Voltage dependence of the differential capacitance of a p +-n junction

The dependences of the differential capacitance and current of a p ⁺-n junction with a uniformly doped n region on the voltage in the junction region are calculated. The p ⁺-n junction capacitance controls the charge change in the junction region taking into account a change in the electric field of the quasi-neutral n region and a change in its bipolar drift mobility with increasing excess charge-carrier concentration. It is shown that the change in the sign of the p ⁺-n junction capacitance with increasing injection level is caused by a decrease in the bipolar drift mobility as the electron-hole pair concentration in the n region increases. It is shown that the p ⁺-n junction capacitance decreases with increasing reverse voltage and tends to a constant positive value.     

Anomalous dependences of the diode barrier capacitance on bias voltage and temperature

Capacitances of a Schottky barrier and p ⁺-n junction whose n-type regions contain shallow donors and deep acceptors with levels in the upper part of the energy gap have been calculated. The capacitance was represented as two series capacitances of the near-contact region containing only donor impurity ions and of the intermediate layer at the interface between the space-charge region and the diode base, with account of the free-carrier concentration and its dependence on the potential. It was found that the capacitance of the intermediate layer heavily depends on temperature and may increase with the bias voltage. The calculated capacitancevoltage characteristics of the barrier capacitance are in agreement with experimental data and even describe the nonmonotonic dependences of the capacitance on the bias voltage.     

The profile of temperature and voltage dependent series resistance and the interface states in (Ni/Au)/Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructures

The temperature dependence of capacitance-voltage (C-V) and the conductance-voltage (G/w-V) characteristics of (Ni/Au)/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructures were investigated by considering the effect of series resistance (R_s) and interface states N_ss in a wide temperature range (79-395 K). Our experimental results show that both R_s and N_ss were found to be strongly functional with temperature and bias voltage. Therefore, they affect the (C-V) and (G/w-V) characteristics. The values of capacitance give two peaks at high temperatures, and a crossing at a certain bias voltage point (∼3.5 V). The first capacitance peaks are located in the forward bias region (∼0.1 V) at a low temperature. However, from 295 K the second capacitance peaks appear and then shift towards the reverse bias region that is located at ∼−4.5 V with increasing temperature. Such behavior, as demonstrated by these anomalous peaks, can be attributed to the thermal restructuring and reordering of the interface states. The capacitance (C_m) and conductance (G/w-V) values that were measured under both reverse and forward bias were corrected for the effect of series resistance in order to obtain the real diode capacitance and conductance. The density of N_ss, depending on the temperature, was determined from the (C-V) and (G/w-V) data using the Hill-Coleman Method.     

Determination of Critical Thickness for Epitaxial ZnTe Layers Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy on (211)B and (100) GaSb Substrates

Cross-section electron micrographs, cathodoluminescence images, and confocal photoluminescence (cPL) images have been acquired for ZnTe layers deposited to various thicknesses on GaSb substrates with (211)B and (100) orientations. The critical thickness of ZnTe on GaSb is predicted to range between 115 nm and 329 nm, depending on the theoretical approach chosen. For ZnTe layers grown on (211)B GaSb with thickness exceeding 150 nm, dark spots and lines are present in all images. We associate these with dislocations generated at the ZnTe/GaSb interface. The discrepancy between this thickness value and a critical thickness value (350 nm to 375 nm) obtained for the (211)B orientation in a previous study is related to the distinction between the onset of misfit dislocations and the onset of significant plastic deformation. The former requires a direct imaging technique, as strain-related measurements such as x-ray diffraction do not have the resolution to detect the effects of small numbers of dislocations. For ZnTe layers on (100) GaSb, x-ray diffraction measurements indicate an abrupt change characteristic of dislocation multiplication at a thickness value in the range from 250 nm to 275 nm. High-resolution electron micrographs of the ZnTe/GaSb interface indicate that deoxidation using atomic hydrogen produces GaSb surfaces suitable for ZnTe epitaxy. cPL images of a 1.2-μm-thick lattice-matched ZnTe_0.99Se _0.01 layer grown on a 150-nm-thick ZnTe buffer layer on a (211)B GaSb substrate yield a threading dislocation density of ～7 × 10⁴ cm^?2.     

Theory for nonequilibrium behavior of anisotype graded heterojunctions

An analysis for the terminal behavior and capacitance of anisotype graded heterojunctions is presented. A closed form expression for the I–V characteristics is derived using the depletion approximation and the rigid band model. The expression is valid for uniform nondegenerate doping and low-level injection. The transition region is modeled to extend beyond the space-charge region with a constant bandgap gradient. Variations of the dielectric constant, carrier lifetime and mobility are ignored. The nonsaturating nature of the reverse current is demonstrated. The effects of variations of bandgap and electron affinity on the I–V characteristics and junction capacitance are discussed. Numerical results for a graded nGe-pGaAs device are given.     

Numerical modeling of looped C-V Characteristics in Ap+n junction containing mid-bandgap electron traps

The capacitance of p⁺n junctions containing traps or deep centers depends on the time variation of the applied reverse voltage. Capacitance changes results from the time dependent variation of the density of traps filled with electrons within the depletion region. If a cyclical reverse voltage in applied to the junction, capacitance hysteresis due to the time-dependent charge variation within the depletion region should be observed. The hysteresis loops, as a function of the bias drive rate, temperature, and total concentration of traps provide some information on the characteristics of the traps.This paper presents a numerical analysis of looped C-V characteristics in a p⁺n junction containing midbandgap electron traps and also discusses the variation of loops as a function of the bias drive rate, dV/dt, total concentration of traps, N_T, and emission rates of electrons and holes, e_n and e_p, based on our numerical modeling.     

Indium gallium arsenide antimonide photodetector grown by liquid phase epitaxy: Electrical characterization and optical response

Current–voltage (I–V) and R₀A curves and spectral response as a function of bias voltage and temperature of p–n indium gallium arsenide antimonide (In_0.14Ga_0.86As_0.13Sb_0.87)/n-GaSb photodiodes are presented. InGaAsSb quaternary alloys with a bandgap energy of about 653 meV were grown using the liquid phase epitaxy technique on top of (100) GaSb substrates. Device structure was fabricated using a process that includes passivation with sodium sulfide, thermal annealing and metallizations. The diode architecture was a back-illuminated (B-I) structure with a ring-shaped metallic contact in the GaSb substrate face. Photodiode spectral response showed good performance in the entire temperature range between 20 K and 300 K.     

Differential capacitance of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> junction

The differential capacitance of a p ⁺-p junction formed by charge redistribution near the junction, has been investigated taking into account the electric field in the quasi-neutral p region. The dependence of the capacitance and current of the p ⁺-p junction on its voltage is obtained. It is shown that a change in the sign of the p ⁺-p-junction capacitance with an increase in the injection level is caused by a decrease in the bipolar drift mobility in the p-type region. It is also demonstrated that a change in the sign of the p ⁺-p-junction capacitance with an increase in the reverse voltage determines the charge reduction near the junction, as the increase in the negative charge of acceptor ions predominates over the increase in the positive charge of holes.     

Theoretical calculations of Debye length,built-in potential and depletion layer width versus dopant density in a heavily doped p-n junction diode

Theoretical calculations of Debye length, built-in potential, depletion layer width and capacitance as a function of dopant density in a heavily doped p-n junction diode are described in this paper. The heavy doping effects such as carrier degeneracy, dopant density-dependent dielectric constant and bandgap narrowing are accounted for by using the empirical approximation for the reduced Fermi-energy given by[1] and the dopant density dependent dielectric constant given by[2], as well as the bandgap narrowing model proposed by[3]. The results show that: (1) bandgap narrowing and carrier degeneracy have important effects on the junction built-in potential; (2) carrier degeneracy and dopant density-dependent dielectric constant are important to Debye length for the abrupt junction case, and (3) the dopant density-dependent dielectric constant is a key parameter which strongly affects the values of depletion layer width and depletion capacitance. These findings are important for modeling of heavily doped p-n junction devices in the VLSI applications.     

p-GaSb(Ox)/n-GaSb native-oxide heterojunctions: Non-vacuum process and photoelectric properties

A new non-vacuum technology is proposed and anisotype photosensitive heterojunctions (native oxide of a narrow-gap III–V semiconductor)-(binary compound) p-GaSb(Ox)/n-GaSb are fabricated for the first time. The developed technological process is based on the surface thermal interaction of a GaSb crystal with components of the normal Earth atmosphere. Based on original physical-technological studies of interaction in the GaSb/(air medium) system, it is found that p-GaSb(Ox) native-oxide films obtained in such a way exhibit high adhesion to the surface of the initial gallium antimonide n-GaSb. The steady-state current-voltage characteristics and spectral dependences of the relative photoconversion quantum efficiency of the obtained p-GaSb(Ox)/n-GaSb heterojunctions are first measured. On this basis, the systematic features of charge transport and photosensitivity are discussed. A new possible application of the non-vacuum thermal oxidation of GaSb films in the development of optical radiation photodetectors on substrates of homogeneous gallium antimonide n-GaSb crystals is first detected and implemented.     

Current dependence of capacitance of germanium p +-p junctions in the temperature range of 290–330 K

The current dependence of differential capacitance of germanium p ⁺-p junctions with the p-region resistivity of 45, 30, and 10 Ω cm is investigated in the temperature range of 290–350 K. It is shown that the current dependence of the p ⁺-p-junction capacitance varies with an increasing junction temperature. At the temperature of 290 K, the capacitance decreases with an increasing reverse current, changes sign from positive to negative, and increases with the forward current. At 330 K, the capacitance decreases to the lowest positive value with an increasing reverse current and changes sign to negative with increasing the forward current. At 310 K, the p ⁺-p-junction capacitance can change the sign from positive to negative with increasing the forward and reverse current. It is assumed that the positive and negative p ⁺-p-junction capacitance is caused by the change in the junction-region charge by the external voltage.     

A discrete element small-signal equivalent circuit for forward-biased p+n diodes containing deep levels

A discrete element small-signal equivalent circuit model for p-n diodes containing deep defect levels is developed, by extending an existing model for undamaged devices. With the aid of a simple analytical expression which accurately describes the forward bias d.c. current, the enhanced small-signal conductance due to carrier recombination in the depletion region is included in the model. The influence of trapped charge on the space charge capacitance is incorporated using a simplified version of the analysis of Beguwala and Crowell. The predictions of the model are verified by experimental data from silicon p⁺n diodes, in which deep levels have been induced by electron irradiation. It is shown that the deep level activation energies may be estimated from the forward bias capacitance-voltage characteristics, yielding values which agree well with those obtained by established techniques.     

Extraction of electronic parameters of Schottky diode based on an organic Orcein

An Au/Orcein/p-Si/Al device was fabricated and the current-voltage measurements of the devices showed diode characteristics. Then the current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and capacitance-frequency (C-f) characteristics of the device were investigated at room temperature. Some junction parameters of the device such as ideality factor, barrier height, and series resistance were determined from I-V and C-V characteristics. The ideality factor of 2.48 and barrier height of 0.70 eV were calculated using I-V characteristics. It has been seen that the Orcein layer increases the effective barrier height of the structure since this layer creates the physical barrier between the Au and the p-Si. The interface state density N_ss were determined from the I-V plots. The capacitance measurements were determined as a function of voltage and frequency. It was seen that the values of capacitance have modified with bias and frequency.     

Characterization of current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage-frequency (C-V-f) features of Al/SiO2/p-Si (MIS) Schottky diodes

The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor Al/SiO₂/p-Si (MIS) Schottky diodes were measured at room temperature (300 K). In addition, capacitance-voltage-frequency (C-V-f) characteristics are investigated by considering the interface states (N_ss) at frequency range 100 kHz to 1 MHz. The MIS Schottky diode having interfacial insulator layer thickness of 33 Å, calculated from the measurement of the insulator capacitance in the strong accumulation region. At each frequency, the measured capacitance decreases with increasing frequency due to a continuous distribution of the interface states. From the I-V characteristics of the MIS Schottky diode, ideality factor (n) and barrier height (Φ_b) values of 1.766 and 0.786 eV, respectively, were obtained from a forward bias I-V plot. In addition, the interface states distribution profile as a function of (E_ss − E_v) was extracted from the forward bias I-V measurements by taking into account the bias dependence of the effective barrier height (Φ_e) for the Schottky diode. The diode shows non-ideal I-V behaviour with ideality factor greater than unity. This behaviour is attributed to the interfacial insulator layer, the interface states and barrier inhomogeneity of the device. As expected, the C-V curves gave a barrier height value higher than those obtained from I-V measurements. This discrepancy is due to the different nature of the I-V and C-V measurement techniques.     

Au/SnO2/n-Si (MOS) structures response to radiation and frequency

Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MOS) structures with insulator layer thickness of 290 Å were irradiated using a ⁶⁰Co (γ-ray) source and relationships of electrical properties of irradiated MOS structures to process-induced surface defects have been investigated both before and after γ-irradiation. The density of surface state distribution profiles of the sample Au/SnO₂/n-Si (MOS) structures obtained from high-low frequency capacitance technique in depletion and weak inversion both before and after irradiation. The measurement capacitance and conductance are corrected for series resistance. Series resistance (Rs) of MOS structures were found both as function of voltage, frequency and radiation dose. The C(f)-V and G(f)-V curves have been found to be strongly influenced by the presence of a dominant radiation-induced defects. Results indicate interface-trap formation at high dose rates (irradiations) is reduced due to positive charge build-up in the semiconductor/insulator interfacial region (due to the trapping of holes) that reduces the flow rate of subsequent holes and protons from the bulk of the insulator to the Si/SnO₂ interface. The series resistance decreases with increasing dose rate and frequency the radiation-induced flat-band voltage shift in 1 V. Results indicate the radiation-induced threshold voltage shift (ΔV_T) strongly dependence on radiation dose rate and frequency.     

ZnO/ZnSe/ZnTe Heterojunctions for ZnTe-Based Solar Cells

ZnO and ZnSe are proposed as n-type layers in ZnTe heterojunction diodes to overcome problems associated with the n-type doping of ZnTe. The structural properties and electrical characteristics of ZnO/ZnTe and ZnO/ZnSe/ZnTe heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (001) GaAs substrates are presented. ZnO shows a strong preference for c-plane (0001) orientation resulting in a nonepitaxial relationship and high density of rotational domains for growth on ZnTe (001). ZnSe/ZnTe structures demonstrate a (001) epitaxial relationship with high density of {111} stacking faults originating at the heterojunction interface. ZnO/ZnSe/ZnTe heterojunction diodes show excellent diode rectification and clear photovoltaic response with open-circuit voltage of V _OC = 0.8 V.     

Properties of Au,Pt, Pd and Rh levels in silicon measured with a constant capacitance technique

Measurements of emission rates and majority carrier capture cross-sections of Au, Pt, Pd and Rh centres in silicon are reported, and the activation energies associated with the different levels of these centres are determined. Where appropriate, our results are compared with values reported in the literature; other results have not been previously reported. The measurement depends on the emission and capture of majority carriers on the centres in the depletion layer of a p-n junction or Schottky barrier. The change in charge state of the centres is monitored by measuring the change in reverse bias applied to the junction necessary to keep the junction capacitance constant. The advantage of this technique, compared with the usual method of keeping the bias voltage constant and measuring the change in capacitance, is demonstrated.     

On the profile of frequency and voltage dependent interface states and series resistance in (Ni/Au)/Al0.22Ga0.78N/AlN/GaN heterostructures by using current-voltage (I-V) and admittance spectroscopy methods

In order to explain the experimental effect of interface states (N_ss) and series resistance (R_s) of device on the non-ideal electrical characteristics, current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/ω-V) characteristics of (Ni/Au)/Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/AlN/GaN heterostructures were investigated at room temperature. Admittance measurements (C-V and G/ω-V) were carried out in frequency and bias voltage ranges of 2 kHz-2 MHz and (−5 V)-(+5 V), respectively. The voltage dependent R_s profile was determined from the I-V data. The increasing capacitance behavior with the decreasing frequency at low frequencies is a proof of the presence of interface states at metal/semiconductor (M/S) interface. At various bias voltages, the ac electrical conductivity (σ_ac) is independent from frequencies up to 100 kHz, and above this frequency value it increases with the increasing frequency for each bias voltage. In addition, the high-frequency capacitance (C_m) and conductance (G_m/ω) values measured under forward and reverse bias were corrected to minimize the effects of series resistance. The results indicate that the interfacial polarization can more easily occur at low frequencies. The distribution of N_ss and R_s is confirmed to have significant effect on non-ideal I-V, C-V and G/ω-V characteristics of (Ni/Au)/Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/AlN/GaN heterostructures.     

<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.     

Impedance and barrier capacitance of silicon diodes implanted with high-energy Xe ions

Characteristics of Si p⁺n diodes with non-uniformly distributed compensating defects, which were introduced by implantation with Xe²³⁺ ions, have been studied. The layer with the maximum concentration of the compensating defects was located in the vicinity of the metallurgical p-n junction. It is found that the presence of the defect layer results in non-monotonic dependences of the imaginary part of impedance (−Z″) and differential conductance (G = −dI/dU) of the implanted diodes on reverse bias voltage U. An equivalent circuit of the irradiated diode is proposed, which allows us to approximate the measured frequency dependences of capacitance and conductance of the irradiated diodes and to determine values of diode barrier capacitance C_pn at different reverse bias voltages.