High-temperature electronics - a role for wide bandgap semiconductors?

The fact that wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of electronic functionality at much higher temperatures than silicon has partially fueled their development, particularly in the case of SiC. It appears unlikely that wide bandgap semiconductor devices will find much use in low-power transistor applications until the ambient temperature exceeds approximately 300/spl deg/C, as commercially available silicon and silicon-on-insulator technologies are already satisfying requirements for digital and analog VLSI in this temperature range. However practical operation of silicon power devices at ambient temperatures above 200/spl deg/C appears problematic, as self-heating at higher power levels results in high internal junction temperatures and leakages. Thus, most electronic subsystems that simultaneously require high-temperature and high-power operation will necessarily be realized using wide bandgap devices, once they become widely available. Technological challenges impeding the realization of beneficial wide bandgap high ambient temperature electronics, including material growth, contacts, and packaging, are briefly discussed.     

半导体照明光源恒流驱动芯片的研究

介绍了一种半导体照明光源恒流驱动芯片的设计。该芯片采用0.6μm CM O S标准工艺制造,包含有大功率M O SFET、带隙基准源电路、输出缓冲电路和取样反馈控制电路几个主要功能模块,在标准工艺线上实现了功率器件与控制电路的单片集成。该芯片可为工作电压为3.5 V,工作电流为350 mA的单个半导体照明光源提供恒定的驱动电流。在5 V电源电压有10%跳变的情况下,半导体照明光源的驱动电流的变化可被控制在1.71%以内,而距离光源10 cm处的照度变化仅为1.28%。当环境温度由25°C升高至85°C时,半导体照明光源的驱动电流减小1.14%,而距离光源10 cm处的照度仅减小1.09%。该恒流驱动芯片的电源效率可达63.4%。     

Self‐Polarized BaTiO3 for Greatly Enhanced Performance of ZnO UV Photodetector by Regulating the Distribution of Electron Concentration

ZnO film ultraviolet photodetectors (UV PDs) have always suffered from slow speed and low photosensitivity that restrict their broader applications. To break through those barriers, high‐performance ZnO UV PD based on self‐polarized BaTiO₃ (BTO) is first introduced through a facile one‐step spin‐coating method. Compared with pure ZnO film UV PD with low on/off ratio (65) and slow speed (4.1/7.5 s) at 3 V bias under 350 nm UV light, the BTO‐ZnO bilayer film device exhibits an ultrahigh on/off ratio (14 300) and ultrafast response speed (0.11/5.80 ms), which is much faster than that of the most reported ZnO film‐based UV PDs. The numerical simulation demonstrates that the spatial distribution of electron concentration of ZnO film is regulated by the self‐polarization of BTO film, resulting in low dark current and fast response time of the BTO‐ZnO PD. This work provides a new approach to fabricate high‐performance PDs based on self‐polarized ferroelectric materials.     

Investigation of planar photodiodes of a focal plane array based on a heteroepitaxial InGaAs/InP structure

The results of investigation of planar photodiodes (PDs) in a focal plane array (FPA) based on a heteroepitaxial InGaAs/InP structure are reported. The FPA has a size of 320 × 256 elements with a pitch of 30 μm, which are hybridized with various ROIC readout circuits. It is demonstrated that the PD reverse bias should be no lower than 2 V in order to suppress the FPA intercoupling at the room temperature. It is found that the dark current may be reduced considerably by cooling the FPA to–20°С with a two-stage thermoelectric cooler. The best average room-temperature dark current over the FPA planar photodiodes is 0.22 pA at an optimum PD bias of–2.4 V.     

Hybrid Organic/PbS Quantum Dot Bilayer Photodetector with Low Dark Current and High Detectivity

Owing to their ease of fabrication, low cost, and high flexibility, organic materials have attracted great interests in photodetector (PD) applications. However, suffering from large dark current, small photocurrent, low on–off ratio, and low sensitivity, performances of bare organic‐based PDs are not satisfactory. Integrating organic materials with other novel semiconductor materials offers an opportunity to overcome these drawbacks. Here, a lateral hybrid organic/lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dot bilayer PD is designed and fabricated, which significantly suppresses the dark current and enhances the photocurrent, leading to improved light detecting capability. Meanwhile, the bilayer PD can be made on a flexible polyimide substrate.     

New Charge Carrier Transport-Assisting Paths in Ultra-Long GaN Microwire UV Photodetector

GaN-based materials are the hottest research topic in UV photodetectors (PDs) because of their low operating voltage, small volume, long lifetime, high-temperature resistance, and low energy consumption. However, there are still fundamental issues to be overcome, and the most important issue is to get a photoconductive gain. In this paper, the following new approaches are provided to innovatively improve the photoconductive gain of UV PDs in GaN-based materials. First, the aspect ratio of the 1D GaN microwire (MW) structure is dramatically improved by analyzing the pulse growth mechanism using the metal-organic vapor deposition system. Second, the comprehensive strain behavior in the MW epitaxial growth system is successfully analyzed. Third, the fabricated metal-semiconductor-metal-based MW UV PD shows photoresponsivity and sensitivity of 28.365 A W⁻¹ and 93.16%, respectively, at the −2 V bias, which significantly outperforms the conventional structures in the UV region. Finally, a trap-assisted Poole–Frenkel effect-based energy bandgap mechanism, that allows the defect level formed by lattice mismatch between the substrate and GaN to be used as an electron carrier path, is newly defined. This study will present the direction of future UV PDs by providing a new MW structure based on GaN materials, a third-generation semiconductor.     

指数型温度补偿BiCMOS带隙基准电压源设计

利用双极型管电流增益的温度特性,采用UMC0.6μm BiCMOS工艺设计了一款指数型温度补偿BiCMOS带隙基准电压源。测试结果表明:温度在10°C～100°C之间变化,带隙基准电压随温度变化最大偏移为2.5mV;电源电压在2.5～5.0V之间变化,带隙基准电压随电源电压直流变化最大偏移为0.95mV。该带隙基准电压具有较高的温度稳定性和电压稳定性。     

三代半导体功率器件的特点与应用分析

以S i双极型功率晶体管为代表的第一代半导体功率器件和以GaAs场效应晶体管为代表的第二代半导体功率器件为雷达发射机的大规模固态化和可靠性提高做出了贡献。近年来以S iC场效应功率晶体管和GaN高电子迁移率功率晶体管为代表的第三代半导体--宽禁带半导体功率器件具有击穿电压高、功率密度高、输出功率高、工作效率高、工作频率高、瞬时带宽宽、适合在高温环境下工作和抗辐射能力强等优点。人们寄希望于宽禁带半导体功率器件来解决第一代、第二代功率器件的输出功率低、效率低和工作频率有局限性以至于无法满足现代雷达、电子对抗和通信等电子装备需求等方面的问题。文中简要介绍了半导体功率器件的发展背景、发展过程、分类、特点、应用、主要性能参数和几种常用的半导体功率器件;重点叙述了宽禁带半导体功率器件的特点、优势、研究进展和工程应用;对宽禁带半导体功率器件在新一代雷达中的应用前景和要求进行了探讨。     

InGaN–GaN MQW Metal–Semiconductor–Metal Photodiodes With Semi-Insulating Mg-Doped GaN Cap Layers

InGaN-GaN multiple-quantum-well metal-semiconductor-metal photodiodes (PDs) with in situ grown 40-nm-thick unactivated semi-insulating Mg-doped GaN cap layer were successfully fabricated. The dark leakage current of this PD was comparably much smaller than that of conventional PD without the semi-insulating layer, because of a thicker and higher potential barrier of semi-insulating cap layer, and also a smaller number of surface states involved. For the PDs with the semi-insulating Mg-doped GaN cap layers, the responsivity at 380nm was 0.372A/W when biasing at 5 V. In short, incorporating a semi-insulating Mg-doped GaN cap layer into the PDs beneficially leads to the suppression of dark current and a corresponding improvement in the ultraviolet-to-visible rejection ratio     

基于ARM半导体激光器的驱动设计及测试

在半导体激光器的使用过程中,驱动电路直接影响着激光器的稳定性。对此文中提出了一种高效、稳定,宽功率输出范围的设计方案,采用采样电阻和恒流电路实现稳定的闭环控制,得到恒定的驱动电流;利用热敏电阻温度特性,温度控制电路结合单片机控制系统,实现温度的闭环控制,从而实现了稳定的温度控制要求;结合恒温,恒流控制以及单片机系统,设计功率闭环控制方案。实验结果表明,不同温度下,功率计测得功率与驱动电流成良好的线性关系,且功率范围宽、电路可靠工作时间长、激光器单色性稳定、系统稳定性好。     

Recent advances in ultraviolet photodetectors

In recent years, ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) have received much attention in the various field of research due to wide range of industrial, military, biological and environmental applications. In this paper, a special focus is given to the unique advantages of different UV PDs, current device schemes and demonstrations, novel structures and new material compounds which are used to fabrication of PDs. Additionally, we investigate numerous technical design challenges and compare characteristics of the various PD structures developed to date. Finally, we conclude this review paper with some future research directions in this field.     

超宽禁带半导体Ga2O3微电子学研究进展

半导体材料Ga2O3是继宽禁带半导体材料SiC/GaN之后新兴的直接带隙超宽禁带氧化物半导体,其禁带宽度为4.5~4.9eV,击穿电场强度高达8MV/cm(是SiC及GaN的2倍以上),物理化学稳定性高,在发展下一代电力电子学和固态微波功率电子学领域具有较大的潜力。自2012年第一只Ga2O3场效应晶体管诞生以来,Ga2O3微电子学的研究呈现快速发展态势。本文综述了β-Ga2O3单晶材料和外延生长技术以及β-Ga2O3二极管和β-Ga2O3场效应管等方面的研究进展,介绍了β-Ga2O3材料和器件的新工艺、新器件结构以及性能测试结果,分析了相关技术难点和创新思路,展望了Ga2O3微电子学未来的发展趋势。     

Performance characterization of InGaP Schottky contact with ITO transparent electrodes

We present the Schottky performance of transparent ITO on a wide bandgap InGaP semiconductor. For a transparent ITO Schottky electrode on InGaP, a transmittance of higher than 0.9, and a refractive index of 1.88 for a wavelength of 820 nm were obtained. We measured its associated resistivity as 1.94×10⁻³ Ω-cm after annealing at 300°C for 60 min under oxygen ambience. The effect of the thermal annealing temperature on the crystallization of ITO was examined by x-ray diffraction. As well an associated Schottky barrier height of 0.93 eV and an ideality factor of 1.07 were found using the Schottky diode configuration. The results indicate that ITO is a promising transparent Schottky material for electrooptical devices based on InGaP structures.     

High—Performance Solar‐Blind Deep Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on Individual Single‐Crystalline Zn2GeO4 Nanowire

Solar‐blind deep ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors have been a hot topic in recent years because of their wide commercial and military applications. A wide bandgap (4.68 eV) of ternary oxide Zn₂GeO₄ makes it an ideal material for the solar‐blind DUV detection. Unfortunately, the sensing performance of previously reported photodetectors based on Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires has been unsatisfactory for practical applications, because they suffer from long response and decay times, low responsivity, and quantum efficiency. Here, high‐performance solar‐blind DUV photodetectors are developed based on individual single‐crystalline Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires. The transport mechanism is discussed in the frame of the small polaron theory. In situ electrical characterization of individual Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires reveals a high gain under high energy electron beam. The devices demonstrate outstanding solar‐blind light sensing performances: a responsivity of 5.11 × 10³ A W^?1, external quantum efficiency of 2.45 × 10⁶%, detectivity of ≈2.91 × 10¹¹ Jones, τ_rise ≈ 10 ms, and τ_decay ≈ 13 ms, which are superior to all reported Zn₂GeO₄ and other ternary oxide nanowire photodetectors. These results render the Zn₂GeO₄ nanowires particularly valuable for optoelectronic devices.     

Stable ohmic contacts to Zinc Telluride

Zinc Telluride is a wide, direct bandgap, II–VI compound semiconductor which, because of its high density, has potential as a gamma-ray detector. Ohmic contacts to this material using Au-Cu, Ag-Pt, Pt and Cu-Pt have been fabricated and tested at elevated temperatures. Specific contact resistivities ranged from 4.9 × 10⁻²ohm-cm² to 1.0 ohm-cm² depending on the annealing process and/or operating temperature. Platinum yielded the lowest resistivity following stabilization at an operating temperature of 150°C.     

Efficient Lightweight Supercapacitor with Compression Stability

This paper reports the fabrication of an electrochemical supercapacitor (ES) with high gravimetric and areal capacitances, achieved at a high mass ratio of active material to current collector. The active material, polypyrrole, is in situ polymerized in an aerogel‐based current collector composed of crosslinked cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Mechanical robustness, flexibility, and low impedance of the current collectors are achieved by the chemical crosslinking of CNC aerogels and efficient dispersion of MWCNTs through the use of bile acid as a dispersant. Furthermore, the advanced electrode design results in low contact resistance. A single‐electrode areal capacitance of 2.1 F cm^?2 is obtained at an active mass loading of 17.8 mg cm^?2 and an active material to current collector mass ratio of 0.57. Large area ES electrodes and devices show flexibility, excellent compression stability at 80% compression, and electrochemical cyclic stability over 5000 cycles. Moreover, good retention of capacitive properties is achieved at high charge–discharge rates and during compression cycling. The results of this investigation pave the way for the fabrication of advanced lightweight ES, which can be used for energy storage in wearable electronic devices and other applications.     

Low Dark Current GaN p-i-n Photodetectors With a Low-Temperature AlN Interlayer

GaN p-i-n ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) with a low-temperature (LT)-AlN interlayer were proposed and fabricated. It was found that the dark current of such detectors is as small as 28pA even at a high reverse bias of 40 V. Although the high potential barrier at the AlN-GaN interface would slightly reduce the responsivity of PD under low reverse biases, the high UV-to-visible rejection ratio of the PD with an LT-AlN interlayer could be achieved under high reverse biases due to its very low dark current. The rejection ratio of the PD with the LT-AlN interlayer is as large as 735 at the reverse bias of 40 V.     

Activation annealing of Si-implanted GaN up to 1500°C using a novel RTP technique

A novel rapid thermal processing (RTP) unit called Zapper™ has recently been developed by MHI Inc. and the University of Florida for high temperature thermal processing of semiconductors. This Zapper™ unit is capable of reaching much higher temperatures (>1500°C) than conventional tungsten-halogen lamp RTP equipment and achieving high ramp-up and ramp-down rates. Implant activation annealing studies of Si⁺-implanted GaN thin films (with and without an AlN encapsulation layer) have been conducted using the Zapper™ unit at temperatures up to 1500°C. The measurements of electrical properties of such annealed samples have led to the conclusion that high annealing temperatures and AlN encapsulation are needed for the optimum activation efficiency of Si⁺ implants in GaN. It has clearly been demonstrated that the Zapper™ unit has tremendous potential for RTP annealing of semiconductor materials, especially for wide bandgap compound semiconductors that require very high processing temperatures.     

A charge-separated interfacial hole transport semiconductor for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with high efficiency and high stability are still a challenge to produce although remarkable successes have been achieved since they were first reported in 2009. One strategy to effectively improve both the performance as well as the stability is to introduce an interfacial layer between perovskite and hole transport material. Herein, we report a charge-separated (CS) organic semiconductor as the interfacial layer that forms cascaded energy levels between perovskite and hole transportation material. This CS semiconductor displays high hole and electron mobilities by converting long-lived CS states in solution into permanent polarons (charged carriers) in films. Doping with iodinehydride is able to improve the surface morphology of the CS semiconductor layer. Our devices with an iodinehydride-doped CS semiconductor layer exhibit an efficiency of 17.87%, which is increased by ~25% in comparison with 14.24% of the reference devices that have no interfacial layer. This additional CS semiconductor layer also enhances the unsealed device stability by maintaining 90% of initial PCE, while the reference devices degraded by 35% at a relative humidity of 20–30%, temperature of 25 °C and ambient light for 240 h. This result reveals that the utilization of CS states is an alternative approach to construct high charge transport organic semiconductors. An interfacial semiconductor with proper energy level and a matching hole transport mobility can improve the hole extraction, speed up hole transport and suppress charge recombination of PSCs, and thus may be an effective strategy to improve their efficiency and stability.     

SiC新一代电力电子学的创新发展

进入21世纪,宽禁带半导体材料的发展对电力电子学产生了革命性的影响,SiC新一代电力电子学应运而生.从高频高效率开关应用、高功率密度、高压变换、高温工作、热管理和可靠性研究等方面介绍了近几年SiC电力电子学的应用创新.应用创新的内容包含:电路拓扑结构设计、优化设计方法、SiC功率器件和先进高频无源元件的采用、寄生参量的抑制、驱动电路设计、高温粘结与封装工艺、新冷却方法和极端工作条件的可靠性试验方法等.对SiC电力电子学的应用创新进行了综合评价.