Electrical Properties of Organic–Inorganic Semiconductor Device Based on Rhodamine-101

Rhodamine-101 (Rh101) thin films on n-type Si substrates have been formed by means of evaporation, thus Sn/Rh101/n-Si heterojunctions have been fabricated. The Sn/Rh101/n-Si devices are rectifying. The optical energy gaps have been determined from the absorption spectra in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 700 nm. Rh101 has been characterized by direct optical absorption with an optical edge at 2.05 ± 0.05 eV and by indirect optical absorption with␣an optical edge at 1.80 ± 0.05 eV. It was demonstrated that trap-charge-limited current is the dominant transport mechanism at large forward bias. A␣mobility value of μ = 7.31 × 10⁻⁶ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ for Rh101 has been obtained from the forward-bias current–voltage characteristics.     

Field Emission and Electric Discharge of Nanocrystalline Diamond Films

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were produced by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) using gas mixtures of Ar, H₂, and CH₄. The structural properties, electron emission, and electric discharge behaviors of the NCD films varied with H₂ flow rates during MPECVD. The turn-on field for electron emission at a pressure of 2.66 × 10⁻⁴ Pa increased from 4.2 V μm⁻¹ for the NCD films that were deposited using a H₂ flow rate of 10 cm³ min⁻¹ to 7 V μm⁻¹ for films deposited at a H₂ flow rate of 20 cm³ min⁻¹. The NCD film with a low turn-on field also induced low breakdown voltages in N₂. The grain size and roughness of the NCD films may influence both the electron emission and the electric discharge behaviors of the NCD cathodes.     

Thermoelectric Properties of Ag-doped Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ge Thin Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering

Silver doped p-type Mg₂Ge thin films were grown in situ at 773 K using magnetron co-sputtering from individual high-purity Mg and Ge targets. A sacrificial base layer of silver of various thicknesses from 4 nm to 20 nm was initially deposited onto the substrate to supply Ag atoms, which entered the growing Mg₂Ge films by thermal diffusion. The addition of silver during film growth led to increased grain size and surface microroughness. The carrier concentration increased from 1.9 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ for undoped films to 8.8 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ for the most heavily doped films, but it did not reach saturation. Measurements in the temperature range of T = 200–650 K showed a positive Seebeck coefficient for all the films, with maximum values at temperatures between 400 K and 500 K. The highest Seebeck coefficient of the undoped film was 400 μV K⁻¹, while it was 280 μV K⁻¹ for the most heavily doped film at ∼400 K. The electrical conductivity increased with silver doping by a factor of approximately 10. The temperature effects on power factors for the undoped and lightly doped films were very limited, while the effects for the heavily doped films were substantial. The power factor of the heavily doped films reached a non-optimum value of ∼10⁻⁵ W cm⁻¹ K⁻² at 700 K.     

Magnetron Deposition of In Situ Thermoelectric Mg2Ge Thin Films

Thin films of the semiconducting compound Mg₂Ge were deposited by magnetron cosputtering from source targets of high-purity Mg and Ge onto glass substrates at temperatures T _s = 300°C to 700°C. X-ray diffraction shows that the Mg₂Ge compound begins to form at a substrate temperature T _s ≈ 300°C. Films deposited at T _s = 400°C to 600°C are single-phase Mg₂Ge and have strong x-ray peaks. At higher T _s the films tend to be dominated by a Ge-rich phase primarily due to the loss of magnesium vapor from the condensing film.␣At optimum deposition temperatures, 550°C to 600°C, films have an electrical conductivity σ _600 K = 20 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ to 40 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and a Seebeck coefficient α = 300 μV K⁻¹ to 450 μV K⁻¹ over a broad temperature range of 200 K to 600 K.     

Solution Growth and Thermoelectric Properties of Single-Phase MnSi<Subscript>1.75−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

We have investigated the crystal growth of single-phase MnSi_1.75−x by a temperature gradient solution growth (TGSG) method using Ga and Sn as solvents and MnSi_1.7 alloy as the solute, and measured the thermoelectric properties of the resulting crystals. Single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ and Mn₄Si₇ crystals were grown successfully using Ga and Sn as solvents, respectively. The typical size of a grown ingot of Mn₁₁Si₁₉ was 2 mm to 4 mm in thickness and 12 mm in diameter, whereas Mn₄Si₇ had polyhedral shape with dimensions in the range of several millimeters. The single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ has good electrical conduction (ρ = 0.89 × 10⁻³ Ω cm to 1.09 × 10⁻³ Ω cm) compared with melt-grown multiphase higher-manganese silicide (HMS) crystals. The Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermal conductivity were 77 μV K⁻¹ to 85 μV K⁻¹, 6.7 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² to 7.2 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻², and 0.032 W cm⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, at 300 K.     

Temperature-Dependent Studies of Si-Implanted Al<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>N with Different Annealing Temperatures and Times

Electrical activation studies were carried out on Si-implanted Al_0.33Ga_0.67N as a function of ion dose, annealing temperature, and annealing time. The samples were implanted at room temperature with Si ions at 200 keV in doses ranging from 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² to 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻², and subsequently proximity-cap annealed from 1150°C to 1350°C for 20 min to 60 min in a nitrogen environment. One hundred percent electrical activation efficiency was obtained for Al_0.33Ga_0.67N samples implanted with a dose of 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻² after annealing at either 1200°C for 40 min or at 1300°C for 20 min. The samples implanted with doses of 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² and 5 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² exhibited significant activations of 74% and 90% after annealing for 20 min at 1300°C and 1350°C, respectively. The mobility increased as the annealing temperature increased from 1150°C to 1350°C, showing peak mobilities of 80 cm²/V s, 64 cm²/V s, and 61 cm²/V s for doses of 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻², 5 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻², and 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻², respectively. Temperature-dependent Hall-effect measurements showed that most of the implanted layers were degenerately doped. Cathodoluminescence measurements for all samples exhibited a sharp neutral donor-bound exciton peak at 4.08 eV, indicating excellent recovery of damage caused by ion implantation.     

Growth Optimization of an Electron Confining InN/GaN Quantum Well Heterostructure

The molecular beam epitaxy of In-face InN (0001) epilayers with optimized surface morphology, structural quality, and electrical properties was investigated. Namely, compact InN epilayers with atomically flat surfaces, grown in a step-flow mode, were obtained using stoichiometric fluxes of In and N and substrate temperatures in the range from 400°C to 435°C. Typical values for the electron concentration and the Hall mobility at 300 K were 4.3 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and 1210 cm²/Vs, respectively. The growth mode of InN during the very first stage of the nucleation was investigated analytically, and it was found that the growth proceeds through nucleation and fast coalescence of two-dimensional (2-D)–like InN islands. The preceding conditions were used to grow an InN/GaN quantum well (QW) heterostructure, which exhibited well-defined interfaces. Schottky contacts were successfully fabricated using a 15-nm GaN barrier enhancement cap layer. Capacitance-voltage measurements revealed the confinement of electrons within the InN QW and demonstrated the capability to modulate the electron density within an InN channel. The sheet concentration of the confined electrons (1.5 × 10¹³ cm⁻²) is similar to the calculated sheet polarization charge concentration (1.3 × 10¹³ cm⁻²) at the InN/GaN interface. However, electrons may also originate from ionized donors with a density of 8 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ within the InN layer.     

Nearly Perfect Electrical Activation Efficiencies from Silicon-Implanted Al<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ga<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>N with High Aluminum Mole Fraction

Electrical activation studies of Al _x Ga_1−x N (x = 0.45 and 0.51) implanted with Si for n-type conductivity have been made as a function of ion dose and anneal temperature. Silicon ions were implanted at 200 keV with doses ranging from 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² to 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻² at room temperature. The samples were subsequently annealed from 1150°C to 1350°C for 20 min in a nitrogen environment. Nearly 100% electrical activation efficiency was successfully obtained for the Si-implanted Al_0.45Ga_0.55N samples after annealing at 1350°C for doses of 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² and 5 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² and at 1200°C for a dose of 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻², and for the Al_0.51Ga_0.49N implanted with silicon doses of 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² and 5 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² after annealing at 1300°C. The highest room-temperature mobility obtained was 61 cm²/V s and 55 cm²/V s for the low-dose implanted Al_0.45Ga_0.55N and Al_0.51Ga_0.49N, respectively, after annealing at 1350°C for 20 min. These results show unprecedented activation efficiencies for Al _x Ga_1−x N with high Al mole fractions and provide suitable annealing conditions for Al _x Ga_1−x N-based device applications.     

Thermoelectric Properties of In<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>N Alloys

We report on the experimental investigation of the potential of InGaN alloys as thermoelectric (TE) materials. We have grown undoped and Si-doped In_0.3Ga_0.7N alloys by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and measured the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the grown films with the aim of maximizing the power factor (P). It was found that P decreases as electron concentration (n) increases. The maximum value for P was found to be 7.3 × 10⁻⁴ W/m K² at 750 K in an undoped sample with corresponding values of Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of 280 μV/K and 93␣(Ω cm)⁻¹, respectively. Further enhancement in P is expected by improving the InGaN material quality and conductivity control by reducing background electron concentration.     

Nickel Ohmic Contacts to N-Implanted (0001) 4H-SiC

Samples for transmission line model (TLM) and Hall measurements were fabricated on (0001) 4H-SiC implanted with nitrogen at 1 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, 4 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, 1 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, 4 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, and 1 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. Following high-temperature activation, the activation percentage dropped from ~90% to ~20%, and the Hall mobility decreased from ~100 cm²/V · s to ~20 cm²/V · s as the implant concentration increased from 1 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ to 1 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. The specific contact resistance as a function of Hall concentration is compared with published data for Ni contacts to epitaxial layers. The specific contact resistance as a function of activation temperature was also studied for two fixed implant concentrations of 5 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and 1 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³.     

Preparation and Characterization of Ultralow-Dielectric-Constant Porous SiCOH Thin Films Using 1,2-Bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane,Triethoxymethylsilane, and a Copolymer Template

Ultralow-dielectric-constant (k) porous SiCOH films have been prepared using 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane, triethoxymethylsilane, and a poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer template by means of spin-coating. The resulting films were characterized by cross-section scanning electron microscopy, small-angle x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, nanomechanical testing, and electrical measurements. Thermal treatment at 350°C for 2 h resulted in the formation of ultralow-k films with k of ∼2.0, leakage current density of 3 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm² at 1 MV/cm, reduced modulus (E _r) of ∼4.05 GPa, and hardness (H) of ∼0.32 GPa. After annealing between 400°C and 500°C for 30 min, the resulting films showed fluctuant k values of 1.85 to 2.22 and leakage current densities of 3.7 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm² to 3 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm² at 0.8 MV/cm, likely due to the change of the film microstructure. Compared with 350°C annealing, higher-temperature annealing can improve the mechanical strength of the ultralow-k film, i.e., E _r ≈ 5 GPa and H ≈ 0.56 GPa after 500°C annealing.     

MOCVD Growth of InN on Si(111) with Various Buffer Layers

We report the growth of InN by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on Si(111) substrates. It was found that the sharpest InN(002) x-ray diffraction peak could be achieved from the sample prepared on a complex buffer layer that consists of a low-temperature AlN, a graded Al _x Ga_1−x N (x = 1 → 0), and a high-temperature GaN. The resultant mobility of 275 cm²/V s thus obtained was 75% larger than that of the InN prepared on a single LT-AlN buffer layer only.     

Synthesis and Properties of High-Quality InN Nanowires and Nanonetworks

We report on the growth of high-quality InN nanowires by the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism at rates of up to 30 μm/h. Smooth and horizontal nanowire growth has been achieved only with nanoscale catalyst patterns, while large-area catalyst coverage resulted in uncontrolled and three-dimensional growth. The InN nanowires grow along the [110] direction with diameters of 20 to 60 nm and lengths of 5 to 15 μm. The nanowires bend spontaneously or get deflected from other nanowires at angles that are multiples of 30°, forming nanonetworks. The gate-bias-dependent mobility of the charge carriers ranges from 55 cm²/V s to 220 cm²/V s, and their concentration is ∼10¹⁸ cm⁻³.     

Lattice Relaxation and Dislocation Reduction in MBE CdTe(211)B/Ge(211)

We have used x-ray diffraction to assess the thickness dependence of strain in molecular-beam epitaxial (MBE) CdTe(211)/Ge(211). For 25-nm-thick layers, we find tensile stress of 100 MPa and in-plane strain of ~1.5 × 10⁻³. This stress relaxes during growth and becomes zero beyond 1 μm. We use the Dunn and Koch formula to estimate the threading dislocation density from the full-width at half-maximum of the (224) rocking curve. We then estimate the annihilation radius of MBE-grown CdTe(211)B/Ge(211) to be ~10 nm. Our layers have etch pit densities between 5 × 10⁷ cm⁻² and 5 × 10⁶ cm⁻² for a thickness of 10 μm. The lowest densities were obtained by periodic annealing epitaxy. We discuss mechanisms for the saturation of the dislocation density.     

Electrical transport properties of single GaN and InN nanowires

The transport properties of single GaN and InN nanowires grown by thermal catalytic chemical vapor deposition were measured as a function of temperature, annealing condition (for GaN) and length/square of radius ratio (for InN). The as-grown GaN nanowires were insulating and exhibited n-type conductivity (n ≈ 2×10¹⁷ cm⁻³, mobility of 30 cm²/V s) after annealing at 700°C. A simple fabrication process for GaN nanowire field-effect transistors on Si substrates was employed to measure the temperature dependence of resistance. The transport was dominated by tunneling in these annealed nanowires. InN nanowires showed resistivity on the order of 4×10⁻⁴ Ω cm and the specific contact resistivity for unalloyed Pd/Ti/Pt/Au ohmic contacts was near 1.09×10⁻⁷ Ω cm². For In N nanowires with diameters <100 nm, the total resistance did not increase linearly with length/square of radius ratio but decreased exponentially, presumably due to more pronounced surface effect. The temperature dependence of resistance showed a positive temperature coefficient and a functional form characteristic of metallic conduction in the InN nanowires.     

Development of (Bi,Sb)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(Te,Se)<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Based Thermoelectric Modules by a Screen-Printing Process

In major applications, optimal power will be achieved when thermoelectric films are at least 100 μm thick. In this paper we demonstrate that screen-printing is an ideal method to deposit around 100 μm of (Bi,Sb)₂(Te,Se)₃-based films on a rigid or flexible substrate with high Seebeck coefficient value (90 μV K⁻¹ to 160 μV K⁻¹) using a low-temperature process. Conductive films have been obtained after laser annealing and led to acceptable thermoelectric performance with a power factor of 0.06 μW K⁻² cm⁻¹. While these initial material properties are not at the level of bulk materials, the complete manufacturing process is cost-effective, compatible with large surfaces, and affords a mass-production technique.     

High-Dose Phosphorus-Implanted 4H-SiC: Microwave and Conventional Post-Implantation Annealing at Temperatures ≥1700°C

Semi-insulating 4H-SiC ⟨0001⟩ wafers have been phosphorus ion implanted at 500°C to obtain phosphorus box depth profiles with dopant concentration from 5 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ to 8 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. These samples have been annealed by microwave and conventional inductively heated systems in the temperature range 1700°C to 2050°C. Resistivity, Hall electron density, and Hall mobility of the phosphorus-implanted and annealed 4H-SiC layers have been measured in the temperature range from room temperature to 450°C. The high-resolution x-ray diffraction and rocking curve of both virgin and processed 4H-SiC samples have been analyzed to obtain the sample crystal quality up to about 3 μm depth from the wafer surface. For both increasing implanted phosphorus concentration and increasing post-implantation annealing temperature the implanted material resistivity decreases to an asymptotic value of about 1.5 × 10⁻³ Ω cm. Increasing the implanted phosphorus concentration and post-implantation annealing temperature beyond 4 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and 2000°C, respectively, does not bring any apparent benefit with respect to the minimum obtainable resistivity. Sheet resistance and sheet electron density increase with increasing measurement temperature. Electron density saturates at 1.5 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ for implanted phosphorus plateau values ≥4 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³, irrespective of the post-implantation annealing method. Implantation produces an increase of the lattice parameter in the bulk 4H-SiC underneath the phosphorus-implanted layer. Microwave and conventional annealing produce a further increase of the lattice parameter in such a depth region and an equivalent recovered lattice in the phosphorus-implanted layers.     

Measurement and Calculation of the Absolute Thermoelectric Power of Rhodium and Iridium

The thermoelectric power of Rh and Ir was redetermined between 100 K and 1400 K. It varies almost linearly from +1.7 μV K⁻¹ to −3.8 μV K⁻¹ for Rh and from +1.5 μV K⁻¹ to −2.2 μV K⁻¹ for Ir. The diffusive part of the thermopower could be calculated from the density of states. It is approximately equal to the temperature dependence of the electrochemical potential of the electrons divided by the electronic charge. This is attributed to the approximate establishment of local equilibrium between electrons and lattice atoms above 400 K—a condition not fulfilled in the phonon-drag regime below 300 K.     

Interband Cascade Lasers with Wavelengths Spanning 2.9 μm to 5.2 μm

We report an experimental investigation of four interband cascade lasers with wavelengths spanning the mid-infrared spectral range, i.e., 2.9 μm to 5.2 μm, near room temperature in pulsed mode. One broad-area device had a pulsed threshold current density of only 3.8 A/cm² at 78 K (λ = 3.6 μm) and 590  A/cm² at 300 K (λ = 4.1 μm). The room-temperature threshold for the shortest-wavelength device (λ = 2.6 μm to 2.9 μm) was even lower, 450 A/cm². A␣cavity-length study of the lasers emitting at 3.6 μm to 4.1 μm yielded an internal loss varying from 7.8 cm⁻¹ at 78 K to 24 cm⁻¹ at 300 K, accompanied by a decrease of the internal efficiency from 77% to 45%.     

Vapor Annealing as a Post-Processing Technique to Control Carrier Concentrations of Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript> Thin Films

This article demonstrates that carrier concentrations in bismuth telluride films can be controlled through annealing in controlled vapor pressures of tellurium. For the bismuth telluride source with a small excess of tellurium, all the films reached a steady state carrier concentration of 4 × 10¹⁹ carriers/cm³ with Seebeck coefficients of −170 μV K⁻¹. For temperatures below 300°C and for film thicknesses of 0.4 μm or less, the rate-limiting step in reaching a steady state for the carrier concentration appeared to be the mass transport of tellurium through the gas phase. At higher temperatures, with the resulting higher pressures of tellurium or for thicker films, it was expected that mass transport through the solid would become rate limiting. The mobility also changed with annealing, but at a rate different from that of the carrier concentration, perhaps as a consequence of the non-equilibrium concentration of defects trapped in the films studied by the low temperature synthesis approach.