a semiconducting electrode is analyzed by a technique known as the flux method. In this approach reflection and transmission coefficients appropriate for a sheet of uniform semiconducting material describe its transport properties. A review is presented of the flux method showing that the results for a semiconductor electrode reduce in a limiting case to those previously found by Gaertner if the depletion layer is treated as a perfectly transmitting medium in which scattering and recombination are ignored. Then, in the framework of the flux method the depletion layer is considered more realistically by explicitly taking into account scattering and recombination processes which occur in this region.

Analysis of n-in-p type silicon detectors for high radiation environment with fast analogue and binary readout systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Printz, Martin

2016-01-22

sensor technology and module design will be deployed. Silicon strip and macro-pixel sensors in the future CMS experiment will face a fluence of up to Φ=1 x 10{sup 15} n{sub eq}cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} after an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb{sup -1} and 10 years of operation in HL-LHC conditions. Therefore the radiation hardness of the sensors must guarantee high charge collection efficiency which degrades with increasing radiation damage. Therefore extensive radiation damage and charge collection studies have been exercised in order to find the most suitable sensor material and layout which will withstand the harsh operation environment. The key technology has been decided to be p-type substrate whereby electrons with a high mobility and less trapping effects are collected by the readout electrodes. However, this technology requires detailed investigations of the necessary isolation layer which prevents a build up of an accumulation layer below the sensor surface which would directly lead to a lower resolution of the tracker. Furthermore, an elevated particle or track density requires a higher granularity. Hence the strip length of the sensors and the strip pitch will be reduced resulting in more channels and as a direct consequence more data which has to be transmitted out of the tracker volume. In contrary to the current tracker, the signal level will be compared to a threshold by the new binary readout chip CBC and just the binary hit information will be processed to the next instance. In addition, the tracker will contribute to the global Level-1 trigger decision. The contribution will be achieved by the correlation logic of the binary readout chip which detects hits on two stacked sensors in one module. Depending on the particle curvature in the CMS 3.8 T magnetic field, the transverse momentum p{sub T} of the traversing particles is estimated on-chip and compared to a programable threshold. Simulations indicate, that rejecting hits from low momentum particles in the

Efficiency Enhancement of Silicon Solar Cells by Porous Silicon Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenijus SHATKOVSKIS

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Silicon solar cells produced by a usual technology in p-type, crystalline silicon wafer were investigated. The manufactured solar cells were of total thickness 450 mm, the junction depth was of 0.5 mm – 0.7 mm. Porous silicon technologies were adapted to enhance cell efficiency. The production of porous silicon layer was carried out in HF: ethanol = 1 : 2 volume ratio electrolytes, illuminating by 50 W halogen lamps at the time of processing. The etching current was computer-controlled in the limits of (6 ÷ 14 mA/cm2, etching time was set in the interval of (10 ÷ 20 s. The characteristics and performance of the solar cells samples was carried out illuminating by Xenon 5000 K lamp light. Current-voltage characteristic studies have shown that porous silicon structures produced affect the extent of dark and lighting parameters of the samples. Exactly it affects current-voltage characteristic and serial resistance of the cells. It has shown, the formation of porous silicon structure causes an increase in the electric power created of solar cell. Conversion efficiency increases also respectively to the initial efficiency of cell. Increase of solar cell maximum power in 15 or even more percent is found. The highest increase in power have been observed in the spectral range of Dl @ (450 ÷ 850 nm, where ~ 60 % of the A1.5 spectra solar energy is located. It has been demonstrated that porous silicon technology is effective tool to improve the silicon solar cells performance.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.18.3.2428

Effect of sulfur addition on the transport properties of semiconducting iron phosphate glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Desoky, M.M. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Suez (Egypt); Ibrahim, F.A. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Education, Suez Canal University, Al-Arish (Egypt); Hassaan, M.Y. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, 11884 Cairo (Egypt)

2011-08-15

The present paper focuses on a quantitative analysis of the metallic and semiconducting behavior of electrical resistivity in La{sub 0.91}Rb{sub 0.06}Mn{sub 0.94}O{sub 3} manganites. The contribution of inherent low-frequency acoustic phonons as well as high-frequency optical phonons, to the electron-phonon resistivity is estimated following Bloch-Gruneisen model. The computed phonon resistivity is compared with that of reported metallic resistivity, accordingly {rho}diff. [{rho}exp. - {l_brace}{rho}0 + {rho}e-ph (={rho}ac + {rho}op){r_brace}] have been analysed through electron-electron scattering. Also, the difference can be varies linearly with T{sup 4.5} in accordance with the electron-magnon scattering in the double exchange process. The results reveal important aspects transport mechanism as well as point out that it is not only dominated by electron-phonon scattering, but also by electron-electron and electron-magnon scattering process. Alternatively, in high temperature regime (T {>=} T{sub P}) the semiconducting nature is discussed with Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) and small polaron conduction (SPC) model. (authors)

Effect of sulfur addition on the transport properties of semiconducting iron phosphate glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Desoky, M.M.; Ibrahim, F.A.; Hassaan, M.Y.

2011-01-01

The present paper focuses on a quantitative analysis of the metallic and semiconducting behavior of electrical resistivity in La 0.91 Rb 0.06 Mn 0.94 O 3 manganites. The contribution of inherent low-frequency acoustic phonons as well as high-frequency optical phonons, to the electron-phonon resistivity is estimated following Bloch-Gruneisen model. The computed phonon resistivity is compared with that of reported metallic resistivity, accordingly ρdiff. [ρexp. - {ρ0 + ρe-ph (=ρac + ρop)}] have been analysed through electron-electron scattering. Also, the difference can be varies linearly with T 4.5 in accordance with the electron-magnon scattering in the double exchange process. The results reveal important aspects transport mechanism as well as point out that it is not only dominated by electron-phonon scattering, but also by electron-electron and electron-magnon scattering process. Alternatively, in high temperature regime (T ≥ T P ) the semiconducting nature is discussed with Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) and small polaron conduction (SPC) model. (authors)

Impact of low-dose electron irradiation on n+p silicon strip sensors

CERN Document Server

Adam, W.; Dragicevic, M.; Friedl, M.; Fruehwirth, R.; Hoch, M.; Hrubec, J.; Krammer, M.; Treberspurg, W.; Waltenberger, W.; Alderweireldt, S.; Beaumont, W.; Janssen, X.; Luyckx, S.; Van Mechelen, P.; Van Remortel, N.; Van Spilbeeck, A.; Barria, P.; Caillol, C.; Clerbaux, B.; De Lentdecker, G.; Dobur, D.; Favart, L.; Grebenyuk, A.; Lenzi, Th.; Leonard, A.; Maerschalk, Th.; Mohammadi, A.; Pernie, L.; Randle-Conde, A.; Reis, T.; Seva, T.; Thomas, L.; Vander Velde, C.; Vanlaer, P.; Wang, J.; Zenoni, F.; Abu Zeid, S.; Blekman, F.; De Bruyn, I.; D'Hondt, J.; Daci, N.; Deroover, K.; Heracleous, N.; Keaveney, J.; Lowette, S.; Moreels, L.; Olbrechts, A.; Python, Q.; Tavernier, S.; Van Mulders, P.; Van Onsem, G.; Van Parijs, I.; Strom, D.A.; Basegmez, S.; Bruno, G.; Castello, R.; Caudron, A.; Ceard, L.; De Callatay, B.; Delaere, C.; Pree, T.Du; Forthomme, L.; Giammanco, A.; Hollar, J.; Jez, P.; Michotte, D.; Nuttens, C.; Perrini, L.; Pagano, D.; Quertenmont, L.; Selvaggi, M.; Marono, M.Vidal; Beliy, N.; Caebergs, T.; Daubie, E.; Hammad, G.H.; Harkonen, J.; Lampen, T.; Luukka, P.R.; Maenpaa, T.; Peltola, T.; Tuominen, E.; Tuovinen, E.; Eerola, P.; Tuuva, T.; Beaulieu, G.; Boudoul, G.; Combaret, C.; Contardo, D.; Gallbit, G.; Lumb, N.; Mathez, H.; Mirabito, L.; Perries, S.; Sabes, D.; Vander Donckt, M.; Verdier, P.; Viret, S.; Zoccarato, Y.; Agram, J.L.; Conte, E.; Fontaine, J.Ch.; Andrea, J.; Bloch, D.; Bonnin, C.; Brom, J.M.; Chabert, E.; Charles, L.; Goetzmann, Ch.; Gross, L.; Hosselet, J.; Mathieu, C.; Richer, M.; Skovpen, K.; Autermann, C.; Edelhoff, M.; Esser, H.; Feld, L.; Karpinski, W.; Klein, K.; Lipinski, M.; Ostapchuk, A.; Pierschel, G.; Preuten, M.; Raupach, F.; Sammet, J.; Schael, S.; Schwering, G.; Wittmer, B.; Wlochal, M.; Zhukov, V.; Pistone, C.; Fluegge, G.; Kuensken, A.; Geisler, M.; Pooth, O.; Stahl, A.; Bartosik, N.; Behr, J.; Burgmeier, A.; Calligaris, L.; Dolinska, G.; Eckerlin, G.; Eckstein, D.; Eichhorn, T.; Fluke, G.; Garcia, J.Garay; Gizhko, A.; Hansen, K.; Harb, A.; Hauk, J.; Kalogeropoulos, A.; Kleinwort, C.; Korol, I.; Lange, W.; Lohmann, W.; Mankel, R.; Maser, H.; Mittag, G.; Muhl, C.; Mussgiller, A.; Nayak, A.; Ntomari, E.; Perrey, H.; Pitzl, D.; Schroeder, M.; Seitz, C.; Spannagel, S.; Zuber, A.; Biskop, H.; Blobel, V.; Buhmann, P.; Centis-Vignali, M.; Draeger, A.R.; Erfle, J.; Garutti, E.; Haller, J.; Henkel, Ch.; Hoffmann, M.; Junkes, A.; Klanner, R.; Lapsien, T.; Mattig, S.; Matysek, M.; Perieanu, A.; Poehlsen, J.; Poehlsen, T.; Scharf, Ch.; Schleper, P.; Schmidt, A.; Schuwalow, S.; Schwandt, J.; Sola, V.; Steinbruck, G.; Vormwald, B.; Wellhausen, J.; Barvich, T.; Barth, Ch.; Boegelspacher, F.; De Boer, W.; Butz, E.; Casele, M.; Colombo, F.; Dierlamm, A.; Eber, R.; Freund, B.; Hartmann, F.; Hauth, Th.; Heindl, S.; Hoffmann, K.H.; Husemann, U.; Kornmeyer, A.; Mallows, S.; Muller, Th.; Nuernberg, A.; Printz, M.; Simonis, H.J.; Steck, P.; Weber, M.; Weiler, Th.; Bhardwaj, A.; Kumar, A.; Ranjan, K.; Bakhshiansohl, H.; Behnamian, H.; Khakzad, M.; Naseri, M.; Cariola, P.; De Robertis, G.; Fiore, L.; Franco, M.; Loddo, F.; Sala, G.; Silvestris, L.; Creanza, D.; De Palma, M.; Maggi, G.; My, S.; Selvaggi, G.; Albergo, S.; Cappello, G.; Chiorboli, M.; Costa, S.; Giordano, F.; Di Mattia, A.; Potenza, R.; Saizu, M.A.; Tricomi, A.; Tuve, C.; Barbagli, G.; Brianzi, M.; Ciaranfi, R.; Civinini, C.; Gallo, E.; Meschini, M.; Paoletti, S.; Sguazzoni, G.; Ciulli, V.; D'Alessandro, R.; Gonzi, S.; Gori, V.; Focardi, E.; Lenzi, P.; Scarlini, E.; Tropiano, A.; Viliani, L.; Ferro, F.; Robutti, E.; Lo Vetere, M.; Gennai, S.; Malvezzi, S.; Menasce, D.; Moroni, L.; Pedrini, D.; Dinardo, M.; Fiorendi, S.; Manzoni, R.A.; Azzi, P.; Bacchetta, N.; Bisello, D.; Dall'Osso, M.; Dorigo, T.; Giubilato, P.; Pozzobon, N.; Tosi, M.; Zucchetta, A.; De Canio, F.; Gaioni, L.; Manghisoni, M.; Nodari, B.; Re, V.; Traversi, G.; Comotti, D.; Ratti, L.; Bilei, G.M.; Bissi, L.; Checcucci, B.; Magalotti, D.; Menichelli, M.; Saha, A.; Servoli, L.; Storchi, L.; Biasini, M.; Conti, E.; Ciangottini, D.; Fano, L.; Lariccia, P.; Mantovani, G.; Passeri, D.; Placidi, P.; Salvatore, M.; Santocchia, A.; Solestizi, L.A.; Spiezia, A.; Demaria, N.; Rivetti, A.; Bellan, R.; Casasso, S.; Costa, M.; Covarelli, R.; Migliore, E.; Monteil, E.; Musich, M.; Pacher, L.; Ravera, F.; Romero, A.; Solano, A.; Trapani, P.; Jaramillo Echeverria, R.; Fernandez, M.; Gomez, G.; Moya, D.; F. Gonzalez Sanchez, J.; Munoz Sanchez, F.J.; Vila, I.; Virto, A.L.; Abbaneo, D.; Ahmed, I.; Albert, E.; Auzinger, G.; Berruti, G.; Bianchi, G.; Blanchot, G.; Breuker, H.; Ceresa, D.; Christiansen, J.; Cichy, K.; Daguin, J.; D'Alfonso, M.; D'Auria, A.; Detraz, S.; De Visscher, S.; Deyrail, D.; Faccio, F.; Felici, D.; Frank, N.; Gill, K.; Giordano, D.; Harris, P.; Honma, A.; Kaplon, J.; Kornmayer, A.; Kortelainen, M.; Kottelat, L.; Kovacs, M.; Mannelli, M.; Marchioro, A.; Marconi, S.; Martina, S.; Mersi, S.; Michelis, S.; Moll, M.; Onnela, A.; Pakulski, T.; Pavis, S.; Peisert, A.; Pernot, J.F.; Petagna, P.; Petrucciani, G.; Postema, H.; Rose, P.; Rzonca, M.; Stoye, M.; Tropea, P.; Troska, J.; Tsirou, A.; Vasey, F.; Vichoudis, P.; Verlaat, B.; Zwalinski, L.; Bachmair, F.; Becker, R.; Bani, L.; di Calafiori, D.; Casal, B.; Djambazov, L.; Donega, M.; Dunser, M.; Eller, P.; Grab, C.; Hits, D.; Horisberger, U.; Hoss, J.; Kasieczka, G.; Lustermann, W.; Mangano, B.; Marionneau, M.; Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, P.; Masciovecchio, M.; Perrozzi, L.; Roeser, U.; Rossini, M.; Starodumov, A.; Takahashi, M.; Wallny, R.; Amsler, C.; Bosiger, K.; Caminada, L.; Canelli, F.; Chiochia, V.; De Cosa, A.; Galloni, C.; Hreus, T.; Kilminster, B.; Lange, C.; Maier, R.; Ngadiuba, J.; Pinna, D.; Robmann, P.; Taroni, S.; Yang, Y.; Bertl, W.; Deiters, K.; Erdmann, W.; Horisberger, R.; Kaestli, H.C.; Kotlinski, D.; Langenegger, U.; Meier, B.; Rohe, T.; Streuli, S.; Chen, P.H.; Dietz, C.; Grundler, U.; Hou, W.S.; Lu, R.S.; Moya, M.; Wilken, R.; Cussans, D.; Flacher, H.; Goldstein, J.; Grimes, M.; Jacob, J.; El Nasr-Storey, S.Seif; Cole, J.; Hobson, P.; Leggat, D.; Reid, I.D.; Teodorescu, L.; Bainbridge, R.; Dauncey, P.; Fulcher, J.; Hall, G.; Magnan, A.M.; Pesaresi, M.; Raymond, D.M.; Uchida, K.; Coughlan, J.A.; Harder, K.; Ilic, J.; Tomalin, I.R.; Garabedian, A.; Heintz, U.; Narain, M.; Nelson, J.; Sagir, S.; Speer, T.; Swanson, J.; Tersegno, D.; Watson-Daniels, J.; Chertok, M.; Conway, J.; Conway, R.; Flores, C.; Lander, R.; Pellett, D.; Ricci-Tam, F.; Squires, M.; Thomson, J.; Yohay, R.; Burt, K.; Ellison, J.; Hanson, G.; Malberti, M.; Olmedo, M.; Cerati, G.; Sharma, V.; Vartak, A.; Yagil, A.; Della Porta, G.Zevi; Dutta, V.; Gouskos, L.; Incandela, J.; Kyre, S.; McColl, N.; Mullin, S.; White, D.; Cumalat, J.P.; Ford, W.T.; Gaz, A.; Krohn, M.; Stenson, K.; Wagner, S.R.; Baldin, B.; Bolla, G.; Burkett, K.; Butler, J.; Cheung, H.; Chramowicz, J.; Christian, D.; Cooper, W.E.; Deptuch, G.; Derylo, G.; Gingu, C.; Gruenendahl, S.; Hasegawa, S.; Hoff, J.; Howell, J.; Hrycyk, M.; Jindariani, S.; Johnson, M.; Jung, A.; Joshi, U.; Kahlid, F.; Lei, C.M.; Lipton, R.; Liu, T.; Los, S.; Matulik, M.; Merkel, P.; Nahn, S.; Prosser, A.; Rivera, R.; Shenai, A.; Spiegel, L.; Tran, N.; Uplegger, L.; Voirin, E.; Yin, H.; Adams, M.R.; Berry, D.R.; Evdokimov, A.; Evdokimov, O.; Gerber, C.E.; Hofman, D.J.; Kapustka, B.K.; O'Brien, C.; Sandoval Gonzalez, D.I.; Trauger, H.; Turner, P.; Parashar, N.; Stupak, J., III; Bortoletto, D.; Bubna, M.; Hinton, N.; Jones, M.; Miller, D.H.; Shi, X.; Tan, P.; Baringer, P.; Bean, A.; Benelli, G.; Gray, J.; Majumder, D.; Noonan, D.; Sanders, S.; Stringer, R.; Ivanov, A.; Makouski, M.; Skhirtladze, N.; Taylor, R.; Anderson, I.; Fehling, D.; Gritsan, A.; Maksimovic, P.; Martin, C.; Nash, K.; Osherson, M.; Swartz, M.; Xiao, M.; Acosta, J.G.; Cremaldi, L.M.; Oliveros, S.; Perera, L.; Summers, D.; Bloom, K.; Bose, S.; Claes, D.R.; Dominguez, A.; Fangmeier, C.; Gonzalez Suarez, R.; Meier, F.; Monroy, J.; Hahn, K.; Sevova, S.; Sung, K.; Trovato, M.; Bartz, E.; Duggan, D.; Halkiadakis, E.; Lath, A.; Park, M.; Schnetzer, S.; Stone, R.; Walker, M.; Malik, S.; Mendez, H.; Ramirez Vargas, J.E.; Alyari, M.; Dolen, J.; George, J.; Godshalk, A.; Iashvili, I.; Kaisen, J.; Kharchilava, A.; Kumar, A.; Rappoccio, S.; Alexander, J.; Chaves, J.; Chu, J.; Dittmer, S.; Kaufman, G.; Mirman, N.; Ryd, A.; Salvati, E.; Skinnari, L.; Thom, J.; Thompson, J.; Tucker, J.; Winstrom, L.; Akgun, B.; Ecklund, K.M.; Nussbaum, T.; Zabel, J.; Betchart, B.; Demina, R.; Hindrichs, O.; Petrillo, G.; Eusebi, R.; Osipenkov, I.; Perloff, A.; Ulmer, K.A.; Delannoy, A.G.; D'Angelo, P.; Johns, W.

2015-01-01

The response of n+p silicon strip sensors to electrons from a Sr-90 source was measured using a multi-channel read-out system with 25 ns sampling time. The measurements were performed over a period of several weeks, during which the operating conditions were varied. The sensors were fabricated by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. on 200 micrometer thick float-zone and magnetic-Czochralski silicon. Their pitch was 80 micrometer, and both p-stop and p-spray isolation of the n+ strips were studied. The electrons from the Sr-90 source were collimated to a spot with a full-width-at-half-maximum of 2 mm at the sensor surface, and the dose rate in the SiO2 at the maximum was about 50 Gy/d. After only a few hours of making measurements, significant changes in charge collection and charge sharing were observed. Annealing studies, with temperatures up to 80{\\deg}C and annealing times of 18 hours, showed that the changes can only be partially annealed. The observations can be qualitatively explained by the increase of the positi...

Minimizing guard ring dead space in silicon detectors with an n-type guard ring at the edge of the detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palviainen, Tanja; Tuuva, Tuure; Leinonen, Kari

2007-01-01

Detectors with n-type silicon with an n + -type guard ring were investigated. In the present work, a new p + /n/n + detector structure with an n + guard ring is described. The guard ring is placed at the edge of the detector. The detector depletion region extends also sideways, allowing for signal collection very close to the n-guard ring. In this kind of detector structure, the dead space of the detector is minimized to be only below the guard ring. This is proved by simulations done using Silvaco/ATLAS software

Minimizing guard ring dead space in silicon detectors with an n-type guard ring at the edge of the detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palviainen, Tanja [Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, FIN-53851 Lappeenranta (Finland)]. E-mail: tanja.palviainen@lut.fi; Tuuva, Tuure [Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, FIN-53851 Lappeenranta (Finland); Leinonen, Kari [Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, FIN-53851 Lappeenranta (Finland)

2007-04-01

Detectors with n-type silicon with an n{sup +}-type guard ring were investigated. In the present work, a new p{sup +}/n/n{sup +} detector structure with an n{sup +} guard ring is described. The guard ring is placed at the edge of the detector. The detector depletion region extends also sideways, allowing for signal collection very close to the n-guard ring. In this kind of detector structure, the dead space of the detector is minimized to be only below the guard ring. This is proved by simulations done using Silvaco/ATLAS software.

Silicon nanowire transistors

CERN Document Server

Bindal, Ahmet

2016-01-01

This book describes the n and p-channel Silicon Nanowire Transistor (SNT) designs with single and dual-work functions, emphasizing low static and dynamic power consumption. The authors describe a process flow for fabrication and generate SPICE models for building various digital and analog circuits. These include an SRAM, a baseband spread spectrum transmitter, a neuron cell and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform in the digital domain, as well as high bandwidth single-stage and operational amplifiers, RF communication circuits in the analog domain, in order to show this technology’s true potential for the next generation VLSI. Describes Silicon Nanowire (SNW) Transistors, as vertically constructed MOS n and p-channel transistors, with low static and dynamic power consumption and small layout footprint; Targets System-on-Chip (SoC) design, supporting very high transistor count (ULSI), minimal power consumption requiring inexpensive substrates for packaging; Enables fabrication of different types...

Porous silicon localization for implementation in matrix biosensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benilov, A.; Cabrera, M.; Skryshevsky, V.; Martin, J.-R.

2007-01-01

The search of appropriate substrates and methods of surface DNA functionalisation is one of the important tasks of semiconductor biosensors. In this work we develop a method of light-assisted porous silicon etching in order to localize porous silicon spots on silicon substrate for matrix fluorophore-labeled DNA sensors implementation. The principal difference of porous spots localization proposed is considered for n- and p-type Si substrates under the condition of supplementary illumination. The tuning of the porous profile via applying of lateral electric field is proposed and experimentally proved

Effect of Rapid Thermal Processing on Light-Induced Degradation of Carrier Lifetime in Czochralski p-Type Silicon Bare Wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Kouhlane, Y.; Bouhafs, D.; Khelifati, N.; Belhousse, S.; Menari, H.; Guenda, A.; Khelfane, A.

2016-11-01

The electrical properties of Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) p-type boron-doped bare wafers have been investigated after rapid thermal processing (RTP) with different peak temperatures. Treated wafers were exposed to light for various illumination times, and the effective carrier lifetime ( τ eff) measured using the quasi-steady-state photoconductance (QSSPC) technique. τ eff values dropped after prolonged illumination exposure due to light-induced degradation (LID) related to electrical activation of boron-oxygen (BO) complexes, except in the sample treated with peak temperature of 785°C, for which the τ eff degradation was less pronounced. Also, a reduction was observed when using the 830°C peak temperature, an effect that was enhanced by alteration of the wafer morphology (roughness). Furthermore, the electrical resistivity presented good stability under light exposure as a function of temperature compared with reference wafers. Additionally, the optical absorption edge shifted to higher wavelength, leading to increased free-carrier absorption by treated wafers. Moreover, a theoretical model is used to understand the lifetime degradation and regeneration behavior as a function of illumination time. We conclude that RTP plays an important role in carrier lifetime regeneration for Cz-Si wafers via modification of optoelectronic and structural properties. The balance between an optimized RTP cycle and the rest of the solar cell elaboration process can overcome the negative effect of LID and contribute to achievement of higher solar cell efficiency and module performance.

The two sides of silicon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devine, S.R.

2001-10-01

Results are presented on in situ irradiation of silicon detector's at cryogenic temperature. The results show that irradiation at cryogenic temperatures does not detrimentally effect a silicon detectors performance when compared to its irradiation at room temperature. Operation of silicon devices at cryogenic temperatures offers the advantage of reducing radiation-induced leakage current to levels of a few pA, while at 130K the Lazarus Effect plays an important role i.e. minimum voltage required for full depletion. Performing voltage scans on a 'standard' silicon pad detector pre- and post annealing, the charge collection efficiency was found to be 60% at 200V and 95% at 200V respectively. Time dependence measurements are presented, showing that for a dose of 6.5x10 14 p/cm 2 (450GeV protons) the time dependence of the charge collection efficiency is negligible. However, for higher doses, 1.2x10 15 p/cm 2 , the charge collection efficiency drops from an initial measured value of 67% to a stable value of 58% over a period of 15 minutes for reversed biased diodes. An analysis of the 'double junction' effect is also presented. A comparison between the Transient Current Technique and an X-ray technique is presented. The double junction has been observed in p + /n/n + silicon detectors after irradiation beyond 'type inversion', corresponding to a fluence equivalent to ∼3x10 13 cm -2 1MeV neutrons, producing p + /p/n + and essentially two p-n junctions within one device. With increasing bias voltage, as the electric field is extending into the detector bulk from opposite sides of the silicon detector, there are two distinct depletion regions that collect charge signal independently. Summing the signal charge from the two regions, one is able to reconstruct the initial energy of the incident particle. From Transient Current measurements it is apparent that E-field manipulation is possible by excess carrier injection, enabling a high enough E-field to extend across the

Novel silicon n-on-p edgeless planar pixel sensors for the ATLAS upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bomben, M., E-mail: marco.bomben@cern.ch [Laboratoire de Physique Nucleaire et de Hautes Énergies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Bagolini, A.; Boscardin, M. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM) Povo di Trento (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Università di Trieste, Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Trieste (Italy); Calderini, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucleaire et de Hautes Énergies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Università di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); INFN Sez. di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Chauveau, J. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucleaire et de Hautes Énergies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Giacomini, G. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM) Povo di Trento (Italy); La Rosa, A. [Section de Physique (DPNC), Université de Genève, Genève (Switzerland); Marchiori, G. [Laboratoire de Physique Nucleaire et de Hautes Énergies (LPNHE), Paris (France); Zorzi, N. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM) Povo di Trento (Italy)

2013-12-01

In view of the LHC upgrade phases towards HL-LHC, the ATLAS experiment plans to upgrade the inner detector with an all-silicon system. The n-on-p silicon technology is a promising candidate for the pixel upgrade thanks to its radiation hardness and cost effectiveness. The edgeless technology would allow for enlarging the area instrumented with pixel detectors. We report on the development of novel n-on-p edgeless planar pixel sensors fabricated at FBK (Trento, Italy), making use of the active edge concept for the reduction of the dead area at the periphery of the device. After discussing the sensor technology and fabrication process, we present device simulations (pre- and post-irradiation) performed for different sensor configurations. First preliminary results obtained with the test-structures of the production are shown.

Novel silicon n-on-p edgeless planar pixel sensors for the ATLAS upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bomben, M.; Bagolini, A.; Boscardin, M.; Bosisio, L.; Calderini, G.; Chauveau, J.; Giacomini, G.; La Rosa, A.; Marchiori, G.; Zorzi, N.

2013-01-01

In view of the LHC upgrade phases towards HL-LHC, the ATLAS experiment plans to upgrade the inner detector with an all-silicon system. The n-on-p silicon technology is a promising candidate for the pixel upgrade thanks to its radiation hardness and cost effectiveness. The edgeless technology would allow for enlarging the area instrumented with pixel detectors. We report on the development of novel n-on-p edgeless planar pixel sensors fabricated at FBK (Trento, Italy), making use of the active edge concept for the reduction of the dead area at the periphery of the device. After discussing the sensor technology and fabrication process, we present device simulations (pre- and post-irradiation) performed for different sensor configurations. First preliminary results obtained with the test-structures of the production are shown

Electrical activation of phosphorus in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goh, K.E.J.; Oberbeck, L.; Simmons, M.Y.; Clark, R.G.

2003-01-01

Full text: We present studies of phosphorus δ-doping in silicon with a view to determining the degree of electrical activation of the dopants. These results have a direct consequence for the use of phosphorus as a qubit in a silicon-based quantum computer such as that proposed by Kane. Room temperature and 4 K Hall effect measurements are presented for phosphorus δ-doped layers grown in n-type silicon using two different methods. In the first method, the δ-layer was deposited by a phosphorus effusion cell in an MBE chamber. In the second method, the Si surface was dosed with phosphine gas and then annealed to 550 deg C to incorporate P into the substrate. In both methods, the P δ-doped layer was subsequently encapsulated by ∼25 nm of Si grown epitaxially. We discuss the implications of our results on the fabrication of the Kane quantum computer

Ultrafast Silicon Photonics with Visible to Mid-Infrared Pumping of Silicon Nanocrystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Diroll, Benjamin T; Schramke, Katelyn S; Guo, Peijun; Kortshagen, Uwe R; Schaller, Richard D

2017-10-11

Dynamic optical control of infrared (IR) transparency and refractive index is achieved using boron-doped silicon nanocrystals excited with mid-IR optical pulses. Unlike previous silicon-based optical switches, large changes in transmittance are achieved without a fabricated structure by exploiting strong light coupling of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) produced from free holes of p-type silicon nanocrystals. The choice of optical excitation wavelength allows for selectivity between hole heating and carrier generation through intraband or interband photoexcitation, respectively. Mid-IR optical pumping heats the free holes of p-Si nanocrystals to effective temperatures greater than 3500 K. Increases of the hole effective mass at high effective hole temperatures lead to a subpicosecond change of the dielectric function, resulting in a redshift of the LSPR, modulating mid-IR transmission by as much as 27%, and increasing the index of refraction by more than 0.1 in the mid-IR. Low hole heat capacity dictates subpicosecond hole cooling, substantially faster than carrier recombination, and negligible heating of the Si lattice, permitting mid-IR optical switching at terahertz repetition frequencies. Further, the energetic distribution of holes at high effective temperatures partially reverses the Burstein-Moss effect, permitting the modulation of transmittance at telecommunications wavelengths. The results presented here show that doped silicon, particularly in micro- or nanostructures, is a promising dynamic metamaterial for ultrafast IR photonics.

Energy Conversion Properties of ZnSiP2, a Lattice-Matched Material for Silicon-Based Tandem Photovoltaics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez, Aaron D.; Warren, Emily L.; Gorai, Prashun; Borup, Kasper A.; Krishna, Lakshmi; Kuciauskas, Darius; Dippo, Patricia C.; Ortiz, Brenden R.; Stradins, Paul; Stevanovic, Vladan; Toberer, Eric S.; Tamboli, Adele C.

2016-11-21

ZnSiP2 demonstrates promising potential as an optically active material on silicon. There has been a longstanding need for wide band gap materials that can be integrated with Si for tandem photovoltaics and other optoelectronic applications. ZnSiP2 is an inexpensive, earth abundant, wide band gap material that is stable and lattice matched with silicon. This conference proceeding summarizes our PV-relevant work on bulk single crystal ZnSiP2, highlighting the key findings and laying the ground work for integration into Si-based tandem devices.

Comparison on mechanical properties of heavily phosphorus- and arsenic-doped Czochralski silicon wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Kang; Sun, Yuxin; Lu, Yunhao; Liang, Xingbo; Tian, Daxi; Ma, Xiangyang; Yang, Deren

2018-04-01

Heavily phosphorus (P)- and arsenic (As)-doped Czochralski silicon (CZ-Si) wafers generally act as the substrates for the epitaxial silicon wafers used to fabricate power and communication devices. The mechanical properties of such two kinds of n-type heavily doped CZ silicon wafers are vital to ensure the quality of epitaxial silicon wafers and the manufacturing yields of devices. In this work, the mechanical properties including the hardness, Young's modulus, indentation fracture toughness and the resistance to dislocation motion have been comparatively investigated for heavily P- and As-doped CZ-Si wafers. It is found that heavily P-doped CZ-Si possesses somewhat higher hardness, lower Young's modulus, larger indentation fracture toughness and stronger resistance to dislocation motion than heavily As-doped CZ-Si. The mechanisms underlying this finding have been tentatively elucidated by considering the differences in the doping effects of P and As in silicon.

Excellent Passivation of p-Type Si Surface by Sol-Gel Al2O3 Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hai-Qing, Xiao; Chun-Lan, Zhou; Xiao-Ning, Cao; Wen-Jing, Wang; Lei, Zhao; Hai-Ling, Li; Hong-Wei, Diao

2009-01-01

Al 2 O 3 films with a thickness of about 100 nm synthesized by spin coating and thermally treated are applied for field-induced surface passivation of p-type crystalline silicon. The level of surface passivation is determined by techniques based on photoconductance. An effective surface recombination velocity below 100 cm/s is obtained on 10Ω ·cm p-type c-Si wafers (Cz Si). A high density of negative fixed charges in the order of 10 12 cm −2 is detected in the Al 2 O 3 films and its impact on the level of surface passivation is demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, a comparison between the surface passivation achieved for thermal SiO 2 and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiN x :H films on the same c-Si is presented. The high negative fixed charge density explains the excellent passivation of p-type c-Si by Al 2 O 3 . (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

End-functional silicone coupling agent modified PEO/P(VDF-HFP)/SiO2 nanocomposite polymer electrolyte DSSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jing; Yang Ying; Wu Sujuan; Xu Sheng; Zhou Conghua; Hu Hao; Chen Bolei; Xiong Xiaodong; Sebo, Bobby; Han Hongwei; Zhao Xingzhong

2008-01-01

The end-functional silicone coupling agent (dodecyl-trimethoxysilane, DTMS for short) was used to modify the PEO/P(VDF-HFP)/SiO 2 nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (CPE) and the different amounts of DTMS modification effects were studied. The experiments showed the silicone coupling agent with hydrophobic alkyl chains (-C 12 H 25 ) chemically engineered on the SiO 2 nanoparticles, and formed a Si-O-Si cross-linked network in the new nanocomposite polymer electrolyte. Proper content of DTMS modified CPE exhibited improved ionic conductivity and the connection with the photoanode and counter electrode. However, much higher content of the DTMS modification changed the conformation of the polymer network and reduced the ionic movement. Compared with the performance (3.84%) of the original DSSC, the DSSC with functional silicone coupling agent modified CPE (DTMS:SiO 2 = 2:1, mol ratio) exhibited improved J sc (7.94 mA cm -2 ), V oc (0.624 V) and optimal efficiency (5.2%) (measured at AM1.5, light intensity of 58.4 mW cm -2 ). The V oc of the silicone coupling agent modified polymer electrolyte DSSC is obviously improved, which is mainly due to that the hydrophobic alkyl chain end groups formed an insulating layer that retarded the electron recombination at the TiO 2 nanoporous photoanode/polymer electrolyte interface. The DTMS:SiO 2 = 2:1 modified CPE type DSSC exhibited a performance of 6.42% at a light intensity of 32.1 mW cm -2 and 4.94% at 99.2 mW cm -2

Study of the interface in n{sup +}{mu}c-Si/p-type c-Si heterojunctions: role of the fluorine chemistry in the interface passivation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Losurdo, M.; Grimaldi, A.; Sacchetti, A.; Capezzuto, P.; Ambrico, M.; Bruno, G.; Roca, Francesco

2003-03-03

Investigation of n-p heterojunction solar cells obtained by depositing a n-type thin silicon films either amorphous or microcrystalline on p-type c-Si is carried out. The study is focused on the improvement of the c-Si surface and emitter layer/c-Si substrate interface. The peculiarity is the use of SiF{sub 4}-based plasmas for the in situ dry cleaning and passivation of the c-Si surface and for the PECVD deposition of the emitter layer that can be either amorphous (a-Si:H,F) or microcrystalline ({mu}c-Si). The use of SiF{sub 4} instead of the conventional SiH{sub 4} results in a lower hydrogen content in the film and in a reduction of the interaction of the c-Si surface with hydrogen atoms. Furthermore, the dependence of the heterojunction solar cell photovoltaic parameters on the insertion of an intrinsic buffer layer between the n-type thin silicon layer and the p-type c-Si substrate is discussed.

Al and Cu Implantation into Silicon Substrate for Ohmic Contact in Solar Cell Fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sri Sulamdari; Sudjatmoko; Wirjoadi; Yunanto; Bambang Siswanto

2002-01-01

Research on the implantation of Al and Cu ions into silicon substrate for ohmic contact in solar cell fabrication has been carried using ion accelerator machine. Al and Cu ions are from 98% Al and 99.9% Cu powder ionized in ion source system. provided in ion implantor machine. Before implantation process, (0.5 x 1) cm 2 N type and P type silicon were washed in water and then etched in Cp-4A solution. After that, P type silicon were implanted with Al ions and N type silicon were implanted with Cu ions with the ions dose from 10 13 ion/cm 2 - 10 16 ion/cm 2 and energy 20 keV - 80 keV. Implanted samples were then annealed at temperature 400 o C - 850 o C. Implanted and annealed samples were characterized their resistivities using four point probe FPP-5000. It was found that at full electrically active conditions the ρ s for N type was 1.30 x 10 8 Ω/sq, this was achieved at ion dose 10 13 ion/cm 2 and annealing temperature 500 o C. While for P type, the ρ s was 1.13 x 10 2 Ω/sq, this was achieved at ion dose 10 13 ion/cm 2 and energy 40 keV, and annealing temperature 500 o C. (author)

Acousto-defect interaction in irradiated and non-irradiated silicon n+-p structures

Science.gov (United States)

Olikh, O. Ya.; Gorb, A. M.; Chupryna, R. G.; Pristay-Fenenkov, O. V.

2018-04-01

The influence of ultrasound on current-voltage characteristics of non-irradiated silicon n+-p structures as well as silicon structures exposed to reactor neutrons or 60Co gamma radiation has been investigated experimentally. It has been found that the ultrasound loading of the n+-p structure leads to the reversible change of shunt resistance, carrier lifetime, and ideality factor. Specifically, considerable acoustically induced alteration of the ideality factor and the space charge region lifetime was observed in the irradiated samples. The experimental results were described by using the models of coupled defect level recombination, Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and dislocation-induced impedance. The experimentally observed phenomena are associated with the increase in the distance between coupled defects as well as the extension of the carrier capture coefficient of complex point defects and dislocations. It has been shown that divacancies and vacancy-interstitial oxygen pairs are effectively modified by ultrasound in contrast to interstitial carbon-interstitial oxygen complexes.

Itinerant magnetism in doped semiconducting β-FeSi₂ and CrSi₂.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, David J; Parker, David

2013-12-17

Novel or unusual magnetism is a subject of considerable interest, particularly in metals and degenerate semiconductors. In such materials the interplay of magnetism, transport and other Fermi liquid properties can lead to fascinating physical behavior. One example is in magnetic semiconductors, where spin polarized currents may be controlled and used. We report density functional calculations predicting magnetism in doped semiconducting β-FeSi₂ and CrSi₂ at relatively low doping levels particularly for n-type. In this case, there is a rapid cross-over to a half-metallic state as a function of doping level. The results are discussed in relation to the electronic structure and other properties of these compounds.

Development of real time personal neutron dosimeter with two silicon detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, T.; Tsujimura, N. [Tohoku Univ., Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku (Japan); Yamano, T. [Tokyo Factory, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1992-07-01

We developed a real time personal neutron dosimeter by using two types of silicon p-n junction detectors, thermal neutron sensor and fast neutron sensor. The thermal neutron sensor which is {sup 10}B doped n-type silicon with a polyethylene radiator mainly counts neutrons of energy front thermal to I MeV, and the fast neutron sensor which is p-type silicon with a polyethylene radiator is sensitive to neutrons above I MeV. The neutron sensitivity measurements revealed that the dosimeter has a rather flat response for dose equivalent from thermal to 15 MeV, excluding a drop from 50 keV to I MeV. In order to get conversion factor from counts to dose equivalent as accurately as possible, we performed the field test of the dosimeter calibration in several neutron-generating fields. By introducing the two-group dose estimation method, this dosimeter can give the neutron dose equivalent within about 50% errors. (author)

Electrical properties of MOS structures on nitrogen-doped Czochralski-grown silicon: A positron annihilation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slugen, V.; Harmatha, L.; Tapajna, M.; Ballo, P.; Pisecny, P.; Sik, J.; Koegel, G.; Krsjak, V.

2006-01-01

Measurements of interface trap density, effective generation lifetime (GL) and effective surface generation velocity have been performed using different methods on selected MOS structures prepared on nitrogen-doped Czochralski-grown (NCz) silicon. The application of the positron annihilation technique using a pulsed low energy positron system (PLEPS) focused on the detection of nitrogen-related defects in NCz silicon in the near surface region. In the case of p-type Cz silicon, all the results could be used for the testing of homogeneity. In n-type Cz silicon, positron annihilation was found insensitive to nitrogen doping

The pH dependence of silicon-iron interaction in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, X; Emerick, R J; Kayongo-Male, H

1997-01-01

A 2 x 2 x 3 factorial experiment was conducted to study the pH dependence of a silicon-iron interaction in vivo. The dietary treatments used in the factorial design were the following (mg/kg of diet): silicon, 0 and 500; iron, 35 and 187; acid-base, ammonium chloride as 0.5% of total diet (acidic), sodium bicarbonate as 1.0% of total diet (basic), or no supplementation of acid or base (control). The supplementation of 500 mg silicon/kg of diet increased plasma-iron concentration in rats fed the acidic or control diets, but not in rats fed the basic diet. A high dietary-iron level suppressed copper absorption and utilization and subsequently imposed a negative effect on its own utilization. An increase in the plasma total-cholesterol concentration caused by high dietary-iron level was likely a consequence of the antagonistic effect of iron on copper absorption and utilization. The use of cupric sulfate pentahydrate as the dietary-copper source in this study resulted in plasma copper concentrations that were approximately twice those obtained in a related study using cupric carbonate. Also, a 42% coefficient of variation (C.V.) for plasma-copper concentrations of rats fed cupric sulfate in this study was greatly reduced from the C.V. = 108% previously associated with the dietary cupric carbonate.

Study Trapped Charge Distribution in P-Channel Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon Memory Device Using Dynamic Programming Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fu-Hai; Chiu, Yung-Yueh; Lee, Yen-Hui; Chang, Ru-Wei; Yang, Bo-Jun; Sun, Wein-Town; Lee, Eric; Kuo, Chao-Wei; Shirota, Riichiro

2013-04-01

In this study, we precisely investigate the charge distribution in SiN layer by dynamic programming of channel hot hole induced hot electron injection (CHHIHE) in p-channel silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory device. In the dynamic programming scheme, gate voltage is increased as a staircase with fixed step amplitude, which can prohibits the injection of holes in SiN layer. Three-dimensional device simulation is calibrated and is compared with the measured programming characteristics. It is found, for the first time, that the hot electron injection point quickly traverses from drain to source side synchronizing to the expansion of charged area in SiN layer. As a result, the injected charges quickly spread over on the almost whole channel area uniformly during a short programming period, which will afford large tolerance against lateral trapped charge diffusion by baking.

Silicon spectral response extension through single wall carbon nanotubes in hybrid solar cells

KAUST Repository

Del Gobbo, Silvano; Castrucci, P.; Fedele, S.; Riele, L.; Convertino, A.; Morbidoni, M.; De Nicola, F.; Scarselli, M.; Camilli, L.; De Crescenzi, M.

2013-01-01

Photovoltaic devices based on single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and n-silicon multiple heterojunctions have been fabricated by a SWCNT film transferring process. We report on the ability of the carbon nanotubes to extend the Si spectral range towards the near ultraviolet (UV) and the near infrared regions. Semiconducting and about metallic SWCNT networks have been studied as a function of the film sheet resistance, Rsh. Optical absorbance and Raman spectroscopy have been used to assign nanotube chirality and electronic character. This gave us hints of evidence of the participation of the metal nanotubes in the photocurrent generation. Moreover, we provide evidence that the external quantum efficiency spectral range can be modulated as a function of the SWCNT network sheet resistance in a hybrid SWCNT/Si solar cell. This result will be very useful to further design/optimize devices with improved performance in spectral regions generally not covered by conventional Si p-n devices. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Influence for high intensity irradiation on characteristics of silicon strip-detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anokhin, I.E.; Pugatch, V.M.; Zinets, O.S.

1995-01-01

Full text: Silicon strip detectors (SSD) are widely used for the coordinate determination of short-range as well as minimum ionizing particles with high spatial resolution. Submicron position sensitivity of strip-detectors for short-range particles has been studied by means of two dimensional analyses of charges collected by neighboring strips as well as by measurement of charge collection times [1]. Silicon strip detectors was also used for testing high energy electron beam [2]. Under large fluences the radiation defects are stored and such characteristics of strip-detectors as an accuracy of the coordinate determination and the registration efficiency are significantly changed. Radiation defects lead to a decrease of the lifetime and mobility of charge carriers and therefore to changes of conditions for the charge collection in detectors. The inhomogeneity in spatial distribution if defects and electrical field plays an important role in the charge collection. In this report the role of the diffusion and drift in the charge collection in silicon strip-detectors under irradiation up to 10 Mrad has been studied. The electric field distribution and its dependence on the radiation dose in the detector have been calculated. It is shown that for particles incident between adjacent strips the coordinate determination precision depends strongly on the detector geometry and the electric field distribution, particularly in the vicinity of strips. Measuring simultaneously the collected charges and collection times on adjacent strips one can essentially improve reliability of the coordinate determination for short-range particles. Usually SSD are fabricated on n-type wafers. It is well known that under high intensity irradiation n-Si material converts into p-Si as far as p-type silicon is more radiative hard than n-type silicon [3] it is reasonable to fabricate SSD using high resistivity p-Si. Characteristics of SSD in basis n-and P-Si have been compared and higher

Preparation of n- and p-InP films by PH{sub 3} treatment of electrodeposited In layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cattarin, S.; Musiani, M. [C.N.R., Padova (Italy). Istituto di Polarografia ed Elettrochimica Preparativa; Casellato, U.; Rossetto, G. [C.N.R., Padova (Italy). Istituto di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganische e dei Materiali Avanzati; Razzini, G. [Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Dipt. di Chimica Fisica Applicata; Decker, F.; Scrosati, B. [Univ. La Sapienza, Roma (Italy). Dipt. di Chimica

1995-04-01

InP is among the few semiconducting materials with the potential for excellence in several applications, including solar energy conversion. Thin InP layers have been prepared by electrodeposition of In films on Ti substrates (ca. 2 mg/cm{sup 2} of In) and their annealing in PH{sub 3} flow. The obtained material, characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques, shows uneven substrate coverage but good crystallinity. Photoelectrochemical investigations in acidic polyiodide medium show significant n-type photoactivity for the samples prepared from a nominally pure In layer. A p-type photoactivity is obtained depositing a small amount of Zn on top of the In layer prior to annealing. Results are compared with those obtained preparing InP layers on Ti by a conventional metallorganic chemical vapor deposition technique.

Dislocation dynamics of web type silicon ribbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dillon, Jr, O W; Tsai, C T; DeAngelis, R J

1987-03-01

Silicon ribbon grown by the dendritic web process passes through a rapidly changing thermal profile in the growth direction. This rapidly changing profile induces stresses which produce changes in the dislocation density in the ribbon. A viscoplastic material response function (Haasen-Sumino model) is used herein to calculate the stresses and the dislocation density at each point in the silicon ribbon. The residual stresses are also calculated.

Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and diffusion to silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsukamoto, K.; Akasaka, Y.; Horie, K.

1977-01-01

Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and drive-in diffusion to silicon substrate have been investigated by MeV He + backscattering analysis and also by electrical measurements. The range distributions of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon are well fitted to Gaussian distributions over the energy range 60--350 keV. The measured values of R/sub P/ and ΔR/sub P/ are about 10 and 20% larger than the theoretical predictions, respectively. The effective diffusion coefficient of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon is expressed as D=0.63 exp[(-3.22 eV/kT)] and is independent of the arsenic concentration. The drive-in diffusion of arsenic from the implanted polycrystalline silicon layer into the silicon substrate is significantly affected by the diffusion atmosphere. In the N 2 atmosphere, a considerable amount of arsenic atoms diffuses outward to the ambient. The outdiffusion can be suppressed by encapsulation with Si 3 N 4 . In the oxidizing atmosphere, arsenic atoms are driven inward by growing SiO 2 due to the segregation between SiO 2 and polycrystalline silicon, and consequently the drive-in diffusion of arsenic is enhanced. At the interface between the polycrystalline silicon layer and the silicon substrate, arsenic atoms are likely to segregate at the polycrystalline silicon side

Integrating carbon nanotubes into silicon by means of vertical carbon nanotube field-effect transistors

KAUST Repository

Li, Jingqi; Wang, Qingxiao; Yue, Weisheng; Guo, Zaibing; LI, LIANG; Zhao, Chao; Wang, Xianbin; Abutaha, Anas I.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Zhang, Yafei; Zhang, Xixiang

2014-01-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been integrated into silicon for use in vertical carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs). A unique feature of these devices is that a silicon substrate and a metal contact are used as the source and drain for the vertical transistors, respectively. These CNTFETs show very different characteristics from those fabricated with two metal contacts. Surprisingly, the transfer characteristics of the vertical CNTFETs can be either ambipolar or unipolar (p-type or n-type) depending on the sign of the drain voltage. Furthermore, the p-type/n-type character of the devices is defined by the doping type of the silicon substrate used in the fabrication process. A semiclassical model is used to simulate the performance of these CNTFETs by taking the conductance change of the Si contact under the gate voltage into consideration. The calculation results are consistent with the experimental observations. This journal is © the Partner Organisations 2014.

Changes of electronic properties of p-GaN(0 0 0 1) surface after low-energy N+-ion bombardment

Science.gov (United States)

Grodzicki, M.; Mazur, P.; Ciszewski, A.

2018-05-01

The p-GaN(0 0 0 1) crystal with a relatively low acceptor concentration of 5 × 1016 cm-3 is used in these studies, which are carried out in situ under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The p-GaN(0 0 0 1)-(1 × 1) surface is achieved by thermal cleaning. N+-ion bombardment by a 200 eV ion beam changes the surface stoichiometry, enriches it with nitrogen, and disorders it. Such modified surface layer inverts its semiconducting character from p- into n-type. The electron affinity for the already cleaned p-GaN surface and that just after bombardment shows a shift from 2.2 eV to 3.2 eV, as well as an increase of band bending at the vacuum/surface interface from 1.4 eV to 2.5 eV. Proper post-bombardment heating of the sample restores the initial atomic order of the modified layer, leaving its n-type semiconducting character unchanged. The results of the measurements are discussed based on two types of surface states concepts.

Effect of Sr-P Interaction on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of A413.0 Type Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Samuel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was performed on low magnesium A413.0 type alloys. The results show that strontium (Sr is mainly concentrated in the silicon particles. Overmodification occurs when Sr precipitates in the form of Al2SrSi2, which takes place over a wide range of temperatures. The first peak occurs following the precipitation of α-Al, the second peak is merged with the precipitation of eutectic silicon (Si, and the third peak is a posteutectic reaction. Introduction of phosphorus (P to Sr-modified alloys leads to the formation of (Al,P,Sr2O5 compound, which reduces the modification effectiveness of Sr. Therefore, in the presence of P, the amount of added Sr should exceed 200 ppm. For the same levels of P, the tensile parameters of well modified alloys (233 ppm Sr are relatively higher than those partially modified with Sr (about 60 ppm Sr containing the same amount of P. During solution heat treatment, coarsening of the eutectic Si particles occurs by the growth of some particles at the expense of the dissolution of the smaller ones, as well as by the collision of nearby particles.

Synthesis and thermal conductivity of type II silicon clathrates

Science.gov (United States)

Beekman, M.; Nolas, G. S.

2006-08-01

We have synthesized and characterized polycrystalline Na 1Si 136 and Na 8Si 136, compounds possessing the type II clathrate hydrate crystal structure. Resistivity measurements from 10 to 300 K indicate very large resistivities in this temperature range, with activated temperature dependences indicative of relatively large band gap semiconductors. The thermal conductivity is very low; two orders-of-magnitude lower than that of diamond-structure silicon at room temperature. The thermal conductivity of Na 8Si 136 displays a temperature dependence that is atypical of crystalline solids and more indicative of amorphous materials. This work is part of a continuing effort to explore the many different compositions and structure types of clathrates, a class of materials that continues to be of interest for scientific and technological applications.

Processing and first characterization of detectors made with high resistivity n- and p-type Czochralski silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruzzi, M.; Bisello, D.; Borrello, L.; Borchi, E.; Boscardin, M.; Candelori, A.; Creanza, D.; Dalla Betta, G.-F.; DePalma, M.; Dittongo, S.; Focardi, E.; Khomenkov, V.; Litovchenko, A.; Macchiolo, A.; Manna, N.; Menichelli, D.; Messineo, A.; Miglio, S.; Petasecca, M.; Piemonte, C.; Pignatel, G.U.; Radicci, V.; Ronchin, S.; Scaringella, M.; Segneri, G.; Sentenac, D.; Tosi, C.; Zorzi, N.

2005-01-01

We report on the design, manufacturing and first characterisation of pad diodes, test structures and microstrip detectors processed with high resistivity magnetic Czochralski (MCz) p- and n-type Si. The pre-irradiation study on newly processed microstrip detectors and test structures show a good overall quality of the processed wafers. After irradiation with 24 GeV/c protons up to 4x10 14 cm -2 the characterisation of n-on-p and p-on-n MCz Si sensors with the C-V method show a decrease of the full depletion voltage and no space charge sign inversion. Microscopic characterisation has been performed to study the role of thermal donors in Czochralski Si. No evidence of thermal donor activation was observed in n-type MCz Si detectors if contact sintering was performed at a temperature lower than 380 deg. C and the final passivation oxide was omitted

A portable readout system for silicon microstrip sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco-Hernandez, Ricardo

2010-01-01

This system can measure the collected charge in one or two microstrip silicon sensors by reading out all the channels of the sensor(s), up to 256. The system is able to operate with different types (p- and n-type) and different sizes (up to 3 cm 2 ) of microstrip silicon sensors, both irradiated and non-irradiated. Heavily irradiated sensors will be used at the Super Large Hadron Collider, so this system can be used to research the performance of microstrip silicon sensors in conditions as similar as possible to the Super Large Hadron Collider operating conditions. The system has two main parts: a hardware part and a software part. The hardware part acquires the sensor signals either from external trigger inputs, in case of a radioactive source setup is used, or from a synchronised trigger output generated by the system, if a laser setup is used. The software controls the system and processes the data acquired from the sensors in order to store it in an adequate format. The main characteristics of the system are described. Results of measurements acquired with n- and p-type detectors using both the laser and the radioactive source setup are also presented and discussed.

High Efficiency, Low Cost Solar Cells Manufactured Using 'Silicon Ink' on Thin Crystalline Silicon Wafers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antoniadis, H.

2011-03-01

Reported are the development and demonstration of a 17% efficient 25mm x 25mm crystalline Silicon solar cell and a 16% efficient 125mm x 125mm crystalline Silicon solar cell, both produced by Ink-jet printing Silicon Ink on a thin crystalline Silicon wafer. To achieve these objectives, processing approaches were developed to print the Silicon Ink in a predetermined pattern to form a high efficiency selective emitter, remove the solvents in the Silicon Ink and fuse the deposited particle Silicon films. Additionally, standard solar cell manufacturing equipment with slightly modified processes were used to complete the fabrication of the Silicon Ink high efficiency solar cells. Also reported are the development and demonstration of a 18.5% efficient 125mm x 125mm monocrystalline Silicon cell, and a 17% efficient 125mm x 125mm multicrystalline Silicon cell, by utilizing high throughput Ink-jet and screen printing technologies. To achieve these objectives, Innovalight developed new high throughput processing tools to print and fuse both p and n type particle Silicon Inks in a predetermined pat-tern applied either on the front or the back of the cell. Additionally, a customized Ink-jet and screen printing systems, coupled with customized substrate handling solution, customized printing algorithms, and a customized ink drying process, in combination with a purchased turn-key line, were used to complete the high efficiency solar cells. This development work delivered a process capable of high volume producing 18.5% efficient crystalline Silicon solar cells and enabled the Innovalight to commercialize its technology by the summer of 2010.

Nanopatterned Silicon Substrate Use in Heterojunction Thin Film Solar Cells Made by Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-Ze Tseng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a method for fabricating silicon heterojunction thin film solar cells with an ITO/p-type a-Si : H/n-type c-Si structure by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. A short-circuit current density and efficiency of 28.80 mA/cm2 and 8.67% were achieved. Novel nanopatterned silicon wafers for use in cells are presented. Improved heterojunction cells are formed on a nanopatterned silicon substrate that is prepared with a self-assembled monolayer of SiO2 nanospheres with a diameter of 550 nm used as an etching mask. The efficiency of the nanopattern silicon substrate heterojunction cells was 31.49% greater than that of heterojunction cells on a flat silicon wafer.

Studies of annealing of neutron-produced defects in silicon by transconductance measurements of junction field-effect transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Y.; Usami, A.

1978-01-01

Annealing behavior of neutron-produced defects in silicon was studied by measuring the phase angle theta of the small-signal transconductance of the junction field-effect transistors (JFET's). Three deep levels (N-1, N-2, and N-3 levels) in n-type silicon and two deep levels (P-1 and P-2 levels) in p-type silicon, introduced by irradiation, annealed gradually. Their energy levels and capture cross sections have been already reported by us. Three deep levels (P-3, P-4, and P-5 levels) were observed in annealed p-type silicon in the temperature range 150--300 0 C. For these defects, theta was measured as a function of frequency to obtain the time constant. From the temperature dependence of the time constant, assuming that capture cross sections are independent of temperature, the energy levels of P-3, P-4, and P-5 were estimated to be E/sub v/+0.21, E/sub v/+0.40, and E/sub v/+0.30 eV, respectively. The calculated hole capture cross sections of these levels were 2.2 x 10 -15 , 8.7 x 10 -14 , and 1.2 x 10 -14 cm 2 , respectively. Comparison with other published data was made. It was found that N-3 and P-2 levels corresponded to the divacancy. Furthermore, it seemed that P-3, P-4, and P-5 levels corresponded to the high-order vacancy defects

Complex Boron Redistribution in P+ Doped-polysilicon / Nitrogen Doped Silicon Bi-layers during Activation Annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Abadli, S.; Mansour, F.; Perrera, E. Bedel

We have investigated and modeled the complex phenomenon of boron (B) redistribution process in strongly doped silicon bilayers structure. A one-dimensional two stream transfer model well adapted to the particular structure of bi- layers and to the effects of strong-concentrations has been developed. This model takes into account the instantaneous kinetics of B transfer, trapping, clustering and segregation during the thermal B activation annealing. The used silicon bi-layers have been obtained by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method, using in-situ nitrogen- doped-silicon (NiDoS) layer and strongly B doped polycrystalline-silicon (P+) layer. To avoid long redistributions, thermal annealing was carried out at relatively lowtemperatures (600 °C and 700 °C) for various times ranging between 30 minutes and 2 hours. The good adjustment of the simulated profiles with the experimental secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) profiles allowed a fundamental understanding about the instantaneous physical phenomena giving and disturbing the complex B redistribution profiles-shoulders kinetics.

Process research of non-CZ silicon material

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, R. B.

1984-01-01

Advanced processing techniques for non-CZ silicon sheet material that might improve the cost effectiveness of photovoltaic module production were investigated. Specifically, the simultaneous diffusion of liquid boron and liquid phosphorus organometallic precursors into n-type dendritic silicon web was examined. The simultaneous junction formation method for solar cells was compared with the sequential junction formation method. The electrical resistivity of the n-n and p-n junctions was discussed. Further research activities for this program along with a program documentation schedule are given.

Structural, optical and electrical properties of quasi-monocrystalline silicon thin films obtained by rapid thermal annealing of porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajji, M.; Khardani, M.; Khedher, N.; Rahmouni, H.; Bessais, B.; Ezzaouia, H.; Bouchriha, H.

2006-01-01

Quasi-mono-crystalline silicon (QMS) layers have a top surface like crystalline silicon with small voids in the body. Such layers are reported to have a higher absorption coefficient than crystalline silicon at the interesting range of the solar spectrum for photovoltaic application. In this work we present a study of the structural, optical and electrical properties of quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films. Quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films were obtained from porous silicon, which has been annealed at a temperature ranging from 950 to 1050 deg. C under H 2 atmosphere for different annealing durations. The porous layers were prepared by conventional electrochemical anodization using a double tank cell and a HF / Ethanol electrolyte. Porous silicon is formed on highly doped p + -type silicon substrates that enable us to prevent back contacts for the anodization. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used to study the morphological quality of the prepared layers. Optical properties were extracted from transmission and reflectivity spectra. Dark I-V characteristics were used to determine the electrical conductivity of quasimonocrystalline silicon thin films. Results show an important improvement of the absorption coefficient of the material and electrical conductivity reaches a value of twenty orders higher than that of starting mesoporous silicon

22.5% efficient silicon heterojunction solar cell with molybdenum oxide hole collector

OpenAIRE

Geissbühler Jonas; Werner Jérémie; Martin de Nicolas Silvia; Barraud Loris; Hessler-Wyser Aïcha; Despeisse Matthieu; Nicolay Sylvain; Tomasi Andrea; Niesen Bjoern; De Wolf Stefaan; Ballif Christophe

2015-01-01

Substituting the doped amorphous silicon films at the front of silicon heterojunction solar cells with wide bandgap transition metal oxides can mitigate parasitic light absorption losses. This was recently proven by replacing p type amorphous silicon with molybdenum oxide films. In this article we evidence that annealing above 130?°C—often needed for the curing of printed metal contacts—detrimentally impacts hole collection of such devices. We circumvent this issue by using electrodeposited c...

Remote PECVD silicon nitride films with improved electrical properties for GaAs P-HEMT passivation

CERN Document Server

Sohn, M K; Kim, K H; Yang, S G; Seo, K S

1998-01-01

In order to obtain thin silicon nitride films with excellent electrical and mechanical properties, we employed RPECVD (Remote Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) process which produces less plasma-induced damage than the conventional PECVD. Through the optical and electrical measurements of the deposited films, we optimized the various RPECVD process parameters. The optimized silicon nitride films showed excellent characteristics such as small etch rate (approx 33 A/min by 7:1 BHF), high breakdown field (>9 MV/cm), and low compressive stress (approx 3.3x10 sup 9 dyne/cm sup 2). We successfully applied thin RPECVD silicon nitride films to the surface passivation of GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors (P-HEMTs) with negligible degradations in DC and RF characteristics.

Formation of hydrogen-related traps in electron-irradiated n-type silicon by wet chemical etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Yutaka; Shimada, Hitoshi

1998-01-01

Interaction of hydrogen atoms and vacancy-related defects in 10 MeV electron-irradiated n-type silicon has been studied by deep-level transient spectroscopy. Hydrogen has been incorporated into electron-irradiated n-type silicon by wet chemical etching. The reduction of the concentration of the vacancy-oxygen pair and divacancy occurs by the incorporation of hydrogen, while the formation of the NH1 electron trap (E c - 0.31 eV) is observed. Further decrease of the concentration of the vacancy-oxygen pair and further increase of the concentration of the NH1 trap are observed upon subsequent below-band-gap light illumination. It is suggested that the trap NH1 is tentatively ascribed to the vacancy-oxygen pair which is partly saturated with hydrogen

Optical properties of erbium-doped porous silicon waveguides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Najar, A. [Laboratoire d' Optronique UMR 6082-FOTON, Universite de Rennes 1, 6 rue de Kerampont, B P. 80518, 22305 Lannion Cedex (France); Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Raman, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, 2092 ElManar, Tunis (Tunisia); Charrier, J. [Laboratoire d' Optronique UMR 6082-FOTON, Universite de Rennes 1, 6 rue de Kerampont, B P. 80518, 22305 Lannion Cedex (France)]. E-mail: joel.charier@univ-rennes1.fr; Ajlani, H. [Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Raman, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, 2092 ElManar, Tunis (Tunisia); Lorrain, N. [Laboratoire d' Optronique UMR 6082-FOTON, Universite de Rennes 1, 6 rue de Kerampont, B P. 80518, 22305 Lannion Cedex (France); Elhouichet, H. [Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Raman, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, 2092 ElManar, Tunis (Tunisia); Oueslati, M. [Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Raman, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, 2092 ElManar, Tunis (Tunisia); Haji, L. [Laboratoire d' Optronique UMR 6082-FOTON, Universite de Rennes 1, 6 rue de Kerampont, B P. 80518, 22305 Lannion Cedex (France)

2006-12-15

Planar and buried channel porous silicon waveguides (WG) were prepared from p{sup +}-type silicon substrate by a two-step anodization process. Erbium ions were incorporated into pores of the porous silicon layers by an electrochemical method using ErCl{sub 3}-saturated solution. Erbium concentration of around 10{sup 20} at/cm{sup 3} was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis performed on SEM cross-section. The luminescence properties of erbium ions in the IR range were determined and a luminescence time decay of 420 {mu}s was measured. Optical losses were studied on these WG. The increased losses after doping were discussed.

Characteristic features of silicon multijunction solar cells with vertical p-n junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guk, E.G.; Nalet, T.A.; Shvarts, M.Z.; Shuman, V.B.

1997-01-01

A relatively simple technology (without photolithography) based on diffusion welding and ion-plasma deposition of an insulating coating has been developed for fabricating multijunction silicon solar cells with vertical p-n junctions. The effective collection factor for such structures is independent of the wavelength of the incident light in the wavelength range λ=340-1080 nm

Hall-effect electric fields in semiconducting rings. II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorodzha, L.V.; Emets, Yu.P.; Stril'ko, S.I.

1987-01-01

A calculation is presented for the current density distribution in a semiconducting ring with two electrodes symmetrically located on the outer boundary (system II, Fig. 1). The difference between this electrode position and that on the ring considered previously (system I) leads to substantial changes in the shape of the electric field

Radiation Effects of n-type, Low Resistivity, Spiral Silicon Drift Detector Hybrid Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, W.; De Geronimo, G.; Carini, G.A.; Gaskin, J.A.; Keister, J.W.; Li, S.; Li, Z.; Ramsey, B.D.; Siddons, D.P.; Smith, G.C.; Verbitskaya, E.

2011-01-01

We have developed a new thin-window, n-type, low-resistivity, spiral silicon drift detector (SDD) array - to be used as an extraterrestrial X-ray spectrometer (in varying environments) for NASA. To achieve low-energy response, a thin SDD entrance window was produced using a previously developed method. These thin-window devices were also produced on lower resistivity, thinner, n-type, silicon material, effectively ensuring their radiation hardness in anticipation of operation in potentially harsh radiation environments (such as found around the Jupiter system). Using the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility beam line RERS1, we irradiated a set of suitable diodes up to 5 Mrad and the latest iteration of our ASICs up to 12 Mrad. Then we irradiated two hybrid detectors consisting of newly, such-produced in-house (BNL) SDD chips bonded with ASICs with doses of 0.25 Mrad and 1 Mrad. Also we irradiated another hybrid detector consisting of previously produced (by KETEK) on n-type, high-resistivity SDD chip bonded with BNL's ASICs with a dose of 1 Mrad. The measurement results of radiated diodes (up to 5 Mrad), ASICs (up to 12 Mrad) and hybrid detectors (up to 1 Mrad) are presented here.

A new series of two-dimensional silicon crystals with versatile electronic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Kisung; Kim, Duck Young; Son, Young-Woo

2018-04-01

Silicon (Si) is one of the most extensively studied materials owing to its significance to semiconductor science and technology. While efforts to find a new three-dimensional (3D) Si crystal with unusual properties have made some progress, its two-dimensional (2D) phases have not yet been explored as much. Here, based on a newly developed systematic ab initio materials searching strategy, we report a series of novel 2D Si crystals with unprecedented structural and electronic properties. The new structures exhibit perfectly planar outermost surface layers of a distorted hexagonal network with their thicknesses varying with the atomic arrangement inside. Dramatic changes in electronic properties ranging from semimetal to semiconducting with indirect energy gaps and even to one with direct energy gaps are realized by varying thickness as well as by surface oxidation. Our predicted 2D Si crystals with flat surfaces and tunable electronic properties will shed light on the development of silicon-based 2D electronics technology.

A simplified boron diffusion for preparing the silicon single crystal p-n junction as an educational device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiota, Koki, E-mail: a14510@sr.kagawa-nct.ac.jp; Kai, Kazuho; Nagaoka, Shiro, E-mail: nagaoka@es.kagawa-nct.ac.jp [National Institute of Technology, Kagawa College, Kagawa, Mitoyo, Takuma, Koda 551 (Japan); Tsuji, Takuto [National Institute of Technology, Suzuka College, Mie, Suzuka, Shiroko (Japan); Wakahara, Akihiro [Toyohashi University of Technology, Aichi, Toyohashi, Tenpaku, Hibarigaoka 1-1 (Japan); Rusop, Mohamad [University Technology Mara, Selangor, Shah Alam, 40450 (Malaysia)

2016-07-06

The educational method which is including designing, making, and evaluating actual semiconductor devices with learning the theory is one of the best way to obtain the fundamental understanding of the device physics and to cultivate the ability to make unique ideas using the knowledge in the semiconductor device. In this paper, the simplified Boron thermal diffusion process using Sol-Gel material under normal air environment was proposed based on simple hypothesis and the feasibility of the reproducibility and reliability were investigated to simplify the diffusion process for making the educational devices, such as p-n junction, bipolar and pMOS devices. As the result, this method was successfully achieved making p+ region on the surface of the n-type silicon substrates with good reproducibility. And good rectification property of the p-n junctions was obtained successfully. This result indicates that there is a possibility to apply on the process making pMOS or bipolar transistors. It suggests that there is a variety of the possibility of the applications in the educational field to foster an imagination of new devices.

Characterization and Performance of Silicon n-in-p Pixel Detectors for the ATLAS Upgrades

CERN Document Server

Weigell, Philipp; Gallrapp, Christian; La Rosa, Alessandro; Macchiolo, Anna; Nisius, Richard; Pernegger, Heinz; Richter, Rainer

2011-01-01

The existing ATLAS Tracker will be at its functional limit for particle fluences of 10^15 neq/cm^2 (LHC). Thus for the upgrades at smaller radii like in the case of the planned Insertable B-Layer (IBL) and for increased LHC luminosities (super LHC) the development of new structures and materials which can cope with the resulting particle fluences is needed. N-in-p silicon devices are a promising candidate for tracking detectors to achieve these goals, since they are radiation hard, cost efficient and are not type inverted after irradiation. A n-in-p pixel production based on a MPP/HLL design and performed by CiS (Erfurt, Germany) on 300 \\mu m thick Float-Zone material is characterised and the electrical properties of sensors and single chip modules (SCM) are presented, including noise, charge collection efficiencies, and measurements with MIPs as well as an 241Am source. The SCMs are built with sensors connected to the current the ATLAS read-out chip FE-I3. The characterisation has been performed with the ATL...

Radio frequency and linearity performance of transistors using high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chuan; Badmaev, Alexander; Jooyaie, Alborz; Bao, Mingqiang; Wang, Kang L; Galatsis, Kosmas; Zhou, Chongwu

2011-05-24

This paper reports the radio frequency (RF) and linearity performance of transistors using high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotubes. High-density, uniform semiconducting nanotube networks are deposited at wafer scale using our APTES-assisted nanotube deposition technique, and RF transistors with channel lengths down to 500 nm are fabricated. We report on transistors exhibiting a cutoff frequency (f(t)) of 5 GHz and with maximum oscillation frequency (f(max)) of 1.5 GHz. Besides the cutoff frequency, the other important figure of merit for the RF transistors is the device linearity. For the first time, we report carbon nanotube RF transistor linearity metrics up to 1 GHz. Without the use of active probes to provide the high impedance termination, the measurement bandwidth is therefore not limited, and the linearity measurements can be conducted at the frequencies where the transistors are intended to be operating. We conclude that semiconducting nanotube-based transistors are potentially promising building blocks for highly linear RF electronics and circuit applications.

Low-temperature strain gauges based on silicon whiskers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Druzhinin A. A.

2008-08-01

Full Text Available To create low-temperature strain gauges based on p-type silicon whiskers tensoresistive characteristics of these crystals in 4,2—300 K temperature range were studied. On the basis of p-type Si whiskers with different resistivity the strain gauges for different materials operating at cryogenic temperatures with extremely high gauge factor at 4,2 K were developed, as well as strain gauges operating at liquid helium temperatures in high magnetic fields.

Silicon heterojunction transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, T.; Oh-uchi, N.; Hayashi, H.; Yamoto, H.

1979-01-01

SIPOS (Semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon) which is used as a surface passivation layer for highly reliable silicon devices constitutes a good heterojunction for silicon. P- or B-doped SIPOS has been used as the emitter material of a heterojunction transistor with the base and collector of silicon. An npn SIPOS-Si heterojunction transistor showing 50 times the current gain of an npn silicon homojunction transistor has been realized by high-temperature treatments in nitrogen and low-temperature annealing in hydrogen or forming gas

Optimization of pH sensing using silicon nanowire field effect transistors with HfO2 as the sensing surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafar, Sufi; D'Emic, Christopher; Afzali, Ali; Fletcher, Benjamin; Zhu, Y; Ning, Tak

2011-01-01

Silicon nanowire field effect transistor sensors with SiO 2 /HfO 2 as the gate dielectric sensing surface are fabricated using a top down approach. These sensors are optimized for pH sensing with two key characteristics. First, the pH sensitivity is shown to be independent of buffer concentration. Second, the observed pH sensitivity is enhanced and is equal to the Nernst maximum sensitivity limit of 59 mV/pH with a corresponding subthreshold drain current change of ∼ 650%/pH. These two enhanced pH sensing characteristics are attributed to the use of HfO 2 as the sensing surface and an optimized fabrication process compatible with silicon processing technology.

Optimization of pH sensing using silicon nanowire field effect transistors with HfO2 as the sensing surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, Sufi; D'Emic, Christopher; Afzali, Ali; Fletcher, Benjamin; Zhu, Y; Ning, Tak

2011-10-07

Silicon nanowire field effect transistor sensors with SiO(2)/HfO(2) as the gate dielectric sensing surface are fabricated using a top down approach. These sensors are optimized for pH sensing with two key characteristics. First, the pH sensitivity is shown to be independent of buffer concentration. Second, the observed pH sensitivity is enhanced and is equal to the Nernst maximum sensitivity limit of 59 mV/pH with a corresponding subthreshold drain current change of ∼ 650%/pH. These two enhanced pH sensing characteristics are attributed to the use of HfO(2) as the sensing surface and an optimized fabrication process compatible with silicon processing technology.

Porosity dependence of positive magnetoconductance in n-type porous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chouaibi, Bassem; Radaoui, Moufid; Benfredj, Amel; Bouchriha, Habib [Laboratoire Materiaux Avances et Phenomenes Quantiques, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Universite El Manar, 2092 Campus universitaire, Tunis (Tunisia); Romdhane, Samir [Laboratoire Materiaux Avances et Phenomenes Quantiques, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Universite El Manar, 2092 Campus universitaire, Tunis (Tunisia); Faculte des Sciences de Bizerte, 7021 Zarzouna, Bizerte, Universite de Carthage (Tunisia); Bouaicha, Mongi [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, BP 95, Hammam-Lif 2050 (Tunisia)

2012-10-15

Positive magnetoconductance (MC) on n-type porous silicon (PS) based devices was observed at room temperature for low static magnetic field (under 6000 G). We found that the measured MC decreases when the film porosity is increased. Obtained results were analyzed by means of the quasi-1D weak localization (WL) theory. From the dependence of the MC vs. applied magnetic field, we determine the phase coherence length L{sup {phi}}. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results was found (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Porous silicon photonic devices using pulsed anodic etching of lightly doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escorcia-Garcia, J; Sarracino MartInez, O; Agarwal, V; Gracia-Jimenez, J M

2009-01-01

The fabrication of porous silicon photonic structures using lightly doped, p-type, silicon wafers (resistivity: 14-22 Ω cm) by pulsed anodic etching is reported. The optical properties have been found to be strongly dependent on the duty cycle and frequency of the applied current. All the interfaces of the single layered samples were digitally analysed by calculating the mean interface roughness (R m ). The interface roughness was found to be maximum for the sample with direct current. The use of a duty cycle above 50%, in a certain range of frequencies, is found to reduce the interface roughness. The optical properties of some microcavities and rugate filters are investigated from the optimized parameters of the duty cycle and frequency, using the current densities of 10, 90 and 150 mA cm -2 .

Effect of deep dislocation levels in silicon on the properties of p-n junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakharov, A.G.; Dudko, V.G.; Nabokov, G.M.; Sechenov, D.A.

1988-07-01

We present the results of studies on the influence of deep levels, due to dislocations in electronic-grade silicon, on the lifetime of minority carriers and on the current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics of p-n junctions. The parameters of the deep levels were determined by means of dynamic spectroscopy. The carrier lifetime in the high-resistance region of the p-n junction correlates well with the dislocation density and varies from 10/sup /minus/7/ sec to 3 /centered dot/10/sup /minus/6/ sec when the dislocation density N/sub d/ varies from 10/sup 7/ cm/sup /minus/2/ to 5 /centered dot/10/sup 3/ cm/sup /minus/2/. The voltage across the p-n junction at a high level of injection varies 1.6 to 6.2 v as a function of N/sub d/. The ionization energy of deep levels associated with dislocation in silicon is 0.44 and 0.57 eV, measured from the bottom of the conduction band.

Electrical behavior of free-standing porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazrafkan, I.; Dariani, R.S.

2009-01-01

The electrical behavior of porous silicon (PS) layers has been investigated on one side of p-type silicon with various anodization currents and electrolytes. The two contact I-V characteristic is assigned by the metal/porous silicon rectifying interface, whereas, by using the van der Pauw technique, a nonlinear dependence of the current vs voltage was found. By using Dimethylformamide (DMF) in electrolyte, regular structures and columns were formed and porosity increased. Our results showed that by using DMF, surface resistivity of PS samples increased and became double for free-standing porous silicon (FPS). The reason could be due to increasing surface area and adsorbing some more gas molecules. Activation energy of PS samples was also increased from 0.31 to 0.34 eV and became 0.35 eV for FPS. The changes induced by storage are attributed to the oxidation process of the internal surface of free-standing porous silicon layers.

The suitability of silicon carbide for photocatalytic water oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Aslam, M.; Qamar, M. T.; Ahmed, Ikram; Rehman, Ateeq Ur; Ali, Shahid; Ismail, I. M. I.; Hameed, Abdul

2018-04-01

Silicon carbide (SiC), owing to its extraordinary chemical stability and refractory properties, is widely used in the manufacturing industry. Despite the semiconducting nature and morphology-tuned band gap, its efficacy as photocatalysts has not been thoroughly investigated. The current study reports the synthesis, characterization and the evaluation of the capability of silicon carbide for hydrogen generation from water splitting. The optical characterization of the as-synthesized powder exposed the formation of multi-wavelength absorbing entities in synthetic process. The structural analysis by XRD and the fine microstructure analysis by HRTEM revealed the cubic 3C-SiC (β-SiC) and hexagonal α-polymorphs (2H-SiC and 6H-SiC) as major and minor phases, respectively. The Mott-Schottky analysis verified the n-type nature of the material with the flat band potential of - 0.7 V. In the electrochemical evaluation, the sharp increase in the peak currents in various potential ranges, under illumination, revealed the plausible potential of the material for the oxidation of water and generation of hydrogen. The generation of hydrogen and oxygen, as a consequence of water splitting in the actual photocatalytic experiments, was observed and measured. A significant increase in the yield of hydrogen was noticed in the presence of methanol as h + scavenger, whereas a retarding effect was offered by the Fe3+ entities that served as e - scavengers. The combined effect of both methanol and Fe3+ ions in the photocatalytic process was also investigated. Besides hydrogen gas, the other evolved gasses such as methane and carbon monoxide were also measured to estimate the mechanism of the process.

ATLAS irradiation studies of n-in-n and p-in-n silicon microstrip detectors

CERN Document Server

Allport, P P; Buttar, C M; Carter, J; Drage, L M; Ferrère, D; Morgan, D; Riedler, P; Robinson, D

1999-01-01

Prior to the module production of the ATLAS silicon microstrip tracker for the barrel and the forward wheels, the characterisation of full-size prototype silicon detectors after radiation to fluences corresponding to 10 years of ATLAS operation is required. The behaviour of p-in-n and n-in-n detectors produced by several manufacturers before and after irradiation to a fluence of 3*10/sup 14/ protons/cm/sup 2/ at the CERN PS facility is discussed. This article summarises some recent results from the ATLAS SCT collaboration. The measurements of leakage current, full depletion voltage, signal-to-noise ratio and charge collection efficiency are presented. Despite the better efficiency performance of n-in-n detectors below depletion, the collaboration chose the p-in-n technology due to its simpler and less costly production since good charge collection efficiencies were achieved at the desired maximum bias voltage. (14 refs).

Comparison of electrical performances of two n-in-p detectors with different implant type of guard ring by TCAD simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Mekheldi

Full Text Available This paper presents a preliminary comparative study for two different guard rings structures in the purpose of evaluating their electrical performances. The two structures are based on the n-in-p technology with different implant type of guard rings. I–V characteristics have been simulated using Silvaco/ATLAS software for both structures and compared for various parameters of substrate, guard ring and oxide. Simulation results show that the shape of leakage current is almost the same in all simulations but in terms of breakdown voltage, n-in-p structure with n-type guard rings ensures high voltage stability. Keywords: Breakdown voltage, Guard ring, n-in-p silicon detector, TCAD simulation

Ab initio density functional theory investigation of electronic properties of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube bundles

Science.gov (United States)

Moradian, Rostam; Behzad, Somayeh; Azadi, Sam

2008-09-01

By using ab initio density functional theory we investigated the structural and electronic properties of semiconducting (7, 0), (8, 0) and (10, 0) carbon nanotube bundles. The energetic and electronic evolutions of nanotubes in the bundling process are also studied. The effects of inter-tube coupling on the electronic dispersions of semiconducting carbon nanotube bundles are demonstrated. Our results show that the inter-tube coupling decreases the energy gap in semiconducting nanotubes. We found that bundles of (7, 0) and (8, 0) carbon nanotubes have metallic feature, while (10, 0) bundle is a semiconductor with an energy gap of 0.22 eV. To clarify our results the band structures of isolated and bundled nanotubes are compared.

Hybrid integration of carbon nanotubes in silicon photonic structures

Science.gov (United States)

Durán-Valdeiglesias, E.; Zhang, W.; Alonso-Ramos, C.; Le Roux, X.; Serna, S.; Hoang, H. C.; Marris-Morini, D.; Cassan, E.; Intonti, F.; Sarti, F.; Caselli, N.; La China, F.; Gurioli, M.; Balestrieri, M.; Vivien, L.; Filoramo, A.

2017-02-01

Silicon photonics, due to its compatibility with the CMOS platform and unprecedented integration capability, has become the preferred solution for the implementation of next generation optical interconnects to accomplish high efficiency, low energy consumption, low cost and device miniaturization in one single chip. However, it is restricted by silicon itself. Silicon does not have efficient light emission or detection in the telecommunication wavelength range (1.3 μm-1.5 μm) or any electro-optic effect (i.e. Pockels effect). Hence, silicon photonic needs to be complemented with other materials for the realization of optically-active devices, including III-V for lasing and Ge for detection. The very different requirement of these materials results in complex fabrication processes that offset the cost-effectiveness of the Si photonics approach. For this purpose, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently been proposed as an attractive one-dimensional light emitting material. Interestingly, semiconducting single walled CNTs (SWNTs) exhibit room-temperature photo- and electro-luminescence in the near-IR that could be exploited for the implementation of integrated nano-sources. They can also be considered for the realization of photo-detectors and optical modulators, since they rely on intrinsically fast non-linear effects, such as Stark and Kerr effect. All these properties make SWNTs ideal candidates in order to fabricate a large variety of optoelectronic devices, including near-IR sources, modulators and photodetectors on Si photonic platforms. In addition, solution processed SWNTs can be integrated on Si using spin-coating or drop-casting techniques, obviating the need of complex epitaxial growth or chip bonding approaches. Here, we report on our recent progress in the coupling of SWNTs light emission into optical resonators implemented on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. .

Silicon heterojunction solar cell with passivated hole selective MoOx contact

Science.gov (United States)

Battaglia, Corsin; de Nicolás, Silvia Martín; De Wolf, Stefaan; Yin, Xingtian; Zheng, Maxwell; Ballif, Christophe; Javey, Ali

2014-03-01

We explore substoichiometric molybdenum trioxide (MoOx, x MoOx, we observe a substantial gain in photocurrent of 1.9 mA/cm2 in the ultraviolet and visible part of the solar spectrum, when compared to a p-type amorphous silicon emitter of a traditional silicon heterojunction cell. Our results emphasize the strong potential for oxides as carrier selective heterojunction partners to inorganic semiconductors.

Novel Cyclosilazane-Type Silicon Precursor and Two-Step Plasma for Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Silicon Nitride.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jae-Min; Jang, Se Jin; Lee, Sang-Ick; Lee, Won-Jun

2018-03-14

We designed cyclosilazane-type silicon precursors and proposed a three-step plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process to prepare silicon nitride films with high quality and excellent step coverage. The cyclosilazane-type precursor, 1,3-di-isopropylamino-2,4-dimethylcyclosilazane (CSN-2), has a closed ring structure for good thermal stability and high reactivity. CSN-2 showed thermal stability up to 450 °C and a sufficient vapor pressure of 4 Torr at 60 °C. The energy for the chemisorption of CSN-2 on the undercoordinated silicon nitride surface as calculated by density functional theory method was -7.38 eV. The PEALD process window was between 200 and 500 °C, with a growth rate of 0.43 Å/cycle. The best film quality was obtained at 500 °C, with hydrogen impurity of ∼7 atom %, oxygen impurity less than 2 atom %, low wet etching rate, and excellent step coverage of ∼95%. At 300 °C and lower temperatures, the wet etching rate was high especially at the lower sidewall of the trench pattern. We introduced the three-step PEALD process to improve the film quality and the step coverage on the lower sidewall. The sequence of the three-step PEALD process consists of the CSN-2 feeding step, the NH 3 /N 2 plasma step, and the N 2 plasma step. The H radicals in NH 3 /N 2 plasma efficiently remove the ligands from the precursor, and the N 2 plasma after the NH 3 plasma removes the surface hydrogen atoms to activate the adsorption of the precursor. The films deposited at 300 °C using the novel precursor and the three-step PEALD process showed a significantly improved step coverage of ∼95% and an excellent wet etching resistance at the lower sidewall, which is only twice as high as that of the blanket film prepared by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition.

Porosity and thickness effect of porous silicon layer on photoluminescence spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Husairi, F. S.; Eswar, K. A.; Guliling, Muliyadi; Khusaimi, Z.; Rusop, M.; Abdullah, S.

2018-05-01

The porous silicon nanostructures was prepared by electrochemical etching of p-type silicon wafer. Porous silicon prepared by using different current density and fix etching time with assistance of halogen lamp. The physical structure of porous silicon measured by the parameters used which know as experimental factor. In this work, we select one of those factors to correlate which optical properties of porous silicon. We investigated the surface morphology by using Surface Profiler (SP) and photoluminescence using Photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer. Different physical characteristics of porous silicon produced when current density varied. Surface profiler used to measure the thickness of porous and the porosity calculated using mass different of silicon. Photoluminescence characteristics of porous silicon depend on their morphology because the size and distribution of pore its self will effect to their exciton energy level. At J=30 mA/cm2 the shorter wavelength produced and it followed the trend of porosity with current density applied.

FY 1977 Annual report on Sunshine Project results. Research and development of photovoltaic power generation systems (Research and development of particle nonacceleration growth type silicon thin-film crystals); 1977 nendo taiyoko hatsuden system no kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Ryushi hikasoku seichogata silicon usumaku kessho no kenkyu kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1978-03-01

As part of the research and development project for producing photovoltaic power generation systems at reduced cost, the R and D efforts are made for producing particle nonacceleration growth type silicon thin-film crystals. The research items are (1) research on thin-film crystals, and (2) research on cell-structuring method. The item (1) studies quantities, types and electrical properties of impurities and crystal defects in the polycrystalline ingots, produced by the Czochralski method from metal grade silicon and purified metal grade silicon stocks. Next, the substrate prepared above is coated with a thin film of silicon by the vapor-phase growth method with dichlorosilane as the source, to evaluate the thin-film crystals by measuring the crystal defects and lifetime of small numbers of carriers. The item (2) studies the effects of the solder dipping method. In addition, unevenness of photoelectric current is analyzed by a laser scanning microscope, to investigate the effects of the secondary impurities and crystal defects in the substrate crystals on photoelectric current. As a result, it is found that conversion efficiency is improved by grading the hole concentration in the p-type activated layer. The targets of 10 to 20 m{sup 2} as the area and 7 to 8% as the conversion efficiency are attained by preparing the crystals again. (NEDO)

Flow induced/ refined solution crystallization of a semiconducting polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Ngoc A.

Organic photovoltaics, a new generation of solar cells, has gained scientific and economic interests due to the ability of solution-processing and potentially low-cost power production. Though, the low power conversion efficiency of organic/ plastic solar cells is one of the most pertinent challenges that has appealed to research communities from many different fields including materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, physics and chemistry. This thesis focuses on investigating and controlling the morphology of a semi-conducting, semi-crystalline polymer formed under shear-flow. Molecular structures and processing techniques are critical factors that significantly affect the morphology formation in the plastic solar cells, thus influencing device performance. In this study, flow-induced solution crystallization of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in a poor solvent, 2-ethylnapthalene (2-EN) was utilized to make a paint-like, structural liquid. The polymer crystals observed in this structured paint are micrometers long, nanometers in cross section and have a structure similar to that formed under quiescent conditions. There is pi-pi stacking order along the fibril axis, while polymer chain folding occurs along the fibril width and the order of the side-chain stacking is along fibril height. It was revealed that shear-flow not only induces P3HT crystallization from solution, but also refines and perfects the P3HT crystals. Thus, a general strategy to refine the semiconducting polymer crystals from solution under shear-flow has been developed and employed by simply tuning the processing (shearing) conditions with respect to the dissolution temperature of P3HT in 2-EN. The experimental results demonstrated that shear removes defects and allows more perfect crystals to be formed. There is no glass transition temperature observed in the crystals formed using the flow-induced crystallization indicating a significantly different

Optimization of KOH etching parameters for quantitative defect recognition in n- and p-type doped SiC

Science.gov (United States)

Sakwe, S. A.; Müller, R.; Wellmann, P. J.

2006-04-01

We have developed a KOH-based defect etching procedure for silicon carbide (SiC), which comprises in situ temperature measurement and control of melt composition. As benefit for the first time reproducible etching conditions were established (calibration plot, etching rate versus temperature and time); the etching procedure is time independent, i.e. no altering in KOH melt composition takes place, and absolute melt temperature values can be set. The paper describes this advanced KOH etching furnace, including the development of a new temperature sensor resistant to molten KOH. We present updated, absolute KOH etching parameters of n-type SiC and new absolute KOH etching parameters for low and highly p-type doped SiC, which are used for quantitative defect analysis. As best defect etching recipes we found T=530 °C/5 min (activation energy: 16.4 kcal/mol) and T=500 °C/5 min (activation energy: 13.5 kcal/mol) for n-type and p-type SiC, respectively.

Semiconducting polymer-incorporated nanocrystalline TiO2 particles for photovoltaic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Fuguo; Wu Jihuai; Li Qingbei; Wang Yue; Yue Gentian; Xiao Yaoming; Li Qinghua; Lan Zhang; Fan Leqing; Lin Jianming; Huang Miaoliang

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A P3HT-PCBM/TiO 2 trinary hybrid solar cell has been fabricated. → P3HT-PCBM heterojunction replaces the dye and electrolyte in dye-sensitized cell, → Which simplifies preparation procedure and decreases the device cost. → The hybrid cell achieves a light-to-electric conversion efficiency of 2.61%. - Abstract: In this work, we study hybrid solar cells based on blends of the semiconducting polymer poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl)(P3OT) and [6,6]-phenyl C 61 butyric acid methyl (PCBM) coated titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanocrystal film. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), UV-vis absorption spectra and PL quenching researches show that the films had a stronger absorption in visible light range. The influence of the PCBM:P3OT ratio were researched and the optimized ratio of PCBM to P3OT (1:1.5) exhibit a short circuit current of 4.42 mA cm -2 , an open circuit voltage of 0.81 V, a fill factor of 0.73 and a light-to-electric conversion efficiency of 2.61% under a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW cm -2 .

Polymer-Sorted Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Networks for High-Performance Ambipolar Field-Effect Transistors

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Efficient selection of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from as-grown nanotube samples is crucial for their application as printable and flexible semiconductors in field-effect transistors (FETs). In this study, we use atactic poly(9-dodecyl-9-methyl-fluorene) (a-PF-1-12), a polyfluorene derivative with asymmetric side-chains, for the selective dispersion of semiconducting SWNTs with large diameters (>1 nm) from plasma torch-grown SWNTs. Lowering the molecular weight of the dispersing polymer leads to a significant improvement of selectivity. Combining dense semiconducting SWNT networks deposited from an enriched SWNT dispersion with a polymer/metal-oxide hybrid dielectric enables transistors with balanced ambipolar, contact resistance-corrected mobilities of up to 50 cm2·V–1·s–1, low ohmic contact resistance, steep subthreshold swings (0.12–0.14 V/dec) and high on/off ratios (106) even for short channel lengths (<10 μm). These FETs operate at low voltages (<3 V) and show almost no current hysteresis. The resulting ambipolar complementary-like inverters exhibit gains up to 61. PMID:25493421

STM-excited luminescence of porous and spark-processed silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrienko, I.; Kuznetsov, V.; Yuan, J.; Haneman, D.

1998-01-01

Full text: Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) permits highly local electronic excitation of light emission (LE) from the surface of silicon. Measuring STM LE, one can study simultaneously both the topography and the luminescence properties of areas down to nm dimensions and thus make conclusions about the luminescence mechanism of the material. We have built an STM spectroscopy system which allows measurement of spectra of visible light emitted from areas as small as 13 x 13 nm 2 (porous silicon) and 10 x 10 nm 2 (spark-processed silicon). Porous silicon shows a broad emission band centered at 630 nm, and spark-processed silicon, one at 690 nm. The STM LE spectra of spark-processed silicon obtained for the first time. We have found that visible light is emitted only from areas containing nanometer-scale structures down to around 2 nm in diameter. STM LE occurs under negative bias voltage applied to the tip, i.e. when electrons are injected into the sample. Other workers used p-type silicon for the sample preparations, but it has been found that STM LE can be induced also from n-type silicon. Furthermore, we have shown that STM LE spectra can be resolved using much lover voltages and tunneling currents: -(7-9) V and 25 - 50 nA vs -(25-50) V and 100 nA. To consider different excitation mechanisms, the STM LE measurements are compared with photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra of similar samples. We suggest that excitation of individual quantum confinement structures has been observed

Drawing the geometry of 3d transition metal-boron pairs in silicon from electron emission channeling experiments

CERN Document Server

Silva, Daniel; Wahl, Ulrich; Martins Correia, Joao; Augustyns, Valerie; De Lemos Lima, Tiago Abel; Granadeiro Costa, Angelo Rafael; David Bosne, Eric; Castro Ribeiro Da Silva, Manuel; Esteves De Araujo, Araujo Joao Pedro; Da Costa Pereira, Lino Miguel

2016-01-01

Although the formation of transition metal-boron pairs is currently well established in silicon processing, the geometry of these complexes is still not completely understood. We investigated the lattice location of the transition metals manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel in n- and p+-type silicon by means of electron emission channeling. For manganese, iron and cobalt, we observed an increase of sites near the ideal tetrahedral interstitial position by changing the doping from n- to p+-type Si. Such increase was not observed for Ni. We ascribe this increase to the formation of pairs with boron, driven by Coulomb interactions, since the majority of iron, manganese and cobalt is positively charged in p+-type silicon while Ni is neutral. We propose that breathing mode relaxation around the boron ion within the pair causes the observed displacement from the ideal tetrahedral interstitial site. We discuss the application of the emission channeling technique in this system and, in particular, how it provides insi...

Amorphous silicon based particle detectors

OpenAIRE

Wyrsch, N.; Franco, A.; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.; Dunand, S.; Powolny, F.; Jarron, P.; Ballif, C.

2012-01-01

Radiation hard monolithic particle sensors can be fabricated by a vertical integration of amorphous silicon particle sensors on top of CMOS readout chip. Two types of such particle sensors are presented here using either thick diodes or microchannel plates. The first type based on amorphous silicon diodes exhibits high spatial resolution due to the short lateral carrier collection. Combination of an amorphous silicon thick diode with microstrip detector geometries permits to achieve micromete...

Fluorescence and thermoluminescence in silicon oxide films rich in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman M, D.; Piters, T. M.; Aceves M, M.; Berriel V, L. R.; Luna L, J. A.

2009-10-01

In this work we determined the fluorescence and thermoluminescence (TL) creation spectra of silicon rich oxide films (SRO) with three different silicon excesses. To study the TL of SRO, 550 nm of SRO film were deposited by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition technique on N-type silicon substrates with resistivity in the order of 3 to 5 Ω-cm with silicon excess controlled by the ratio of the gases used in the process, SRO films with Ro= 10, 20 and 30 (12-6% silicon excess) were obtained. Then, they were thermally treated in N 2 at high temperatures to diffuse and homogenize the silicon excess. In the fluorescence spectra two main emission regions are observed, one around 400 nm and one around 800 nm. TL creation spectra were determined by plotting the integrated TL intensity as function of the excitation wavelength. (Author)

Investigation of silicon width (p, p') resonance scattering in left angle 110 right angle channeling direction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ditroi, F.; Meyer, J.D.; Michelmann, R.; Kislat, D.; Bethge, K.

1994-01-01

Crystalline silicon samples were investigated both in channeling and random directions by using the (p, p') resonance scattering at 2.3 MeV bombarding energy. The samples were positioned in the scattering chamber of a VdG accelerator after 2 m collimating path. The peaks due to the resonance at 2.1 MeV were measured at different angles in the vicinity of the channeling and random directions. A peak shift and broadening was seen at the channeling and near channeling directions compared with the random one. The spectra were also simulated using our modified Monte Carlo calculation method for stopping, range and energy distribution in highly ordered materials. The energy shift and the broadening between the random and the channeling spectra were compared and explained. (orig.)

Top-gate microcrystalline silicon TFTs processed at low temperature (<200 deg. C)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saboundji, A.; Coulon, N.; Gorin, A.; Lhermite, H.; Mohammed-Brahim, T.; Fonrodona, M.; Bertomeu, J.; Andreu, J.

2005-01-01

N-type as well P-type top-gate microcrystalline silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) are fabricated on glass substrates at a maximum temperature of 200 deg. C. The active layer is an undoped μc-Si film, 200 nm thick, deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor. The drain and source regions are highly phosphorus (N-type TFTs) or boron (P-type TFTs)-doped μc-films deposited by HW-CVD. The gate insulator is a silicon dioxide film deposited by RF sputtering. Al-SiO 2 -N type c-Si structures using this insulator present low flat-band voltage,-0.2 V, and low density of states at the interface D it =6.4x10 10 eV -1 cm -2 . High field effect mobility, 25 cm 2 /V s for electrons and 1.1 cm 2 /V s for holes, is obtained. These values are very high, particularly the hole mobility that was never reached previously

22.5% efficient silicon heterojunction solar cell with molybdenum oxide hole collector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geissbühler, Jonas, E-mail: jonas.geissbuehler@epfl.ch; Werner, Jérémie; Martin de Nicolas, Silvia; Hessler-Wyser, Aïcha; Tomasi, Andrea; Niesen, Bjoern; De Wolf, Stefaan [Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory, Institute of Microengineering (IMT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2000 Neuchâtel (Switzerland); Barraud, Loris; Despeisse, Matthieu; Nicolay, Sylvain [CSEM PV-Center, Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2000 Neuchâtel (Switzerland); Ballif, Christophe [Photovoltaics and Thin Film Electronics Laboratory, Institute of Microengineering (IMT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2000 Neuchâtel (Switzerland); CSEM PV-Center, Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2000 Neuchâtel (Switzerland)

2015-08-24

Substituting the doped amorphous silicon films at the front of silicon heterojunction solar cells with wide-bandgap transition metal oxides can mitigate parasitic light absorption losses. This was recently proven by replacing p-type amorphous silicon with molybdenum oxide films. In this article, we evidence that annealing above 130 °C—often needed for the curing of printed metal contacts—detrimentally impacts hole collection of such devices. We circumvent this issue by using electrodeposited copper front metallization and demonstrate a silicon heterojunction solar cell with molybdenum oxide hole collector, featuring a fill factor value higher than 80% and certified energy conversion efficiency of 22.5%.

Vertically etched silicon nano-rods as a sensitive electron detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajmirzaheydarali, M; Akbari, M; Soleimani-Amiri, S; Sadeghipari, M; Shahsafi, A; Akhavan Farahani, A; Mohajerzadeh, S

2015-01-01

We have used vertically etched silicon nano-rods to realize electron detectors suitable for scanning electron microscopes. The results of deep etching of silicon nano-structures are presented to achieve highly ordered arrays of nano-rods. The response of the electron detector to energy of the primary electron beam and the effects of various sizes and materials has been investigated, indicating its high sensitivity to secondary and back-scattered electrons. The miniaturized structure of this electron detector allows it to be placed in the vicinity of the specimen to improve the resolution and contrast. This detector collects electrons and converts the electron current to voltage directly by means of n-doped silicon nano-rods on a p-type silicon substrate. Silicon nano-rods enhance the surface-to-volume ratio of the detector as well as improving the yield of electron detection. The use of nano-structures and silicon nanowires as an electron detector has led to higher sensitivities than with micro-structures. (paper)

Optimization of Silicon parameters as a betavoltaic battery: Comparison of Si p-n and Ni/Si Schottky barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahmani, Faezeh; Khosravinia, Hossein

2016-01-01

Theoretical studies on the optimization of Silicon (Si) parameters as the base of betavoltaic battery have been presented using Monte Carlo simulations and the state equations in semiconductor to obtain maximum power. Si with active area of 1 cm 2 has been considered in p-n junction and Schottky barrier structure to collect the radiation induced-charge from 10 mCi cm −2 of Nickle-63 ( 63 Ni) Source. The results show that the betavoltaic conversion efficiency in the Si p-n structure is about 2.7 times higher than that in the Ni/Si Schottky barrier structure. - Highlights: • Silicon parameters were studied in betavoltaic batteries. • Studied betavoltaic batteries include p-n and Schottky barrier structures. • The p-n structure has higher conversion efficiency.

Nonlinear wave beams in a piezo semiconducting layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagdoev, A.G.; Shekoyan, A.V.; Danoyan, Z.N.

1997-01-01

The propagation of quasi-monochromatic nonlinear wave in a piezo semiconducting layer taking into account electron-concentration nonlinearity is considered. For such medium the evolution equations for incoming and reflected waves are derived. Nonlinear Schroedinger equations and solutions for narrow beams are obtained. It is shown that symmetry of incoming and reflected waves does not take place. The focusing of beams is investigated.18 refs

Silicon germanium as a novel mask for silicon deep reactive ion etching

KAUST Repository

Serry, Mohamed Y.

2013-10-01

This paper reports on the use of p-type polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-Si1-xGex) thin films as a new masking material for the cryogenic deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon. We investigated the etching behavior of various poly-Si1-xGex:B (0silicon, silicon oxide, and photoresist was determined at different etching temperatures, ICP and RF powers, and SF6 to O2 ratios. The study demonstrates that the etching selectivity of the SiGe mask for silicon depends strongly on three factors: Ge content; boron concentration; and etching temperature. Compared to conventional SiO2 and SiN masks, the proposed SiGe masking material exhibited several advantages, including high etching selectivity to silicon (>1:800). Furthermore, the SiGe mask was etched in SF6/O2 plasma at temperatures ≥ - 80°C and at rates exceeding 8 μm/min (i.e., more than 37 times faster than SiO2 or SiN masks). Because of the chemical and thermodynamic stability of the SiGe film as well as the electronic properties of the mask, it was possible to deposit the proposed film at CMOS backend compatible temperatures. The paper also confirms that the mask can easily be dry-removed after the process with high etching-rate by controlling the ICP and RF power and the SF6 to O2 ratios, and without affecting the underlying silicon substrate. Using low ICP and RF power, elevated temperatures (i.e., > - 80°C), and an adjusted O2:SF6 ratio (i.e., ~6%), we were able to etch away the SiGe mask without adversely affecting the final profile. Ultimately, we were able to develop deep silicon- trenches with high aspect ratio etching straight profiles. © 1992-2012 IEEE.

Optically transparent semiconducting polymer nanonetwork for flexible and transparent electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kilho; Park, Byoungwook; Kim, Geunjin; Kim, Chang-Hyun; Park, Sungjun; Kim, Jehan; Jung, Suhyun; Jeong, Soyeong; Kwon, Sooncheol; Kang, Hongkyu; Kim, Junghwan; Yoon, Myung-Han; Lee, Kwanghee

2016-01-01

Simultaneously achieving high optical transparency and excellent charge mobility in semiconducting polymers has presented a challenge for the application of these materials in future “flexible” and “transparent” electronics (FTEs). Here, by blending only a small amount (∼15 wt %) of a diketopyrrolopyrrole-based semiconducting polymer (DPP2T) into an inert polystyrene (PS) matrix, we introduce a polymer blend system that demonstrates both high field-effect transistor (FET) mobility and excellent optical transparency that approaches 100%. We discover that in a PS matrix, DPP2T forms a web-like, continuously connected nanonetwork that spreads throughout the thin film and provides highly efficient 2D charge pathways through extended intrachain conjugation. The remarkable physical properties achieved using our approach enable us to develop prototype high-performance FTE devices, including colorless all-polymer FET arrays and fully transparent FET-integrated polymer light-emitting diodes. PMID:27911774

Relationship between silicon concentration and creatinine clearance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Y.; Nakai, K.; Itoh, C.; Horikiri, J.; Sera, K.; Sato, M.

1998-01-01

Silicon levels in dialysis patients are markedly increasing. Using PIXE we determined the relationship between silicon concentration and creatinine clearance in 30 samples. Urine silicon concentration were significantly correlated to creatinine clearance (p<0.001). And also serum silicon concentration were significantly correlated to creatinine clearance (p<0.0001). (author)

Organic small molecule semiconducting chromophores for use in organic electronic devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Welch, Gregory C.; Hoven, Corey V.; Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen

2018-02-13

Small organic molecule semi-conducting chromophores containing a pyridalthiadiazole, pyridaloxadiazole, or pyridaltriazole core structure are disclosed. Such compounds can be used in organic heterojunction devices, such as organic small molecule solar cells and transistors.

Investigation of the heating behavior of carbide-bonded graphene coated silicon wafer used for hot embossing

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Gao; Li, Lihua; Lee, Wing Bun; Ng, Man Cheung; Chan, Chang Yuen

2018-03-01

A recently developed carbide-bonded graphene (CBG) coated silicon wafer was found to be an effective micro-patterned mold material for implementing rapid heating in hot embossing processes owing to its superior electrical and thermal conductivity, in addition to excellent mechanical properties. To facilitate the achievement of precision temperature control in the hot embossing, the heating behavior of a CBG coated silicon wafer sample was experimentally investigated. First, two groups of controlled experiments were conducted for quantitatively evaluating the influence of the main factors such as the vacuum pressure and gaseous environment (vacuum versus nitrogen) on its heating performance. The electrical and thermal responses of this sample under a voltage of 60 V were then intensively analyzed, and revealed that it had somewhat semi-conducting properties. Further, we compared its thermal profiles under different settings of the input voltage and current limiting threshold. Moreover, the strong temperature dependence of electrical resistance for this material was observed and determined. Ultimately, the surface temperature of CBG coated silicon wafer could be as high as 1300 ℃, but surprisingly the graphene coating did not detach from the substrate under such an elevated temperature due to its strong thermal coupling with the silicon wafer.

Porous silicon: Synthesis and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Awad, F.

2006-01-01

Formation of porous silicon by electrochemical etching method of both p and n-type single crystal silicon wafers in HF based solutions has been performed by using three different modes. In addition to DC and pulsed voltage, a novel etching mode is developed to prepare light-emitting porous silicon by applying and holding-up a voltage in gradient steps form periodically, between the silicon wafer and a graphite electrode. Under same equivalent etching conditions, periodic gradient steps voltage etching can yield a porous silicon layer with stronger photoluminescence intensity and blue shift than the porous silicon layer prepared by DC or pulsed voltage etching. It has been found that the holding-up of the applied voltage during the etching process for defined interval of time is another significant future of this method, which highly affects the blue shift. This can be used for tailoring a porous layer with novel properties. The actual mechanism behind the blue shift is not clear exactly, even the experimental observation of atomic force microscope and purist measurements in support with quantum confinement model. It has been seen also from Fourier Transform Infrared study that interplays between O-Si-H and Si-H bond intensities play key role in deciding the efficiency of photoluminescence emission. Study of relative humidity sensing and photonic crystal properties of pours silicon samples has confirmed the advantages of the new adopted etching mode. The sensitivity at room temperature of porous silicon prepared by periodic gradient steps voltage etching was found to be about 70% as compared to 51% and 45% for the porous silicon prepared by DC and pulsed voltage etching, respectively. (author)

Porous silicon: Synthesis and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naddaf, M.; Awad, F.

2006-06-01

Formation of porous silicon by electrochemical etching method of both p and n-type single crystal silicon wafers in HF based solutions has been performed by using three different modes. In addition to DC and pulsed voltage, a novel etching mode is developed to prepare light-emitting porous silicon by applying and holding-up a voltage in gradient steps form periodically, between the silicon wafer and a graphite electrode. Under same equivalent etching conditions, periodic gradient steps voltage etching can yield a porous silicon layer with stronger photoluminescence intensity and blue shift than the porous silicon layer prepared by DC or pulsed voltage etching. It has been found that the holding-up of the applied voltage during the etching process for defined interval of time is another significant future of this method, which highly affects the blue shift. This can be used for tailoring a porous layer with novel properties. The actual mechanism behind the blue shift is not clear exactly, even the experimental observation of atomic force microscope and purist measurements in support with quantum confinement model. It has been seen also from Fourier Transform Infrared study that interplays between O-Si-H and Si-H bond intensities play key role in deciding the efficiency of photoluminescence emission. Study of relative humidity sensing and photonic crystal properties of pours silicon samples has confirmed the advantages of the new adopted etching mode. The sensitivity at room temperature of porous silicon prepared by periodic gradient steps voltage etching was found to be about 70% as compared to 51% and 45% for the porous silicon prepared by DC and pulsed voltage etching, respectively. (author)

Majorana quasiparticles in semiconducting carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Marganska, Magdalena; Milz, Lars; Izumida, Wataru; Strunk, Christoph; Grifoni, Milena

2018-02-01

Engineering effective p -wave superconductors hosting Majorana quasiparticles (MQPs) is nowadays of particular interest, also in view of the possible utilization of MQPs in fault-tolerant topological quantum computation. In quasi-one-dimensional systems, the parameter space for topological superconductivity is significantly reduced by the coupling between transverse modes. Together with the requirement of achieving the topological phase under experimentally feasible conditions, this strongly restricts in practice the choice of systems which can host MQPs. Here, we demonstrate that semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in proximity with ultrathin s -wave superconductors, e.g., exfoliated NbSe2, satisfy these needs. By precise numerical tight-binding calculations in the real space, we show the emergence of localized zero-energy states at the CNT ends above a critical value of the applied magnetic field, of which we show the spatial evolution. Knowing the microscopic wave functions, we unequivocally demonstrate the Majorana nature of the localized states. An effective four-band model in the k -space, with parameters determined from the numerical spectrum, is used to calculate the topological phase diagram and its phase boundaries in analytic form. Finally, the impact of symmetry breaking contributions, like disorder and an axial component of the magnetic field, is investigated.

Assessment on thermoelectric power factor in silicon nanowire networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lohn, Andrew J.; Kobayashi, Nobuhiko P. [Baskin School of Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Nanostructured Energy Conversion Technology and Research (NECTAR), Advanced Studies Laboratories, University of California Santa Cruz, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States); Coleman, Elane; Tompa, Gary S. [Structured Materials Industries, Inc., Piscataway, NJ (United States)

2012-01-15

Thermoelectric devices based on three-dimensional networks of highly interconnected silicon nanowires were fabricated and the parameters that contribute to the power factor, namely the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity were assessed. The large area (2 cm x 2 cm) devices were fabricated at low cost utilizing a highly scalable process involving silicon nanowires grown on steel substrates. Temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient was found to be weak over the range of 20-80 C at approximately -400 {mu}V/K for unintentionally doped devices and {+-}50 {mu}V/K for p-type and n-type devices, respectively. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Empirical Equation Based Chirality (n, m Assignment of Semiconducting Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes from Resonant Raman Scattering Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Shamsul Arefin

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This work presents a technique for the chirality (n, m assignment of semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes by solving a set of empirical equations of the tight binding model parameters. The empirical equations of the nearest neighbor hopping parameters, relating the term (2n, m with the first and second optical transition energies of the semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes, are also proposed. They provide almost the same level of accuracy for lower and higher diameter nanotubes. An algorithm is presented to determine the chiral index (n, m of any unknown semiconducting tube by solving these empirical equations using values of radial breathing mode frequency and the first or second optical transition energy from resonant Raman spectroscopy. In this paper, the chirality of 55 semiconducting nanotubes is assigned using the first and second optical transition energies. Unlike the existing methods of chirality assignment, this technique does not require graphical comparison or pattern recognition between existing experimental and theoretical Kataura plot.

Empirical Equation Based Chirality (n, m) Assignment of Semiconducting Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes from Resonant Raman Scattering Data

Science.gov (United States)

Arefin, Md Shamsul

2012-01-01

This work presents a technique for the chirality (n, m) assignment of semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes by solving a set of empirical equations of the tight binding model parameters. The empirical equations of the nearest neighbor hopping parameters, relating the term (2n− m) with the first and second optical transition energies of the semiconducting single wall carbon nanotubes, are also proposed. They provide almost the same level of accuracy for lower and higher diameter nanotubes. An algorithm is presented to determine the chiral index (n, m) of any unknown semiconducting tube by solving these empirical equations using values of radial breathing mode frequency and the first or second optical transition energy from resonant Raman spectroscopy. In this paper, the chirality of 55 semiconducting nanotubes is assigned using the first and second optical transition energies. Unlike the existing methods of chirality assignment, this technique does not require graphical comparison or pattern recognition between existing experimental and theoretical Kataura plot. PMID:28348319

Electron-spin-resonance study of radiation-induced paramagnetic defects in oxides grown on (100) silicon substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y.Y.; Lenahan, P.M.

1988-01-01

We have used electron-spin resonance to investigate radiation-induced point defects in Si/SiO 2 structures with (100) silicon substrates. We find that the radiation-induced point defects are quite similar to defects generated in Si/SiO 2 structures grown on (111) silicon substrates. In both cases, an oxygen-deficient silicon center, the E' defect, appears to be responsible for trapped positive charge. In both cases trivalent silicon (P/sub b/ centers) defects are primarily responsible for radiation-induced interface states. In earlier electron-spin-resonance studies of unirradiated (100) substrate capacitors two types of P/sub b/ centers were observed; in oxides prepared in three different ways only one of these centers, the P/sub b/ 0 defect, is generated in large numbers by ionizing radiation

Field-induced detrapping in disordered organic semiconducting host-guest systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cottaar, J.; Coehoorn, R.; Bobbert, P.A.

2010-01-01

In a disordered organic semiconducting host-guest material, containing a relatively small concentration of guest molecules acting as traps, the charge transport may be viewed as resulting from carriers that are detrapped from the guest to the host. Commonly used theories include only detrapping due

In-line high-rate evaporation of aluminum for the metallization of silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mader, Christoph Paul

2012-07-11

This work focuses on the in-line high-rate evaporation of aluminum for contacting rear sides of silicon solar cells. The substrate temperature during the deposition process, the wafer bow after deposition, and the electrical properties of evaporated contacts are investigated. Furthermore, this work demonstrates for the first time the formation of aluminum-doped silicon regions by the in-line high-rate evaporation of aluminum without any further temperature treatment. The temperature of silicon wafers during in-line high-rate evaporation of aluminum is investigated in this work. The temperatures are found to depend on the wafer thickness W, the aluminum layer thickness d, and on the wafer emissivity {epsilon}. Two-dimensional finite-element simulations reproduce the measured peak temperatures with an accuracy of 97%. This work also investigates the wafer bow after in-line high-rate evaporation and shows that the elastic theory overestimates the wafer bow of planar Si wafers. The lower bow is explained with plastic deformation in the Al layer. Due to the plastic deformation only the first 79 K in temperature decrease result in a bow formation. Furthermore the electrical properties of evaporated point contacts are examined in this work. Parameterizations for the measured saturation currents of contacted p-type Si wafers and of contacted boron-diffused p{sup +}-type layers are presented. The contact resistivity of the deposited Al layers to silicon for various deposition processes and silicon surface concentrations are presented and the activation energy of the contact formation is determined. The measured saturation current densities and contact resistivities of the evaporated contacts are used in one-dimensional numerical Simulations and the impact on energy conversion efficiency of replacing a screen-printed rear side by an evaporated rear side is presented. For the first time the formation of aluminum-doped p{sup +}-type (Al-p{sup +}) silicon regions by the in

Impact of Nb vacancies and p-type doping of the NbCoSn-NbCoSb half-Heusler thermoelectrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferluccio, Daniella A; Smith, Ronald I; Buckman, Jim; Bos, Jan-Willem G

2018-02-07

The half-Heuslers NbCoSn and NbCoSb have promising thermoelectric properties. Here, an investigation of the NbCo 1+y Sn 1-z Sb z (y = 0, 0.05; 0 ≤ z ≤ 1) solid-solution is presented. In addition, the p-type doping of NbCoSn using Ti and Zr substitution is investigated. Rietveld analysis reveals the gradual creation of Nb vacancies to compensate for the n-type doping caused by the substitution of Sb in NbCoSn. This leads to a similar valence electron count (∼18.25) for the NbCo 1+y Sn 1-z Sb z samples (z > 0). Mass fluctuation disorder due to the Nb vacancies strongly decreases the lattice thermal conductivity from 10 W m -1 K -1 (z = 0) to 4.5 W m -1 K -1 (z = 0.5, 1). This is accompanied by a transition to degenerate semiconducting behaviour leading to large power factors, S 2 /ρ = 2.5-3 mW m -1 K -2 and figures of merit, ZT = 0.25-0.33 at 773 K. Ti and Zr can be used to achieve positive Seebeck values, e.g. S = +150 μV K -1 for 20% Zr at 773 K. However, the electrical resistivity, ρ 323K = 27-35 mΩ cm, remains too large for these materials to be considered useful p-type materials.

The design and investigation of hybrid ferromagnetic/silicon spin electronic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pugh, D.I.

2001-01-01

The focus of this study concerns the design and investigation of ferromagnetic/silicon hybrid spin electronic devices as part of a wider project to design a novel spin valve transistor. The key issue to obtain a room temperature spin electronic device is the electrical injection of a spin polarised current from a ferromagnetic contact into a semiconductor. Despite many attempts concentrating on GaAs and InAs only small (< 1%) effects have been observed, making it difficult to confirm spin injection. Lateral devices were designed and fabricated using standard device fabrication procedures to produce arrays of Co/Si/So junctions. Subsequent designs aimed to reduce the number of junctions and improve device isolation. Evidence for spin dependent MR of up to 0.56% was observed in Co/p-Si/Co junctions with silicon gaps up to 16 μm in length. The maximum MR was observed when the first Co/Si Schottky barrier was reverse biased forming a high resistance interface. Vertical devices were designed in an attempt to eliminate any alternative current paths by using a well defined, 1 μm thick silicon membrane. Despite attempts to include oxide barriers, no spin dependent MR was observed in these devices. However, a novel vertical silicon based design has been made which should facilitate further advanced studies of spin injection and transport. The spin diffusion length in n-type silicon has been calculated as a function of doping concentration and temperature by considering the spin relaxation mechanisms in the semiconductor. Discussion has been made concerning p-type silicon and comparisons made with GaAs, indicating that n-Si should show longer spin diffusion lengths. The key design criteria for designing room temperature spin electronic devices have been highlighted. These include the use of a high leakage Schottky barrier or tunnel barrier between the ferromagnet and p-Si and a contact to the silicon to enable appropriate biasing to each FM/Si interface. (author)

Structural Distortion Stabilizing the Antiferromagnetic and Semiconducting Ground State of BaMn2As2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekkehard Krüger

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We report evidence that the experimentally found antiferromagnetic structure as well as the semiconducting ground state of BaMn 2 As 2 are caused by optimally-localized Wannier states of special symmetry existing at the Fermi level of BaMn 2 As 2 . In addition, we find that a (small tetragonal distortion of the crystal is required to stabilize the antiferromagnetic semiconducting state. To our knowledge, this distortion has not yet been established experimentally.

Oxygen-related 1-platinum defects in silicon: An electron paramagnetic resonance study

Science.gov (United States)

Juda, U.; Scheerer, O.; Höhne, M.; Riemann, H.; Schilling, H.-J.; Donecker, J.; Gerhardt, A.

1996-09-01

A monoclinic 1-platinum defect recently detected was investigated more thoroughly by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The defect is one of the dominating defects in platinum doped silicon. With a perfect reproducibility it is observed in samples prepared from n-type silicon as well as from p-type silicon, in float zone (FZ) silicon as well as in Czochralski (Cz) silicon. Its concentration varies with the conditions of preparation and nearly reaches that of isolated substitutional platinum in Cz silicon annealed for 2 h at 540 °C after quenching from the temperature of platinum diffusion. Because of its concentration which in Cz-Si exceeds that in FZ-Si the defect is assumed to be oxygen-related though a hyperfine structure with 17O could not be resolved. The defect causes a level close to the valence band. This is concluded from variations of the Fermi level and from a discussion of the spin Hamiltonian parameters. In photo-EPR experiments the defect is coupled to recently detected acceptorlike self-interstitial related defects (SIRDs); their level position turns out to be near-midgap. These defects belong to the lifetime limiting defects in Pt-doped Si.

Spin dynamics of light-induced charge separation in composites of semiconducting polymers and PC60BM revealed using Q-band pulse EPR.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukina, E A; Suturina, E; Reijerse, E; Lubitz, W; Kulik, L V

2017-08-23

Light-induced processes in composites of semiconducting polymers and fullerene derivatives have been widely studied due to their usage as active layers of organic solar cells. However the process of charge separation under light illumination - the key process of an organic solar cell is not well understood yet. Here we report a Q-band pulse electron paramagnetic resonance study of composites of the fullerene derivative PC 60 BM ([6,6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester) with different p-type semiconducting polymers regioregular and regiorandom P3HT (poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), MEH-PPV (poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene]), PCDTBT (poly[N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)]), PTB7 (poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}))), resulting in a detailed description of the in-phase laser flash-induced electron spin echo (ESE) signal. We found that in organic donor-acceptor composites the laser flash simultaneously induces species of two types: a polymer˙ + /fullerene˙ - spin-correlated polaron pair (SCPP) with an initial singlet spin state and (nearly) free polymer˙ + and fullerene˙ - species with non-equilibrium spin polarization. Species of the first type (SCPP) are well-known for polymer/fullerene blends and are usually associated with a charge-separated state. Also, spin polarization of long-living free species (polarons in deep traps) is affected by the laser flash, which is the third contribution to the flash-induced ESE signal. A protocol for extracting the in-phase ESE signal of the SCPP based on the dependence of the microwave nutation frequency on the strength of the spin coupling within the polaron pair was developed. Nutation experiments revealed an unusual pattern of the SCPP in RR-P3HT/PC 60 BM composites, from which the strength of the exchange interaction between the polymer

Solar cells with gallium phosphide/silicon heterojunction

Science.gov (United States)

Darnon, Maxime; Varache, Renaud; Descazeaux, Médéric; Quinci, Thomas; Martin, Mickaël; Baron, Thierry; Muñoz, Delfina

2015-09-01

One of the limitations of current amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells is electrical and optical losses in the front transparent conductive oxide and amorphous silicon layers that limit the short circuit current. We propose to grow a thin (5 to 20 nm) crystalline Gallium Phosphide (GaP) by epitaxy on silicon to form a more transparent and more conducting emitter in place of the front amorphous silicon layers. We show that a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is still necessary to laterally collect the current with thin GaP emitter. Larger contact resistance of GaP/TCO increases the series resistance compared to amorphous silicon. With the current process, losses in the IR region associated with silicon degradation during the surface preparation preceding GaP deposition counterbalance the gain from the UV region. A first cell efficiency of 9% has been obtained on ˜5×5 cm2 polished samples.

Characterization of n and p-type ZnO thin films grown by pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavak, H.; Erdogan, E.N.; Ozsahin, I.; Esen, R.

2010-01-01

Full text : Semiconductor ZnO thin films with wide band gap attract much interest due to their properties such as chemical stability in hydrogen plasma, high optical transparency in the visible and nearinfrared region. Due to these properties ZnO oxide is a promising materials for electronic or optoelectronic applications such as solar cell (as an antireflecting coating and a transparent conducting material), gas sensors, surface acoustic wave devices. The purpose of this research is to improve the properties of n and p-type ZnO thin films for device applications. Polycrystalline ZnO is naturally n-type and very difficult to dope to make p-type. Therefore nowadays hardly produced p-type ZnO attracts a lot of attention. Nitrogen considered as the best dopant for p-type ZnO thin films.The transparent, conductive and very precise thickness controlled n and p-type semiconducting nanocrystalline ZnO thin films were prepared by pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (PFCVAD) method. Structural, optical and electrical properties of these films were investigated. And also photoluminescence properties of these films were investigated. Transparent p-type ZnO thin films were produced by oxidation of PFCVAD deposited zinc nitride. Zinc nitride thin films were deposited with various thicknesses and under different oxygen pressures on glass substrates. Zinc nitride thin films, which were deposited at room temperatures, were amorphous and the optical transmission was below 70%. For oxidation zinc nitride, the sample was annealed in air starting from 350 degrees Celsium up to 550 degrees Celsium for one hour duration. These XRD patterns imply that zinc nitride thin films converted to zinc oxide thin films with the same hexagonal crystalline structures of ZnO. The optical measurements were made for each annealing temperature and the optical transmissions of ZnO thin films were found better than 90 percent in visible range after annealing over 350 degrees Celsium. By

Lewis basicity, adhesion thermodynamic work and coordinating ability on aminated silicon surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sánchez, M. Alejandra; Paniagua, Sergio A.; Borge, Ignacio; Viales, Christian; Montero, Mavis L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Silicon(1 0 0) surfaces with diamines followed by anchoring of copper complexes over the diamine layer, an approach that could be used for advanced functionalization of semiconducting surfaces. • Lewis basicity (using Fowkes–van Oss–Chaudhury–Good surface tension model) and adhesion thermodynamic work (using chemical force microscopy) were determined. • Higher basicity and thermodynamic work correlate with selective copper acetate monolayer grow. The cyclic voltammetry studies confirm the confined copper redox activity. - Abstract: Silicon(1 0 0) surfaces have been modified with three different amines (aniline, benzylamine and dodecylamine) and diamines (4-aminopyridine, 4-aminomethylpyridine, 1,12-dodecyldiamine). The surface energy was measured by contact angle technique. For Si-diamine surfaces, Lewis basicity (using Fowkes–van Oss–Chaudhury–Good surface tension model) and adhesion thermodynamic work (using chemical force microscopy) were determined. We related these data, the amine/diamine nature and their geometry on the surface (via DFT calculations) with the consequent ability to coordinate copper(II) acetate. Finally, copper(II) acetate monolayers behavior was studied by cyclic voltammetry

The role of extra-atomic relaxation in determining Si2p binding energy shifts at silicon/silicon oxide interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, K.Z.; Greeley, J.N.; Banaszak Holl, M.M.; McFeely, F.R.

1997-01-01

The observed binding energy shift for silicon oxide films grown on crystalline silicon varies as a function of film thickness. The physical basis of this shift has previously been ascribed to a variety of initial state effects (Si endash O ring size, strain, stoichiometry, and crystallinity), final state effects (a variety of screening mechanisms), and extrinsic effects (charging). By constructing a structurally homogeneous silicon oxide film on silicon, initial state effects have been minimized and the magnitude of final state stabilization as a function of film thickness has been directly measured. In addition, questions regarding the charging of thin silicon oxide films on silicon have been addressed. From these studies, it is concluded that initial state effects play a negligible role in the thickness-dependent binding energy shift. For the first ∼30 Angstrom of oxide film, the thickness-dependent binding energy shift can be attributed to final state effects in the form of image charge induced stabilization. Beyond about 30 Angstrom, charging of the film occurs. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Investigation of neutron-produced defects in silicon by transconductance measurements of junction field-effect transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Y.; Usami, A.

1976-01-01

Defects introduced in silicon by neutron irradiation were investigated by measuring the phase angle theta of the small-signal transconductance of the junction field-effect transistors (JFET). Measurements of theta as a function of frequency allowed the determination of the time constant for each defect. From the temperature dependence of the time constant, assuming that capture cross sections are independent of temperature, the energy levels of E/sub v/+0.19 and E/sub v/+0.35 eV in p-type silicon and E/sub c/-0.16, E/sub c/-0.19, and E/sub c/-0.44 eV in n-type silicon were obtained. For these defects, calculations gave majority-carrier capture cross-section values of 2.8 x 10 -15 and 1.1 x 10 -14 cm 2 in p-type silicon, and 3.9 x 10 -14 , 1.6 x 10 -16 , and 2.3 x 10 -14 cm 2 in n-type silicon, respectively. Comparing with other published data, it was found that the energy level of E/sub c/-0.44 eV showed the value between the previously reported energy levels of E/sub c/-0.4 and E/sub c/-0.5 eV correlated with the doubly negative charge state and singly negative charge state of the divacancy, respectively. Thus, it is believed that a total of six energy levels are introduced in silicon by neutron irradiation. The energy levels of E/sub c/-0.16 and E/sub v/+0.35 eV were found to be correlated with the A center and the divacancy, respectively

Itinerant magnetism in doped semiconducting β-FeSi2 and CrSi2

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, David J.; Parker, David

2013-01-01

Novel or unusual magnetism is a subject of considerable interest, particularly in metals and degenerate semiconductors. In such materials the interplay of magnetism, transport and other Fermi liquid properties can lead to fascinating physical behavior. One example is in magnetic semiconductors, where spin polarized currents may be controlled and used. We report density functional calculations predicting magnetism in doped semiconducting β-FeSi2 and CrSi2 at relatively low doping levels particularly for n-type. In this case, there is a rapid cross-over to a half-metallic state as a function of doping level. The results are discussed in relation to the electronic structure and other properties of these compounds. PMID:24343332

Changes in myopia with low-Dk hydrogel and high-Dk silicone hydrogel extended wear.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalbert, Isabelle; Stretton, Serina; Naduvilath, Thomas; Holden, Brien; Keay, Lisa; Sweeney, Deborah

2004-08-01

This study compared changes in myopia between wearers of high-oxygen permeability (Dk) silicone hydrogel lenses and low-Dk hydrogel lenses after 1 year of extended wear (EW). Ninety-two adult subjects were randomly assigned to a lens type. Subjective refraction and autokeratometry were performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. After 6 months of EW, myopia (spherical equivalent) regressed by 0.18 +/- 0.33 D (p Dk silicone hydrogel group and progressed by -0.23 +/- 0.36 D (p Dk hydrogel group. There were no further changes after 12 months. Previous lens wear history, baseline refractive error, and age and gender did not have an impact on the change in myopia, and only 35% of the variation could be accounted for by changes in corneal curvature and lens type. Soft contact lens type significantly affects the direction of change in myopia during EW. We hypothesize that these changes are driven by pressure-related redistribution of corneal tissue in high-Dk silicone hydrogel lens wearers and by hypoxia-associated corneal thinning in low-Dk hydrogel wearers. More long-term studies are required to confirm whether the effects of high-Dk silicone hydrogel lens wear on myopia are permanent.

A p-silicon nanowire/n-ZnO thin film heterojunction diode prepared by thermal evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazra, Purnima; Jit, S.

2014-01-01

This paper represents the electrical and optical characteristics of a SiNW/ZnO heterojunction diode and subsequent studies on the photodetection properties of the diode in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength region. In this work, silicon nanowire arrays were prepared on p-type (100)-oriented Si substrate by an electroless metal deposition and etching method with the help of ultrasonication. After that, catalyst-free deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires on a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array substrate was done by utilizing a simple and cost-effective thermal evaporation technique without using a buffer layer. The SEM and XRD techniques are used to show the quality of the as-grown ZnO nanowire film. The junction properties of the diode are evaluated by measuring current—voltage and capacitance—voltage characteristics. The diode has a well-defined rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 190 at ±2 V, turn-on voltage of 0.5 V, and barrier height is 0.727 eV at room temperature under dark conditions. The photodetection parameters of the diode are investigated in the bias voltage range of ±2 V. The diode shows responsivity of 0.8 A/W at a bias voltage of 2 V under UV illumination (wavelength = 365 nm). The characteristics of the device indicate that it can be used for UV detection applications in nano-optoelectronic and photonic devices. (semiconductor devices)

Memory characteristics of silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals as a charge trapping layer of nonvolatile memory devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sangmoo; Yang, Hyundeok; Chang, Man; Baek, Sungkweon; Hwang, Hyunsang; Jeon, Sanghun; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Chungwoo

2005-01-01

Silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals formed by low-energy silicon plasma immersion ion implantation has been investigated as a charge trapping layer of a polycrystalline silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon-type nonvolatile memory device. Compared with the control sample without silicon nanocrystals, silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals provides excellent memory characteristics, such as larger width of capacitance-voltage hysteresis, higher program/erase speed, and lower charge loss rate at elevated temperature. These improved memory characteristics are derived by incorporation of silicon nanocrystals into the charge trapping layer as additional accessible charge traps with a deeper effective trap energy level

High brightness InP micropillars grown on silicon with Fermi level splitting larger than 1 eV.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Thai-Truong D; Sun, Hao; Ng, Kar Wei; Ren, Fan; Li, Kun; Lu, Fanglu; Yablonovitch, Eli; Chang-Hasnain, Constance J

2014-06-11

The growth of III-V nanowires on silicon is a promising approach for low-cost, large-scale III-V photovoltaics. However, performances of III-V nanowire solar cells have not yet been as good as their bulk counterparts, as nanostructured light absorbers are fundamentally challenged by enhanced minority carriers surface recombination rates. The resulting nonradiative losses lead to significant reductions in the external spontaneous emission quantum yield, which, in turn, manifest as penalties in the open-circuit voltage. In this work, calibrated photoluminescence measurements are utilized to construct equivalent voltage-current characteristics relating illumination intensities to Fermi level splitting ΔF inside InP microillars. Under 1 sun, we show that splitting can exceed ΔF ∼ 0.90 eV in undoped pillars. This value can be increased to values of ΔF ∼ 0.95 eV by cleaning pillar surfaces in acidic etchants. Pillars with nanotextured surfaces can yield splitting of ΔF ∼ 0.90 eV, even though they exhibit high densities of stacking faults. Finally, by introducing n-dopants, ΔF of 1.07 eV can be achieved due to a wider bandgap energy in n-doped wurzite InP, the higher brightness of doped materials, and the extraordinarily low surface recombination velocity of InP. This is the highest reported value for InP materials grown on a silicon substrate. These results provide further evidence that InP micropillars on silicon could be a promising material for low-cost, large-scale solar cells with high efficiency.

Development of new type of silicon detector with internal amplification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, K.F.

1988-11-01

The first test version of a new type of silicon detector made of extremely pure material was designed and manufactured. Numerical simulation provided great assistance in selecting the process parameters. The principle of operation aimed at of a radiation deflector consisting of an MOS transistor with more than fully depleted base area was confirmed. The energy resolution of the detectors was determined at 300 0 K and 6 keV (Mn K α ) to be 250 eV half width and is therefore considerably better than the conventional uncooled detectors. The detector principle permits the realisation of a two-dimensional detector matrix which can be addressed, with non-destructive triggering. With a measured signal/noise ratio of the individual detectors of better than 400 for minimum ionised particles, new types of fast triggering processes can be achieved in high energy physics with good local resolution (≅ 50 μm). (orig.) [de