Photosensitivity of the Ni-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaAs Schottky barriers

The method of chemical deposition is used to form the structures with the Ni-n-GaAs Schottky barrier. The thickness of the Ni layers with a specular outer surface was varied within the range of 150–220 Å. It was experimentally observed for the first time that photosensitivity of the obtained barriers with the semitransparent Ni layers illuminated is practically absent in the Fowler region of the spectrum at hv = 0.9?1.5 eV. This circumstance is related mainly to the fact that, in this case, the Ni layer side of the structure was illuminated, and radiation with the photon energy hv < 1.3 eV was effectively reflected from the nickel surface. It is established that the developed Ni-n-GaAs structures can be used as high-efficiency wide-band photoconverters of both visible and ultraviolet radiation.     

High-efficiency LEDs based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaInAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb type-II thyristor heterostructures

A new type of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a high-efficiency device based on an n-GaSb/p-GaSb/n-GaInAsSb/P-AlGaAsSb thyristor heterostructure, with the maximum emission intensity at wavelength λ = 1.95 μm, has been suggested and its electrical and luminescent characteristics have been studied. It is shown that the effective radiative recombination in the thyristor structure in the n-type GaInAsSb active region is provided by double-sided injection of holes from the neighboring p-type regions. The maximum internal quantum efficiency of 77% was achieved in the structure under study in the pulsed mode. The average optical power was as high as 2.5 mW, and the peak power in the pulsed mode was 71 mW, which exceeded by a factor of 2.9 the power obtained with a standard n-GaSb/n-GaInAsSb/P-AlGaAsSb LED operating in the same spectral range. The approach suggested will make it possible to improve LED parameters in the entire mid-IR spectral range (2–5 μm).     

Mechanisms of charge transport in anisotype <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-CdTe heterojunctions

Surface-barrier anisotype n-TiO₂/p-CdTe heterojunctions are fabricated by depositing thin titanium-dioxide films on a freshly cleaved surface of single-crystalline cadmium-telluride wafers by reactive magnetron sputtering. It is established that the electric current through the heterojunctions under investigation is formed by generation-recombination processes in the space-charge region via a deep energy level and tunneling through the potential barrier. The depth and nature of the impurity centers involved in the charge transport are determined.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript>-Si-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-CdF<Subscript>2</Subscript> heterojunctions

Boron diffusion and the vapor-phase deposition of silicon layers are used to prepare ultrashallow p⁺-n junctions and p⁺-Si-n-CdF₂ heterostructures on an n-CdF₂ crystal surface. Forward portions of the I–V characteristics of the p⁺-n junctions and p⁺-Si-n-CdF₂ heterojunctions reveal the CdF₂ band gap (7.8 eV), as well as allow the identification of the valence-band structure of cadmium fluoride crystals. Under conditions in which forward bias is applied to the p⁺-Si-n-CdF₂ heterojunctions, electroluminescence spectra are measured for the first time in the visible spectral region.     

Preparation and Thermoelectric Properties of LaGd<Subscript>1+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript> and SmGd<Subscript>1+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Thermoelectric materials are attractive since they can recover waste heat directly in the form of electricity. In this study, the thermoelectric properties of ternary rare-earth sulfides LaGd_1+x S₃ (x = 0.00 to 0.03) and SmGd_1+x S₃ (x = 0.00 to 0.06) were investigated over the temperature range of 300 K to 953 K. These sulfides were prepared by CS₂ sulfurization, and samples were consolidated by pressure-assisted sintering to obtain dense compacts. The sintered compacts of LaGd_1+x S₃ were n-type metal-like conductors with a thermal conductivity of less than 1.7 W K⁻¹ m⁻¹. Their thermoelectric figure of merit ZT was improved by tuning the chemical composition (self-doping). The optimized ZT value of 0.4 was obtained in LaGd_1.02S₃ at 953 K. The sintered compacts of SmGd_1+x S₃ were n-type hopping conductors with a thermal conductivity of less than 0.8 W K⁻¹ m⁻¹. Their ZT value increased significantly with temperature. In SmGd_1+x S₃, the ZT value of 0.3 was attained at 953 K.     

Features of high-temperature electroluminescence in an LED <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-InGaAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb heterostructure with high potential barriers

The electroluminescent properties of a light-emitting diode n-GaSb/n-InGaAsSb/p-AlGaAsSb heterostructure with high potential barriers are studied in the temperature range of 290–470 K. An atypical temperature increase in the power of the long-wavelength luminescence band with an energy of 0.3 eV is experimentally observed. As the temperature increases to 470 K, the optical radiation power increases by a factor of 1.5–2. To explain the extraordinary temperature dependence of the radiation power, the recombination and carrier transport processes are theoretically analyzed in the heterostructure under study.     

Electrical and photoelectric properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-TiN/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Hg<Subscript>3</Subscript>In<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>6</Subscript> heterostructures

n-TiN/p-Hg₃In₂Te₆ heterostructures are fabricated by depositing a thin n-type titanium nitride (TiN) film onto prepared p-type Hg₃In₂Te₆ plates using reactive magnetron sputtering. Their electrical and photoelectric properties are studied. Dominant charge-transport mechanisms under forward bias are analyzed within tunneling-recombination and tunneling models. The fabricated n-TiN/p-Hg₃In₂Te₆ structures have the following photoelectric parameters at an illumination intensity of 80 mW/cm²: the open-circuit voltage is V_OC = 0.52 V, the short-circuit current is I_SC = 0.265 mA/cm², and the fill factor is FF = 0.39.     

Optical storage on the basis of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-InSb-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Si heterostructure

The presence of potential barriers and deep traps in n-InSb/SiO₂/p-Si heterostructures makes it possible to realize the optical memory function on the basis of this structure. The maximal memory coefficient measured on the forward current voltage characteristic is as large as ～10⁴. This heterostructure can be used as an optoelectronic memory cell, which provides a means not only for the storage of signals but also for their summation.     

Au-TiB<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-6<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-SiC Schottky barrier diodes: Specific features of charge transport in rectifying and nonrectifying contacts

Mechanism of charge transport in a diode of a silicon carbide’s Schottky barrier formed by a quasi-amorphous interstitial phase TiB _x on the surface of n-6H-SiC (0001) single crystals with an uncompensated donor (nitrogen) concentration of ～10¹⁸ cm^?3 and dislocation density of ～(10⁶–10⁸) cm^?2 has been studied. It is demonstrated that, at temperatures T ? 400 K, the charge transport is governed by the tunneling current along dislocations intersecting the space charge region. At T > 400 K, the mechanism of charge transport changes to a thermionic mechanism with a barrier height of ～0.64 eV and ideality factor close to 1.3.     

Electrodeposition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Type Sb<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Te<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript> Thermoelectric Films

Thermoelectric Sb _x Te _y films were potentiostatically electrodeposited in aqueous nitric acid electrolyte solutions containing different concentrations of TeO₂. Stoichiometric Sb _x Te _y films were obtained by applying a voltage of −0.15 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE) using a solution consisting of 2.4 mM TeO₂, 0.8 mM Sb₂O₃, 33 mM tartaric acid, and 1 M HNO₃. The nearly stoichiometric Sb₂Te₃ films had a rhombohedral structure, R[`3]m R\bar{3}m , with a preferred orientation along the (015) direction. The films had hole concentration of 5.8 × 10¹⁸/cm³ and exhibited mobility of 54.8 cm²/Vs. A more negative potential resulted in higher Sb content in the deposited Sb _x Te _y films. Furthermore, it was observed that the hole concentration and mobility decreased with increasingly negative deposition potential, and eventually showed insulating properties, possibly due to increased defect formation. The absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient of the as-deposited Sb₂Te₃ thin film at room temperature was 118 μV/K.     

Effects of SiC Nanodispersion on the Thermoelectric Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Type and <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Type Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Based Alloys

Polycrystalline p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ and n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 thermoelectric (TE) alloys containing a small amount (vol.% ≤5) of SiC nanoparticles were fabricated by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. It was revealed that the effects of SiC addition on TE properties can be different between p-type and n-type Bi₂Te₃-based alloys. SiC addition slightly increased the power factor of the p-type materials by decreasing both the electrical resistivity (ρ) and Seebeck coefficient (α), but decreased the power factor of n-type materials by increasing both ρ and α. Regardless of the conductivity type, the thermal conductivity was reduced by dispersing SiC nanoparticles in the Bi₂Te₃-based alloy matrix. As a result, a small amount (0.1 vol.%) of SiC addition increased the maximum dimensionless figure of merit (ZT _max) of the p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ alloys from 0.88 for the SiC-free sample to 0.97 at 323 K, though no improvement in TE performance was obtained in the case of n-type Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 alloys. Importantly, the SiC-dispersed alloys showed better mechanical properties, which can improve material machinability and device reliability.     

Modified Interface Properties of Au/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-type GaN Schottky Junction with a High-<Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis> Ba<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Insulating Layer

The interface properties of a Au/n-GaN Schottky junction (SJ) were modified by placing a high-k barium strontium titanate (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃) insulating layer between the Au and n-GaN semiconductor. The surface morphology, chemical composition, and electrical properties of Au/Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ (BST)/n-GaN metal/insulator/semiconductor (MIS) junctions were explored by atomic force microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) techniques. The electrical results of the MIS junction are correlated with the SJ and discussed further. The MIS junction exhibited an exquisite rectifying nature compared to the SJ. An average barrier height (BH) and ideality factors were extracted to be 0.77 eV, 1.62 eV and 0.92 eV, 1.95 for the SJ and MIS junction, respectively. The barrier was raised by 150 meV for the MIS junction compared to the MS junction, implying that the BH was effectively altered by the BST insulating layer. The BH values extracted by I–V, Cheung’s and Norde functions were nearly equal to one another, indicating that the techniques applied here were dependable and suitable. The frequency-dependent properties of the SJ and MIS junction were explored and discussed. It was found that the interface state density of the MIS junction was smaller than the SJ. This implies that the BST layer plays an imperative role in the decreased N_SS. Poole–Frenkel emission was the prevailed current conduction mechanism in the reverse-bias of both the SJ and MIS junction.     

Thin-film polycrystalline <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-CuO heterojunction

Results of X-ray diffraction and spectral-optical studies of n-ZnO and p-CuO films deposited by gas-discharge sputtering with subsequent annealing are presented. It is shown that, despite the difference in the crystal systems, the polycrystallinity of n-ZnO and p-CuO films enables fabrication of a heterojunction from this pair of materials.     

Photoconversion in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO:Al/Pd<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pc/p</Emphasis>-CuIn<Subscript>3</Subscript>Se<Subscript>5</Subscript> structures

n-ZnO:Al/PdPc/p-CuIn₃Se₅ photosensitive structures have been proposed and fabricated for the first time by vacuum sublimation of palladium phthalocyanine on the surface of wafers of the ternary semiconductor compound CuIn₃Se₅ and by magnetron sputtering of n-ZnO:Al films on the surface of palladium phthalocyanine films. The current-voltage characteristics and spectra of the photoconversion quantum efficiency of the obtained structures are investigated. It is shown that these structures can be used as multiband white-light converters.     

Light-Harvesting in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Silicon Heterojunctions

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films were deposited onto Si to form n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions. Under the illumination of by both ultraviolet (UV) light and sunlight, obvious photovoltaic behavior was observed. It was found that the conversion efficiency of the heterojunctions increased significantly with increasing thickness of the ZnO film, and the mechanism for light-harvesting in the heterojunctions is discussed. The results suggest that ZnO films may be helpful to increasing the harvesting of UV photons, thus decreasing the thermalization loss of UV energy in Si-based solar cells.     

The qualitative difference between mechanisms of electroforming in Si-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-W structures based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Si and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Si

The experimental results of studying electroforming in open Si-SiO₂-W sandwich structures that have an SiO₂ layer approximately 20 nm thick are reported. It is noted that these processes are radically different for p-Si and n-Si. In the former case, the current-voltage characteristic is N-shaped, which is typical of electroforming. In the latter case, the dependence is S-shaped, which is typical of an electrical breakdown with thermal instability. The mechanisms of the above processes are discussed. The noted distinction can be associated with the fact that it is not the hole flow but only the electron flow across the structure that leads to the decomposition of molecules on the surface of the insulating gap and to the formation of conducting-phase particles from these molecules.     

High-temperature nuclear-detector arrays based on 4 <Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-SiC ion-implantation-doped <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> junctions

Results obtained in a study of spectrometric characteristics of arrays of four detectors based on 4H-SiC ion-implantation-doped p ⁺-n junctions in the temperature range 25–140 °C are reported for the first time. The junctions were fabricated by ion implantation of aluminum into epitaxial 4H-SiC layers of thickness ≤45 μm, grown by chemical vapor deposition with uncompensated donor concentration N _d ? N _a = (4–6) × 10¹⁴ cm^?3. The structural features of the ion-implantation-doped p ⁺-layers were studied by secondary-ion mass spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy in the channeling mode. Parameters of the diode arrays were determined by testing in air with natural-decay alpha particles with an energy of 3.76 MeV. The previously obtained data for similar single detectors were experimentally confirmed: the basic characteristics of the detector arrays, the charge collection efficiency and energy resolution, are improved as the working temperature increases.     

An ultra-low-power CMOS symmetrical OTA for low-frequency <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Subscript>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">C</Emphasis> applications

In this paper an ultra-low-power CMOS symmetrical operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) for low-frequency G _m -C applications in weak inversion is presented. Its common mode input range and its linear input range can be made large using DC shifting and bulk-driven differential pair configuration (without using complex approaches). The symmetrical OTA was successfully verified in a standard CMOS 0.35-μm process. The measurements show an open loop gain of 61 dB and a unit gain frequency of 195 Hz with only 800 mV of power supply voltage and just 40 nW of power consumption. The transconductance is 66 nS, which is suitable for low-frequency G _m -C applications.     

Phonon-Assisted Tunneling from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis><Subscript>1</Subscript>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> in 4H-SiC

n-Type 4H-SiC bulk samples with a net doping concentration of 2.5 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ were irradiated at room temperature with 1-MeV electrons. The high doping concentration plus a reverse bias of up to −13 V ensures high electric field in the depletion region. The dependence of the emission rate on the electric field in the depletion region was measured using deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and double-correlation deep-level transient spectroscopy (DDLTS). The experimental data are adequately described by the phonon-assisted tunneling model proposed by Karpus and Pere.     

Ab initio calculations of phonon spectra of (GaP)<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>(AlP)<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Subscript> superlattices

Using the method of linear response, vibrational spectra and densities of states of GaP and AlP crystals and monolayer GaP/AlP superlattices are calculated. Phonon modes of (GaP) _n (AlP) _m superlattices with various numbers of monolayers are calculated for the center of the Brillouin zone. The obtained results are compared with the Raman scattering data and the effect of nonideality of the interface on phonon frequencies is discussed.