Hot-electron-based solar energy conversion with metal-semiconductor nanodiodes.

PubMed

Lee, Young Keun; Lee, Hyosun; Lee, Changhwan; Hwang, Euyheon; Park, Jeong Young

2016-06-29

Energy dissipation at metal surfaces or interfaces between a metal and a dielectric generally results from elementary excitations, including phonons and electronic excitation, once external energy is deposited to the surface/interface during exothermic chemical processes or an electromagnetic wave incident. In this paper, we outline recent research activities to develop energy conversion devices based on hot electrons. We found that photon energy can be directly converted to hot electrons and that hot electrons flow through the interface of metal-semiconductor nanodiodes where a Schottky barrier is formed and the energy barrier is much lower than the work function of the metal. The detection of hot electron flow can be successfully measured using the photocurrent; we measured the photoyield of photoemission with incident photons-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE). We also show that surface plasmons (i.e. the collective oscillation of conduction band electrons induced by interaction with an electromagnetic field) are excited on a rough metal surface and subsequently decay into secondary electrons, which gives rise to enhancement of the IPCE. Furthermore, the unique optical behavior of surface plasmons can be coupled with dye molecules, suggesting the possibility for producing additional channels for hot electron generation.

Single-electron-occupation metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dots formed from efficient poly-silicon gate layout

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carroll, Malcolm S.; rochette, sophie; Rudolph, Martin

We introduce a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dot structure that achieves dot-reservoir tunnel coupling control without a dedicated barrier gate. The elementary structure consists of two accumulation gates separated spatially by a gap, one gate accumulating a reservoir and the other a quantum dot. Control of the tunnel rate between the dot and the reservoir across the gap is demonstrated in the single electron regime by varying the reservoir accumulation gate voltage while compensating with the dot accumulation gate voltage. The method is then applied to a quantum dot connected in series to source and drain reservoirs, enabling transport down tomore » the single electron regime. Finally, tuning of the valley splitting with the dot accumulation gate voltage is observed. This split accumulation gate structure creates silicon quantum dots of similar characteristics to other realizations but with less electrodes, in a single gate stack subtractive fabrication process that is fully compatible with silicon foundry manufacturing.« less

Semiconductor assisted metal deposition for nanolithography applications

DOEpatents

Rajh, Tijana; Meshkov, Natalia; Nedelijkovic, Jovan M.; Skubal, Laura R.; Tiede, David M.; Thurnauer, Marion

2001-01-01

An article of manufacture and method of forming nanoparticle sized material components. A semiconductor oxide substrate includes nanoparticles of semiconductor oxide. A modifier is deposited onto the nanoparticles, and a source of metal ions are deposited in association with the semiconductor and the modifier, the modifier enabling electronic hole scavenging and chelation of the metal ions. The metal ions and modifier are illuminated to cause reduction of the metal ions to metal onto the semiconductor nanoparticles.

Semiconductor assisted metal deposition for nanolithography applications

DOEpatents

Rajh, Tijana; Meshkov, Natalia; Nedelijkovic, Jovan M.; Skubal, Laura R.; Tiede, David M.; Thurnauer, Marion

2002-01-01

An article of manufacture and method of forming nanoparticle sized material components. A semiconductor oxide substrate includes nanoparticles of semiconductor oxide. A modifier is deposited onto the nanoparticles, and a source of metal ions are deposited in association with the semiconductor and the modifier, the modifier enabling electronic hole scavenging and chelation of the metal ions. The metal ions and modifier are illuminated to cause reduction of the metal ions to metal onto the semiconductor nanoparticles.

Electron transport in high aspect ratio semiconductor nanowires and metal-semiconductor interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhuting

We are facing variability problems for modern semiconductor transistors due to the fact that the performances of nominally identical devices in the scale of 10 100 nm could be dramatically different attributed to the small manufacturing variations. Different doping strategies give statistical variations in the number of dopant atom density ND in the channel. The material size gives variations in wire diameter dW. And the immediate environment of the material leads to an additional level of variability. E.g. vacuum-semiconductor interface causes variations in surface state density Ds, metal-semiconductor interface causes variations in Schottky barrier and dielectric semiconductor interface induces dielectric confinement at small scales. To approach these variability problems, I choose Si-doped GaAs nanowires as an example. I investigate transport in Si-doped GaAs nanowire (NW) samples contacted by lithographically patterned Gold-Titanium films as function of temperature T. I find a drastically different temperature dependence between the wire resistance RW, which is relatively weak, and the zero bias resistance RC, which is strong. I show that the data are consistent with a model based on a sharp donor energy level slightly above the bottom of the semiconductor conduction band and develop a simple method for using transport measurements for estimates of the doping density after nanowire growth. I discuss the predictions of effective free carrier density n eff as function of the surface state density Ds and wire size dW. I also describe a correction to the widely used model of Schottky contacts that improves thermodynamic consistency of the Schottky tunnel barrier profile and show that the original theory may underestimate the barrier conductance under certain conditions. I also provide analytical calculations for shallow silicon dopant energy in GaAs crystals, and find the presence of dielectrics (dielectric screening) and free carriers (Coulomb screening) cause a

Electron-ion coupling in semiconductors beyond Fermi's Golden Rule [On the electron-ion coupling in semiconductors beyond Fermi's Golden Rule

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Medvedev, Nikita; Li, Zheng; Tkachenko, Victor

2017-01-31

In the present study, a theoretical study of electron-phonon (electron-ion) coupling rates in semiconductors driven out of equilibrium is performed. Transient change of optical coefficients reflects the band gap shrinkage in covalently bonded materials, and thus, the heating of atomic lattice. Utilizing this dependence, we test various models of electron-ion coupling. The simulation technique is based on tight-binding molecular dynamics. Our simulations with the dedicated hybrid approach (XTANT) indicate that the widely used Fermi's golden rule can break down describing material excitation on femtosecond time scales. In contrast, dynamical coupling proposed in this work yields a reasonably good agreement ofmore » simulation results with available experimental data.« less

Defect-driven interfacial electronic structures at an organic/metal-oxide semiconductor heterojunction.

PubMed

Winget, Paul; Schirra, Laura K; Cornil, David; Li, Hong; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Ndione, Paul F; Sigdel, Ajaya K; Ginley, David S; Berry, Joseph J; Shim, Jaewon; Kim, Hyungchui; Kippelen, Bernard; Brédas, Jean-Luc; Monti, Oliver L A

2014-07-16

The electronic structure of the hybrid interface between ZnO and the prototypical organic semiconductor PTCDI is investigated via a combination of ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS/XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The interfacial electronic interactions lead to a large interface dipole due to substantial charge transfer from ZnO to 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylicdiimide (PTCDI), which can be properly described only when accounting for surface defects that confer ZnO its n-type properties. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electronic structure of metals and semiconductors: bulk, surface, and interface properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Louie, S.G.S.

1976-09-01

A theoretical study of the electronic structure of various metals and semiconductors is presented with the emphasis on understanding the properties of these materials when they are subjected to extreme conditions and in various different configurations. Among the bulk systems studied, the properties of cesium under high pressure are discussed in terms of the electronic structure calculated at various cell volumes using the pseudopotential method. Local fields or umklapp processes in semiconductors are studied within the random phase approximation (RPA). Specifically the dielectric response matrix epsilon/sub GG'/ (q = 0,omega) is evaluated numerically to determine the effects of local-field correctionsmore » in the optical spectrum of Si. Also, some comments on the excitonic mechanism of superconductivity are presented and the role of local fields is discussed. The pseudo-potential method is next extended to calculate the electronic structure of a transition metal Nb. The calculation is performed self-consistently with the use of a non-local ionic potential determined from atomic spectra. Finally the theory of the superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ is discussed in the strong-coupling formulation of the BCS theory. The Eliashberg equations in the Matsubara representation are solved analytically and a general T/sub c/ equation is obtained. A new method is developed using pseudopotentials in a self-consistent manner to describe non-periodic systems. The method is applicable to localized configurations such as molecules, surfaces, impurities, vacancies, finite chains of atoms, adsorbates, and solid interfaces. Specific applications to surfaces, metal-semiconductor interfaces and vacancies are presented.« less

Thermal conductivity switch: Optimal semiconductor/metal melting transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kwangnam; Kaviany, Massoud

2016-10-01

Scrutinizing distinct solid/liquid (s /l ) and solid/solid (s /s ) phase transitions (passive transitions) for large change in bulk (and homogenous) thermal conductivity, we find the s /l semiconductor/metal (S/M) transition produces the largest dimensionless thermal conductivity switch (TCS) figure of merit ZTCS (change in thermal conductivity divided by smaller conductivity). At melting temperature, the solid phonon and liquid molecular thermal conductivities are comparable and generally small, so the TCS requires localized electron solid and delocalized electron liquid states. For cyclic phase reversibility, the congruent phase transition (no change in composition) is as important as the thermal transport. We identify X Sb and X As (X =Al , Cd, Ga, In, Zn) and describe atomic-structural metrics for large ZTCS, then show the superiority of S/M phonon- to electron-dominated transport melting transition. We use existing experimental results and theoretical and ab initio calculations of the related properties for both phases (including the Kubo-Greenwood and Bridgman formulations of liquid conductivities). The 5 p orbital of Sb contributes to the semiconductor behavior in the solid-phase band gap and upon disorder and bond-length changes in the liquid phase this changes to metallic, creating the large contrast in thermal conductivity. The charge density distribution, electronic localization function, and electron density of states are used to mark this S/M transition. For optimal TCS, we examine the elemental selection from the transition, basic, and semimetals and semiconductor groups. For CdSb, addition of residual Ag suppresses the bipolar conductivity and its ZTCS is over 7, and for Zn3Sb2 it is expected to be over 14, based on the structure and transport properties of the better-known β -Zn4Sb3 . This is the highest ZTCS identified. In addition to the metallic melting, the high ZTCS is due to the electron-poor nature of II-V semiconductors, leading to the

Semiconductor millimeter wavelength electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenbaum, F. J.

1985-12-01

This final report summarizes the results of research carried out on topics in millimeter wavelength semiconductor electronics under an ONR Selected Research Opportunity program. Study areas included III-V compound semiconductor growth and characterization, microwave and millimeter wave device modeling, fabrication and testing, and the development of new device concepts. A new millimeter wave mixer and detector, the Gap diode was invented. Topics reported on include ballistic transport, Zener oscillations, impurities in GaAs, electron velocity-electric field calculation and measurements, etc., calculations.

Thermoelectric Performance Enhancement by Surrounding Crystalline Semiconductors with Metallic Nanoparticles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyun-Jung; King, Glen C.; Park, Yeonjoon; Lee, Kunik; Choi, Sang H.

2011-01-01

Direct conversion of thermal energy to electricity by thermoelectric (TE) devices may play a key role in future energy production and utilization. However, relatively poor performance of current TE materials has slowed development of new energy conversion applications. Recent reports have shown that the dimensionless Figure of Merit, ZT, for TE devices can be increased beyond the state-of-the-art level by nanoscale structuring of materials to reduce their thermal conductivity. New morphologically designed TE materials have been fabricated at the NASA Langley Research Center, and their characterization is underway. These newly designed materials are based on semiconductor crystal grains whose surfaces are surrounded by metallic nanoparticles. The nanoscale particles are used to tailor the thermal and electrical conduction properties for TE applications by altering the phonon and electron transport pathways. A sample of bismuth telluride decorated with metallic nanoparticles showed less thermal conductivity and twice the electrical conductivity at room temperature as compared to pure Bi2Te3. Apparently, electrons cross easily between semiconductor crystal grains via the intervening metallic nanoparticle bridges, but phonons are scattered at the interfacing gaps. Hence, if the interfacing gap is larger than the mean free path of the phonon, thermal energy transmission from one grain to others is reduced. Here we describe the design and analysis of these new materials that offer substantial improvements in thermoelectric performance.

High electron doping to a wide band gap semiconductor 12CaO•7Al2O3 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyakawa, Masashi; Hirano, Masahiro; Kamiya, Toshio; Hosono, Hideo

2007-04-01

High-density electrons (˜1.9×1021cm-3) were doped into a polycrystalline film of a wide band gap (˜7eV) semiconductor 12CaO•7Al2O3 (C12A7) by an in situ postdeposition reduction treatment using an oxygen-deficient C12A7 overlayer. The resultant film exhibits metallic conduction with a Hall mobility of ˜2.5cm2V-1s-1 and a conductivity of ˜800Scm-1. Optical analyses indicate that most of the doped electrons behave as free carriers with an effective mass of 0.82me and the estimated in-grain mobility is 5.2cm2V-1s-1, which agrees reasonably with the value obtained for high-quality single crystals.

Nanophotonic Hot Electron Solar-Blind Ultraviolet Detectors with a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhiyuan

Solar-blind ultraviolet detection refers to photon detection specifically in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 320 nm. Without background noises from solar radiation, it has broad applications from homeland security to environmental monitoring. In this thesis, we design and fabricate a nanophotonic metal-oxide-semiconductor device for solar-blind UV detection. Instead of using semiconductors as the active absorber, we use metal Sn nano- grating structures to absorb UV photons and generate hot electrons for internal photoemission across the Sn/SiO 2 interfacial barrier, thereby generating photocurrent between metal and semiconductor region upon UV excitation. The large metal/oxide interfacial energy barrier enables solar-blind UV detection by blocking the less energetic electrons excited by visible photons. With optimized design, 85% UV absorption and hot electron excitation can be achieved within the mean free path of 20 nm from the metal/oxide interface. This feature greatly enhances hot electron transport across the interfacial barrier to generate photocurrent. Various fabrication techniques have been developed for preparing nano gratings. For nominally 20 nm-thick deposited Sn, the self- formed pseudo-periodic nanostructure help achieve 75% UV absorption from lambda=200 nm to 300 nm. With another layer of nominally 20 nm-thick Sn, similar UV absorption is maintained while conductivity is improved, which is beneficial for overall device efficiency. The Sn/SiO2/Si MOS devices show good solar-blind character while achieving 13% internal quantum efficiency for 260 nm UV with only 20 nm-thick Sn and some devices demonstrate much higher (even >100%) internal quantum efficiency. While a more accurate estimation of device effective area is needed for proving our calculation, these results indeed show a great potential for this type of hot-electron-based photodetectors and for Sn nanostructure as an effective UV absorber. The simple geometry of the self- assembled Sn

Structural analysis, electronic properties, and band gaps of a graphene nanoribbon: A new 2D materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dass, Devi

2018-03-01

Graphene nanoribbon (GNR), a new 2D carbon nanomaterial, has some unique features and special properties that offer a great potential for interconnect, nanoelectronic devices, optoelectronics, and nanophotonics. This paper reports the structural analysis, electronic properties, and band gaps of a GNR considering different chirality combinations obtained using the pz orbital tight binding model. In structural analysis, the analytical expressions for GNRs have been developed and verified using the simulation for the first time. It has been found that the total number of unit cells and carbon atoms within an overall unit cell and molecular structure of a GNR have been changed with the change in their chirality values which are similar to the values calculated using the developed analytical expressions thus validating both the simulation as well as analytical results. Further, the electronic band structures at different chirality values have been shown for the identification of metallic and semiconductor properties of a GNR. It has been concluded that all zigzag edge GNRs are metallic with very small band gaps range whereas all armchair GNRs show both the metallic and semiconductor nature with very small and high band gaps range. Again, the total number of subbands in each electronic band structure is equal to the total number of carbon atoms present in overall unit cell of the corresponding GNR. The semiconductors GNRs can be used as a channel material in field effect transistor suitable for advanced CMOS technology whereas the metallic GNRs could be used for interconnect.

Amorphous metallizations for high-temperature semiconductor device applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiley, J. D.; Perepezko, J. H.; Nordman, J. E.; Kang-Jin, G.

1981-01-01

The initial results of work on a class of semiconductor metallizations which appear to hold promise as primary metallizations and diffusion barriers for high temperature device applications are presented. These metallizations consist of sputter-deposited films of high T sub g amorphous-metal alloys which (primarily because of the absence of grain boundaries) exhibit exceptionally good corrosion-resistance and low diffusion coefficients. Amorphous films of the alloys Ni-Nb, Ni-Mo, W-Si, and Mo-Si were deposited on Si, GaAs, GaP, and various insulating substrates. The films adhere extremely well to the substrates and remain amorphous during thermal cycling to at least 500 C. Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements indicate atomic diffussivities in the 10 to the -19th power sq cm/S range at 450 C.

Ionic Liquid Activation of Amorphous Metal-Oxide Semiconductors for Flexible Transparent Electronic Devices

DOE PAGES

Pudasaini, Pushpa Raj; Noh, Joo Hyon; Wong, Anthony T.; ...

2016-02-09

To begin this abstract, amorphous metal-oxide semiconductors offer the high carrier mobilities and excellent large-area uniformity required for high performance, transparent, flexible electronic devices; however, a critical bottleneck to their widespread implementation is the need to activate these materials at high temperatures which are not compatible with flexible polymer substrates. The highly controllable activation of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide semiconductor channels using ionic liquid gating at room temperature is reported. Activation is controlled by electric field-induced oxygen migration across the ionic liquid-semiconductor interface. In addition to activation of unannealed devices, it is shown that threshold voltages of a transistormore » can be linearly tuned between the enhancement and depletion modes. Finally, the first ever example of transparent flexible thin film metal oxide transistor on a polyamide substrate created using this simple technique is demonstrated. Finally, this study demonstrates the potential of field-induced activation as a promising alternative to traditional postdeposition thermal annealing which opens the door to wide scale implementation into flexible electronic applications.« less

Lattice matched semiconductor growth on crystalline metallic substrates

DOEpatents

Norman, Andrew G; Ptak, Aaron J; McMahon, William E

2013-11-05

Methods of fabricating a semiconductor layer or device and said devices are disclosed. The methods include but are not limited to providing a metal or metal alloy substrate having a crystalline surface with a known lattice parameter (a). The methods further include growing a crystalline semiconductor alloy layer on the crystalline substrate surface by coincident site lattice matched epitaxy. The semiconductor layer may be grown without any buffer layer between the alloy and the crystalline surface of the substrate. The semiconductor alloy may be prepared to have a lattice parameter (a') that is related to the lattice parameter (a). The semiconductor alloy may further be prepared to have a selected band gap.

Progressive Design of Plasmonic Metal-Semiconductor Ensemble toward Regulated Charge Flow and Improved Vis-NIR-Driven Solar-to-Chemical Conversion.

PubMed

Han, Chuang; Quan, Quan; Chen, Hao Ming; Sun, Yugang; Xu, Yi-Jun

2017-04-01

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-mediated photocatalysis without the bandgap limitations of traditional semiconductor has aroused significant attention in solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, the photocatalytic efficiency barely initiated by the SPR effects is still challenged by the low concentration and ineffective extraction of energetic hot electrons, slow charge migration rates, random charge diffusion directions, and the lack of highly active sites for redox reactions. Here, the tunable, progressive harvesting of visible-to-near infrared light (vis-NIR, λ > 570 nm) by designing plasmonic Au nanorods and metal (Au, Ag, or Pt) nanoparticle codecorated 1D CdS nanowire (1D CdS NW) ensemble is reported. The intimate integration of these metal nanostructures with 1D CdS NWs promotes the extraction and manipulated directional separation and migration of hot charge carriers in a more effective manner. Such cooperative synergy with tunable control of interfacial interaction, morphology optimization, and cocatalyst strategy results in the distinctly boosted performance for vis-NIR-driven plasmonic photocatalysis. This work highlights the significance of rationally progressive design of plasmonic metal-semiconductor-based composite system for boosting the regulated directional flow of hot charge carrier and thus the more efficient use of broad-spectrum solar energy conversion. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Observation of quantum oscillation of work function in ultrathin-metal/semiconductor junctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takhar, Kuldeep; Meer, Mudassar; Khachariya, Dolar

2015-09-15

Quantization in energy level due to confinement is generally observed for semiconductors. This property is used for various quantum devices, and it helps to improve the characteristics of conventional devices. Here, the authors have demonstrated the quantum size effects in ultrathin metal (Ni) layers sandwiched between two large band-gap materials. The metal work function is found to oscillate as a function of its thickness. The thermionic emission current bears the signature of the oscillating work function, which has a linear relationship with barrier heights. This methodology allows direct observation of quantum oscillations in metals at room temperature using a Schottkymore » diode and electrical measurements using source-measure-units. The observed phenomena can provide additional mechanism to tune the barrier height of metal/semiconductor junctions, which are used for various electronic devices.« less

Light-matter Interactions in Semiconductors and Metals: From Nitride Optoelectronics to Quantum Plasmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narang, Prineha

This thesis puts forth a theory-directed approach coupled with spectroscopy aimed at the discovery and understanding of light-matter interactions in semiconductors and metals. The first part of the thesis presents the discovery and development of Zn-IV nitride materials. The commercial prominence in the optoelectronics industry of tunable semiconductor alloy materials based on nitride semiconductor devices, specifically InGaN, motivates the search for earth-abundant alternatives for use in efficient, high-quality optoelectronic devices. II-IV-N2 compounds, which are closely related to the wurtzite-structured III-N semiconductors, have similar electronic and optical properties to InGaN namely direct band gaps, high quantum efficiencies and large optical absorption coefficients. The choice of different group II and group IV elements provides chemical diversity that can be exploited to tune the structural and electronic properties through the series of alloys. The first theoretical and experimental investigation of the ZnSnxGe1--xN2 series as a replacement for III-nitrides is discussed here. The second half of the thesis shows ab-initio calculations for surface plasmons and plasmonic hot carrier dynamics. Surface plasmons, electromagnetic modes confined to the surface of a conductor-dielectric interface, have sparked renewed interest because of their quantum nature and their broad range of applications. The decay of surface plasmons is usually a detriment in the field of plasmonics, but the possibility to capture the energy normally lost to heat would open new opportunities in photon sensors, energy conversion devices and switching. A theoretical understanding of plasmon-driven hot carrier generation and relaxation dynamics in the ultrafast regime is presented here. Additionally calculations for plasmon-mediated upconversion as well as an energy-dependent transport model for these non-equilibrium carriers are shown. Finally, this thesis gives an outlook on the

Delayed electron emission in strong-field driven tunnelling from a metallic nanotip in the multi-electron regime

PubMed Central

Yanagisawa, Hirofumi; Schnepp, Sascha; Hafner, Christian; Hengsberger, Matthias; Kim, Dong Eon; Kling, Matthias F.; Landsman, Alexandra; Gallmann, Lukas; Osterwalder, Jürg

2016-01-01

Illuminating a nano-sized metallic tip with ultrashort laser pulses leads to the emission of electrons due to multiphoton excitations. As optical fields become stronger, tunnelling emission directly from the Fermi level becomes prevalent. This can generate coherent electron waves in vacuum leading to a variety of attosecond phenomena. Working at high emission currents where multi-electron effects are significant, we were able to characterize the transition from one regime to the other. Specifically, we found that the onset of laser-driven tunnelling emission is heralded by the appearance of a peculiar delayed emission channel. In this channel, the electrons emitted via laser-driven tunnelling emission are driven back into the metal, and some of the electrons reappear in the vacuum with some delay time after undergoing inelastic scattering and cascading processes inside the metal. Our understanding of these processes gives insights on attosecond tunnelling emission from solids and should prove useful in designing new types of pulsed electron sources. PMID:27786287

Van der Waals metal-semiconductor junction: Weak Fermi level pinning enables effective tuning of Schottky barrier

PubMed Central

Liu, Yuanyue; Stradins, Paul; Wei, Su-Huai

2016-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have shown great potential for electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, their development is limited by a large Schottky barrier (SB) at the metal-semiconductor junction (MSJ), which is difficult to tune by using conventional metals because of the effect of strong Fermi level pinning (FLP). We show that this problem can be overcome by using 2D metals, which are bounded with 2D semiconductors through van der Waals (vdW) interactions. This success relies on a weak FLP at the vdW MSJ, which is attributed to the suppression of metal-induced gap states. Consequently, the SB becomes tunable and can vanish with proper 2D metals (for example, H-NbS2). This work not only offers new insights into the fundamental properties of heterojunctions but also uncovers the great potential of 2D metals for device applications. PMID:27152360

Van der Waals metal-semiconductor junction: Weak Fermi level pinning enables effective tuning of Schottky barrier

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yuanyue; Stradins, Paul; Wei, Su -Huai

2016-04-22

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have shown great potential for electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, their development is limited by a large Schottky barrier (SB) at the metal-semiconductor junction (MSJ), which is difficult to tune by using conventional metals because of the effect of strong Fermi level pinning (FLP). We show that this problem can be overcome by using 2D metals, which are bounded with 2D semiconductors through van der Waals (vdW) interactions. This success relies on a weak FLP at the vdW MSJ, which is attributed to the suppression of metal-induced gap states. Consequently, the SB becomes tunable and can vanishmore » with proper 2D metals (for example, H-NbS2). This work not only offers new insights into the fundamental properties of heterojunctions but also uncovers the great potential of 2D metals for device applications.« less

Compression-Driven Enhancement of Electronic Correlations in Simple Alkali Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabbris, Gilberto; Lim, Jinhyuk; Veiga, Larissa; Haskel, Daniel; Schilling, James

2015-03-01

Alkali metals are the best realization of the nearly free electron model. This scenario appears to change dramatically as the alkalis are subjected to extreme pressure, leading to unexpected properties such as the departure from metallic behavior in Li and Na, and the occurrence of remarkable low-symmetry crystal structures in all alkalis. Although the mechanism behind these phase transitions is currently under debate, these are believed to be electronically driven. In this study the high-pressure electronic and structural ground state of Rb and Cs was investigated through low temperature XANES and XRD measurements combined with ab initio calculations. The results indicate that the pressure-induced localization of the conduction band triggers a Peierls-like mechanism, inducing the low symmetry phases. This localization process is evident by the pressure-driven increase in the number of d electrons, which takes place through strong spd hybridization. These experimental results indicate that compression turns the heavy alkali metals into strongly correlated electron systems. Work at Argonne was supported by DOE No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Research at Washington University was supported by NSF DMR-1104742 and CDAC/DOE/NNSA DE-FC52-08NA28554.

First Principles Electronic Structure of Mn doped GaAs, GaP, and GaN Semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schulthess, Thomas C; Temmerman, Walter M; Szotek, Zdzislawa

We present first-principles electronic structure calculations of Mn doped III-V semiconductors based on the local spin-density approximation (LSDA) as well as the self-interaction corrected local spin density method (SIC-LSD). We find that it is crucial to use a self-interaction free approach to properly describe the electronic ground state. The SIC-LSD calculations predict the proper electronic ground state configuration for Mn in GaAs, GaP, and GaN. Excellent quantitative agreement with experiment is found for magnetic moment and p-d exchange in (GaMn)As. These results allow us to validate commonly used models for magnetic semiconductors. Furthermore, we discuss the delicate problem of extractingmore » binding energies of localized levels from density functional theory calculations. We propose three approaches to take into account final state effects to estimate the binding energies of the Mn-d levels in GaAs. We find good agreement between computed values and estimates from photoemisison experiments.« less

Electric-Field-Driven Dual Vacancies Evolution in Ultrathin Nanosheets Realizing Reversible Semiconductor to Half-Metal Transition.

PubMed

Lyu, Mengjie; Liu, Youwen; Zhi, Yuduo; Xiao, Chong; Gu, Bingchuan; Hua, Xuemin; Fan, Shaojuan; Lin, Yue; Bai, Wei; Tong, Wei; Zou, Youming; Pan, Bicai; Ye, Bangjiao; Xie, Yi

2015-12-02

Fabricating a flexible room-temperature ferromagnetic resistive-switching random access memory (RRAM) device is of fundamental importance to integrate nonvolatile memory and spintronics both in theory and practice for modern information technology and has the potential to bring about revolutionary new foldable information-storage devices. Here, we show that a relatively low operating voltage (+1.4 V/-1.5 V, the corresponding electric field is around 20,000 V/cm) drives the dual vacancies evolution in ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets at room temperature, which causes the reversible transition between semiconductor and half-metal, accompanyied by an abrupt conductivity change up to 10(3) times, exhibiting room-temperature ferromagnetism in two resistance states. Positron annihilation spectroscopy and electron spin resonance results show that the Sn/O dual vacancies in the ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets evolve to isolated Sn vacancy under electric field, accounting for the switching behavior of SnO2 ultrathin nanosheets; on the other hand, the different defect types correspond to different conduction natures, realizing the transition between semiconductor and half-metal. Our result represents a crucial step to create new a information-storage device realizing the reversible transition between semiconductor and half-metal with flexibility and room-temperature ferromagnetism at low energy consumption. The as-obtained half-metal in the low-resistance state broadens the application of the device in spintronics and the semiconductor to half-metal transition on the basis of defects evolution and also opens up a new avenue for exploring random access memory mechanisms and finding new half-metals for spintronics.

Anhydrous crystals of DNA bases are wide gap semiconductors.

PubMed

Maia, F F; Freire, V N; Caetano, E W S; Azevedo, D L; Sales, F A M; Albuquerque, E L

2011-05-07

We present the structural, electronic, and optical properties of anhydrous crystals of DNA nucleobases (guanine, adenine, cytosine, and thymine) found after DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculations within the local density approximation, as well as experimental measurements of optical absorption for powders of these crystals. Guanine and cytosine (adenine and thymine) anhydrous crystals are predicted from the DFT simulations to be direct (indirect) band gap semiconductors, with values 2.68 eV and 3.30 eV (2.83 eV and 3.22 eV), respectively, while the experimentally estimated band gaps we have measured are 3.83 eV and 3.84 eV (3.89 eV and 4.07 eV), in the same order. The electronic effective masses we have obtained at band extremes show that, at low temperatures, these crystals behave like wide gap semiconductors for electrons moving along the nucleobases stacking direction, while the hole transport are somewhat limited. Lastly, the calculated electronic dielectric functions of DNA nucleobases crystals in the parallel and perpendicular directions to the stacking planes exhibit a high degree of anisotropy (except cytosine), in agreement with published experimental results.

Graphene-based half-metal and spin-semiconductor for spintronic applications.

PubMed

Qi, Jingshan; Chen, Xiaofang; Hu, Kaige; Feng, Ji

2016-03-31

In this letter we propose a strategy to make graphene become a half-metal or spin-semiconductor by combining the magnetic proximity effects and sublattice symmetry breaking in graphone/graphene and graphone/graphene/BN heterostructures. Exchange interactions lift the spin degeneracy and sublattice symmetry breaking opens a band gap in graphene. More interestingly, the gap opening depends on the spin direction and the competition between the sublattice asymmetry and exchange field determines the system is a half-metal or a spin-semiconductor. By first-principles calculations and a low-energy effective model analysis, we elucidate the underlying physical mechanism of spin-dependent gap opening and spin degeneracy splitting. This offers an alternative practical platform for graphene-based spintronics.

Scanning electron microscope observation of dislocations in semiconductor and metal materials.

PubMed

Kuwano, Noriyuki; Itakura, Masaru; Nagatomo, Yoshiyuki; Tachibana, Shigeaki

2010-08-01

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image contrasts have been investigated for dislocations in semiconductor and metal materials. It is revealed that single dislocations can be observed in a high contrast in SEM images formed by backscattered electrons (BSE) under the condition of a normal configuration of SEM. The BSE images of dislocations were compared with those of the transmission electron microscope and scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and the dependence of BSE image contrast on the tilting of specimen was examined to discuss the origin of image contrast. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the BSE images of single dislocations are attributed to the diffraction effect and related with high-angle dark-field images of STEM.

Ultrafast photoinduced charge separation in metal-semiconductor nanohybrids.

PubMed

Mongin, Denis; Shaviv, Ehud; Maioli, Paolo; Crut, Aurélien; Banin, Uri; Del Fatti, Natalia; Vallée, Fabrice

2012-08-28

Hybrid nano-objects formed by two or more disparate materials are among the most promising and versatile nanosystems. A key parameter in their properties is interaction between their components. In this context we have investigated ultrafast charge separation in semiconductor-metal nanohybrids using a model system of gold-tipped CdS nanorods in a matchstick architecture. Experiments are performed using an optical time-resolved pump-probe technique, exciting either the semiconductor or the metal component of the particles, and probing the light-induced change of their optical response. Electron-hole pairs photoexcited in the semiconductor part of the nanohybrids are shown to undergo rapid charge separation with the electron transferred to the metal part on a sub-20 fs time scale. This ultrafast gold charging leads to a transient red-shift and broadening of the metal surface plasmon resonance, in agreement with results for free clusters but in contrast to observation for static charging of gold nanoparticles in liquid environments. Quantitative comparison with a theoretical model is in excellent agreement with the experimental results, confirming photoexcitation of one electron-hole pair per nanohybrid followed by ultrafast charge separation. The results also point to the utilization of such metal-semiconductor nanohybrids in light-harvesting applications and in photocatalysis.

Epitaxy of semiconductor-superconductor nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krogstrup, P.; Ziino, N. L. B.; Chang, W.; Albrecht, S. M.; Madsen, M. H.; Johnson, E.; Nygård, J.; Marcus, C. M.; Jespersen, T. S.

2015-04-01

Controlling the properties of semiconductor/metal interfaces is a powerful method for designing functionality and improving the performance of electrical devices. Recently semiconductor/superconductor hybrids have appeared as an important example where the atomic scale uniformity of the interface plays a key role in determining the quality of the induced superconducting gap. Here we present epitaxial growth of semiconductor-metal core-shell nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy, a method that provides a conceptually new route to controlled electrical contacting of nanostructures and the design of devices for specialized applications such as topological and gate-controlled superconducting electronics. Our materials of choice, InAs/Al grown with epitaxially matched single-plane interfaces, and alternative semiconductor/metal combinations allowing epitaxial interface matching in nanowires are discussed. We formulate the grain growth kinetics of the metal phase in general terms of continuum parameters and bicrystal symmetries. The method realizes the ultimate limit of uniform interfaces and seems to solve the soft-gap problem in superconducting hybrid structures.

Electronic materials with a wide band gap: recent developments

PubMed Central

Klimm, Detlef

2014-01-01

The development of semiconductor electronics is reviewed briefly, beginning with the development of germanium devices (band gap E g = 0.66 eV) after World War II. A tendency towards alternative materials with wider band gaps quickly became apparent, starting with silicon (E g = 1.12 eV). This improved the signal-to-noise ratio for classical electronic applications. Both semiconductors have a tetrahedral coordination, and by isoelectronic alternative replacement of Ge or Si with carbon or various anions and cations, other semiconductors with wider E g were obtained. These are transparent to visible light and belong to the group of wide band gap semiconductors. Nowadays, some nitrides, especially GaN and AlN, are the most important materials for optical emission in the ultraviolet and blue regions. Oxide crystals, such as ZnO and β-Ga2O3, offer similarly good electronic properties but still suffer from significant difficulties in obtaining stable and technologically adequate p-type conductivity. PMID:25295170

Transition-metal-substituted indium thiospinels as novel intermediate-band materials: prediction and understanding of their electronic properties.

PubMed

Palacios, P; Aguilera, I; Sánchez, K; Conesa, J C; Wahnón, P

2008-07-25

Results of density-functional calculations for indium thiospinel semiconductors substituted at octahedral sites with isolated transition metals (M=Ti,V) show an isolated partially filled narrow band containing three t2g-type states per M atom inside the usual semiconductor band gap. Thanks to this electronic structure feature, these materials will allow the absorption of photons with energy below the band gap, in addition to the normal light absorption of a semiconductor. To our knowledge, we demonstrate for the first time the formation of an isolated intermediate electronic band structure through M substitution at octahedral sites in a semiconductor, leading to an enhancement of the absorption coefficient in both infrared and visible ranges of the solar spectrum. This electronic structure feature could be applied for developing a new third-generation photovoltaic cell.

Noncontact, Electrode-free Capacitance/Voltage Measurement Based on General Theory of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, Takamasa; Kohno, Motohiro; Hirae, Sadao; Nakatani, Ikuyoshi; Kusuda, Tatsufumi

1993-09-01

In this paper, we discussed a novel approach to semiconductor surface inspection, which is analysis using the C--V curve measured in a noncontact method by the metal-air-semiconductor (MAIS) technique. A new gap sensing method using the so-called Goos-Haenchen effect was developed to achieve the noncontact C--V measurement. The MAIS technique exhibited comparable sensitivity and repeatability to those of conventional C--V measurement, and hence, good reproducibility and resolution for quantifying the electrically active impurity on the order of 1× 109/cm2, which is better than most spectrometric techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and Auger electron spectrocopy (AES) which are time-consuming and destructive. This measurement without preparation of any electrical contact metal electrode suggested, for the first time, the possibility of measuring an intrinsic characteristic of the semiconductor surface, using the examples of a concrete examination.

A silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor electron spin-orbit qubit.

PubMed

Jock, Ryan M; Jacobson, N Tobias; Harvey-Collard, Patrick; Mounce, Andrew M; Srinivasa, Vanita; Ward, Dan R; Anderson, John; Manginell, Ron; Wendt, Joel R; Rudolph, Martin; Pluym, Tammy; Gamble, John King; Baczewski, Andrew D; Witzel, Wayne M; Carroll, Malcolm S

2018-05-02

The silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) material system is a technologically important implementation of spin-based quantum information processing. However, the MOS interface is imperfect leading to concerns about 1/f trap noise and variability in the electron g-factor due to spin-orbit (SO) effects. Here we advantageously use interface-SO coupling for a critical control axis in a double-quantum-dot singlet-triplet qubit. The magnetic field-orientation dependence of the g-factors is consistent with Rashba and Dresselhaus interface-SO contributions. The resulting all-electrical, two-axis control is also used to probe the MOS interface noise. The measured inhomogeneous dephasing time, [Formula: see text], of 1.6 μs is consistent with 99.95% 28 Si enrichment. Furthermore, when tuned to be sensitive to exchange fluctuations, a quasi-static charge noise detuning variance of 2 μeV is observed, competitive with low-noise reports in other semiconductor qubits. This work, therefore, demonstrates that the MOS interface inherently provides properties for two-axis qubit control, while not increasing noise relative to other material choices.

P and n-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including band gap widening elements, devices utilizing same

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Ovshinsky, Stanford R.

1988-10-04

An n-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including a band gap widening element; a method of fabricating p-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including a band gap widening element; and electronic and photovoltaic devices incorporating said n-type and p-type materials.

Electronic structure of semiconducting alkali-metal silicides and germanides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tegze, M.; Hafner, J.

1989-11-01

We present self-consistent linearized-muffin-tin-orbital calculations of the electronic structure of three alkali-metal germanides and silicides (KGe, NaGe, and NaSi). Like the alkali-metal-lead compounds investigated in our earlier work [M. Tegze and J. Hafner, Phys. Rev. B 39, 8263 (1989)] the Ge and Si compounds of the alkali metals form complex structures based on the packing of tetrahedral Ge4 and Si4 clusters. Our calculations show that all three compounds are narrow-gap semiconductors. The width of the energy gap depends on two main factors: the ratio of the intracluster to the intercluster interactions between the group-IV elements (which increases from Pb to Si) and the strength of the interactions between the alkali-metal atoms (which varies with the size ratio).

Band Gap Distortion in Semiconductors Strongly Driven by Intense Mid-Infrared Laser Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kono, J.; Chin, A. H.

2000-03-01

Crystalline solids non-resonantly driven by intense time-periodic electric fields are predicted to exhibit unusual band-gap distortion.(e.g., Y. Yacoby, Phys. Rev. 169, 610 (1968); L.C.M. Miranda, Solid State Commun. 45, 783 (1983); J.Z. Kaminski, Acta Physica Polonica A 83, 495(1993).) Such non-perturbative effects have not been observed to date because of the unavoidable sample damage due to the very high intensity required using conventional lasers ( 1 eV photon energy). Here, we report the first clear evidence of laser-induced bandgap shrinkage in semiconductors under intense mid-infrared (MIR) laser fields. The use of long-wavelength light reduces the required intensity and prohibits strong interband absorption, thereby avoiding the damage problem. The significant sub-bandgap absorption persists only during the existence of the MIR laser pulse, indicating the virtual nature of the effect. We show that this particular example of non-perturbative behavior, known as the dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect, occurs when the effective ponderomotive potential energy is comparable to the photon energy of the applied field. This work was supported by ONR, NSF, JST and NEDO.

Electron-rich driven electrochemical solid-state amorphization in Li-Si alloys.

PubMed

Wang, Zhiguo; Gu, Meng; Zhou, Yungang; Zu, Xiaotao; Connell, Justin G; Xiao, Jie; Perea, Daniel; Lauhon, Lincoln J; Bang, Junhyeok; Zhang, Shengbai; Wang, Chongmin; Gao, Fei

2013-09-11

The physical and chemical behaviors of materials used in energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), are mainly controlled by an electrochemical process, which normally involves insertion/extraction of ions into/from a host lattice with a concurrent flow of electrons to compensate charge balance. The fundamental physics and chemistry governing the behavior of materials in response to the ions insertion/extraction is not known. Herein, a combination of in situ lithiation experiments and large-scale ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are performed to explore the mechanisms of the electrochemically driven solid-state amorphization in Li-Si systems. We find that local electron-rich condition governs the electrochemically driven solid-state amorphization of Li-Si alloys. This discovery provides the fundamental explanation of why lithium insertion in semiconductor and insulators leads to amorphization, whereas in metals, it leads to a crystalline alloy. The present work correlates electrochemically driven reactions with ion insertion, electron transfer, lattice stability, and phase equilibrium.

Electron-Rich Driven Electrochemical Solid-State Amorphization in Li-Si Alloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zhiguo; Gu, Meng; Zhou, Yungang

2013-08-14

The physical and chemical behaviors of materials used in energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), are mainly controlled by an electrochemical process, which normally involves insertion/extraction of ions into/from a host lattice with a concurrent flow of electrons to compensate charge balance. The fundamental physics and chemistry governing the behavior of materials in response to the ions insertion/extraction is not known. Herein, a combination of in situ lithiation experiments and large-scale ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are performed to explore the mechanisms of the electrochemically driven solid-state amorphization in Li-Si systems. We find that local electron-rich condition governsmore » the electrochemically driven solid-state amorphization of Li-Si alloys. This discovery provides the fundamental explanation of why lithium insertion in semiconductor and insulators leads to amorphization, whereas in metals, it leads to a crystalline alloy. The present work correlates electrochemically driven reactions with ion insertion, electron transfer, lattice stability and phase equilibrium.« less

Quantized conductance doubling and hard gap in a two-dimensional semiconductor-superconductor heterostructure.

PubMed

Kjaergaard, M; Nichele, F; Suominen, H J; Nowak, M P; Wimmer, M; Akhmerov, A R; Folk, J A; Flensberg, K; Shabani, J; Palmstrøm, C J; Marcus, C M

2016-09-29

Coupling a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor heterostructure to a superconductor opens new research and technology opportunities, including fundamental problems in mesoscopic superconductivity, scalable superconducting electronics, and new topological states of matter. One route towards topological matter is by coupling a 2D electron gas with strong spin-orbit interaction to an s-wave superconductor. Previous efforts along these lines have been adversely affected by interface disorder and unstable gating. Here we show measurements on a gateable InGaAs/InAs 2DEG with patterned epitaxial Al, yielding devices with atomically pristine interfaces between semiconductor and superconductor. Using surface gates to form a quantum point contact (QPC), we find a hard superconducting gap in the tunnelling regime. When the QPC is in the open regime, we observe a first conductance plateau at 4e 2 /h, consistent with theory. The hard-gap semiconductor-superconductor system demonstrated here is amenable to top-down processing and provides a new avenue towards low-dissipation electronics and topological quantum systems.

A silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor electron spin-orbit qubit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jock, Ryan Michael; Jacobson, Noah Tobias; Harvey-Collard, Patrick

Here, the silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) material system is a technologically important implementation of spin-based quantum information processing. However, the MOS interface is imperfect leading to concerns about 1/f trap noise and variability in the electron g-factor due to spin–orbit (SO) effects. Here we advantageously use interface–SO coupling for a critical control axis in a double-quantum-dot singlet–triplet qubit. The magnetic field-orientation dependence of the g-factors is consistent with Rashba and Dresselhaus interface–SO contributions. The resulting all-electrical, two-axis control is also used to probe the MOS interface noise. The measured inhomogeneous dephasing time, T* 2m, of 1.6 μs is consistent with 99.95%more » 28Si enrichment. Furthermore, when tuned to be sensitive to exchange fluctuations, a quasi-static charge noise detuning variance of 2 μeV is observed, competitive with low-noise reports in other semiconductor qubits. This work, therefore, demonstrates that the MOS interface inherently provides properties for two-axis qubit control, while not increasing noise relative to other material choices.« less

A silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor electron spin-orbit qubit

DOE PAGES

Jock, Ryan Michael; Jacobson, Noah Tobias; Harvey-Collard, Patrick; ...

2018-05-02

Here, the silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) material system is a technologically important implementation of spin-based quantum information processing. However, the MOS interface is imperfect leading to concerns about 1/f trap noise and variability in the electron g-factor due to spin–orbit (SO) effects. Here we advantageously use interface–SO coupling for a critical control axis in a double-quantum-dot singlet–triplet qubit. The magnetic field-orientation dependence of the g-factors is consistent with Rashba and Dresselhaus interface–SO contributions. The resulting all-electrical, two-axis control is also used to probe the MOS interface noise. The measured inhomogeneous dephasing time, T* 2m, of 1.6 μs is consistent with 99.95%more » 28Si enrichment. Furthermore, when tuned to be sensitive to exchange fluctuations, a quasi-static charge noise detuning variance of 2 μeV is observed, competitive with low-noise reports in other semiconductor qubits. This work, therefore, demonstrates that the MOS interface inherently provides properties for two-axis qubit control, while not increasing noise relative to other material choices.« less

Crystal Growth and Characterization of the Narrow-Band-Gap Semiconductors OsPn 2 (Pn = P, As, Sb)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bugaris, Daniel E.; Malliakas, Christos D.; Shoemaker, Daniel P.

2014-09-15

Using metal fluxes, crystals of the binary osmium dipnictides OsPn(2) (Pn = P, As, Sb) have been grown for the first time. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction confirms that these compounds crystallize in the marcasite structure type with orthorhombic space group Pnnm. The structure is a three-dimensional framework of corner- and edge-sharing OsPn(6) octahedra, as well as [Pn(2)(-4)] anions. Raman spectroscopy shows the presence of PP single bonds, consistent with the presence of [Pn(2)(-4)] anions and formally Os4+ cations. Optical-band-gap and high-temperature electrical resistivity measurements indicate that these materials are narrow-band-gap semiconductors. The experimentally determined Seebeck coefficients reveal that nominally undoped OsP2more » and OsSb2 are n-type semiconductors, whereas OsAs2 is p-type. Electronic band structure using density functional theory calculations shows that these compounds are indirect narrow-band-gap semiconductors. The bonding p orbitals associated with the Pn(2) dimer are below the Fermi energy, and the corresponding antibonding states are above, consistent with a PnPn single bond. Thermopower calculations using Boltzmann transport theory and constant relaxation time approximation show that these materials are potentially good thermoelectrics, in agreement with experiment.« less

Pressure induced structural, electronic topological, and semiconductor to metal transition in AgBiSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajaji, V.; Malavi, Pallavi S.; Yamijala, Sharma S. R. K. C.; Sorb, Y. A.; Dutta, Utpal; Guin, Satya N.; Joseph, B.; Pati, Swapan K.; Karmakar, S.; Biswas, Kanishka; Narayana, Chandrabhas

2016-10-01

We report the effect of strong spin orbit coupling inducing electronic topological and semiconductor to metal transitions on the thermoelectric material AgBiSe2 at high pressures. The synchrotron X-ray diffraction and the Raman scattering measurement provide evidence for a pressure induced structural transition from hexagonal (α-AgBiSe2) to rhombohedral (β-AgBiSe2) at a relatively very low pressure of around 0.7 GPa. The sudden drop in the electrical resistivity and clear anomalous changes in the Raman line width of the A1g and Eg(1) modes around 2.8 GPa was observed suggesting a pressure induced electronic topological transition. On further increasing the pressure, anomalous pressure dependence of phonon (A1g and Eg(1)) frequencies and line widths along with the observed temperature dependent electrical resistivity show a pressure induced semiconductor to metal transition above 7.0 GPa in β-AgBiSe2. First principles theoretical calculations reveal that the metallic character of β-AgBiSe2 is induced mainly due to redistributions of the density of states (p orbitals of Bi and Se) near to the Fermi level. Based on its pressure induced multiple electronic transitions, we propose that AgBiSe2 is a potential candidate for the good thermoelectric performance and pressure switches at high pressure.

Growth of Wide Band Gap II-VI Compound Semiconductors by Physical Vapor Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ching-Hua; Sha, Yi-Gao

1995-01-01

The studies on the crystal growth and characterization of II-VI wide band gap compound semiconductors, such as ZnTe, CdS, ZnSe and ZnS, have been conducted over the past three decades. The research was not quite as extensive as that on Si, III-V, or even narrow band gap II-VI semiconductors because of the high melting temperatures as well as the specialized applications associated with these wide band gap semiconductors. In the past several years, major advances in the thin film technology such as Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) have demonstrated the applications of these materials for the important devices such as light-emitting diode, laser and ultraviolet detectors and the tunability of energy band gap by employing ternary or even quaternary systems of these compounds. At the same time, the development in the crystal growth of bulk materials has not advanced far enough to provide low price, high quality substrates needed for the thin film growth technology.

Interface states and internal photoemission in p-type GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashkarov, P. K.; Kazior, T. E.; Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

1983-01-01

An interface photodischarge study of p-type GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures revealed the presence of deep interface states and shallow donors and acceptors which were previously observed in n-type GaAs MOS through sub-band-gap photoionization transitions. For higher photon energies, internal photoemission was observed, i.e., injection of electrons to the conduction band of the oxide from either the metal (Au) or from the GaAs valence band; the threshold energies were found to be 3.25 and 3.7 + or - 0.1 eV, respectively. The measured photoemission current exhibited a thermal activation energy of about 0.06 eV, which is consistent with a hopping mechanism of electron transport in the oxide.

Quantum theory of the electronic and optical properties of low-dimensional semiconductor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Wayne Heung

This thesis examines the electronic and optical properties of low-dimensional semiconductor systems. A theory is developed to study the electron-hole generation-recombination process of type-II semimetallic semiconductor heterojunctions based on a 3 x 3 k·p matrix Hamiltonian (three-band model) and an 8 x 8 k·p matrix Hamiltonian (eight-band model). A novel electron-hole generation and recombination process, which is called activationless generation-recombination process, is predicted. It is demonstrated that the current through the type-II semimetallic semiconductor heterojunctions is governed by the activationless electron-hole generation-recombination process at the heterointerfaces, and that the current-voltage characteristics are essentially linear. A qualitative agreement between theory and experiments is observed. The numerical results of the eight-band model are compared with those of the threeband model. Based on a lattice gas model, a theory is developed to study the influence of a random potential on the ionization equilibrium conditions for bound electron-hole pairs (excitons) in III--V semiconductor heterostructures. It is demonstrated that ionization equilibrium conditions for bound electron-hole pairs change drastically in the presence of strong disorder. It is predicted that strong disorder promotes dissociation of excitons in III--V semiconductor heterostructures. A theory of polariton (photon dressed by phonon) spontaneous emission in a III--V semiconductor doped with semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) or quantum wells (QWs) is developed. For the first time, superradiant and subradiant polariton spontaneous emission phenomena in a polariton-QD (QW) coupled system are predicted when the resonance energies of the two identical QDs (QWs) lie outside the polaritonic energy gap. It is also predicted that when the resonance energies of the two identical QDs (QWs) lie inside the polaritonic energy gap, spontaneous emission of polariton in the polariton

A note on anomalous band-gap variations in semiconductors with temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, P. K.; Mondal, B. N.

2018-03-01

An attempt is made to theoretically study the band-gap variations (ΔEg) in semiconductors with temperature following the works, did by Fan and O'Donnell et al. based on thermodynamic functions. The semiconductor band-gap reflects the bonding energy. An increase in temperature changes the chemical bondings, and electrons are promoted from valence band to conduction band. In their analyses, they made several approximations with respect to temperature and other fitting parameters leading to real values of band-gap variations with linear temperature dependences. In the present communication, we have tried to re-analyse the works, specially did by Fan, and derived an analytical model for ΔEg(T). Because, it was based on the second-order perturbation technique of thermodynamic functions. Our analyses are made without any approximations with respect to temperatures and other fitting parameters mentioned in the text, leading to a complex functions followed by an oscillating nature of the variations of ΔEg. In support of the existence of the oscillating energy band-gap variations with temperature in a semiconductor, possible physical explanations are provided to justify the experimental observation for various materials.

Two-dimensional wide-band-gap II-V semiconductors with a dilated graphene-like structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xue-Jing; Liu, Bang-Gui

2016-12-01

Since the advent of graphene, two-dimensional (2D) materials have become very attractive and there is growing interest in exploring new 2D materials beyond graphene. Here, through density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, we predict 2D wide-band-gap II-V semiconductor materials of M3X2 (M = Zn, Cd and X = N, P, As) with a dilated graphene-like honeycomb structure. In this structure the group-V X atoms form two X-atomic planes symmetrically astride the centering group-IIB M atomic plane. Our DFT calculation shows that 2D Zn3N2, Zn3P2 and Zn3As2 have direct band gaps of 2.87, 3.81 and 3.55 eV, respectively, and 2D Cd3N2, Cd3P2 and Cd3As2 exhibit indirect band gaps of 2.74, 3.51 and 3.29 eV, respectively. Each of the six 2D materials is shown to have effective carrier (either hole or electron) masses down to 0.03m 0-0.05m 0. The structural stability and feasibility of experimental realization of these 2D materials has been shown in terms of DFT phonon spectra and total energy comparison with related existing bulk materials. On the experimental side, there already are many similar two-coordinate structures of Zn and other transition metals in various organic materials. Therefore, these 2D semiconductors can enrich the family of 2D electronic materials and may have promising potential for achieving novel transistors and optoelectronic devices.

Electron-Hole Condensation in Semiconductors: Electrons and holes condense into freely moving liquid metallic droplets, a plasma phase with novel properties.

PubMed

Jeffries, C D

1975-09-19

In Ge and Si, and also in Ge-Si alloys (74), there is extensive evidence for the stable binding of electrons and holes into a cold plasma of constant density, which undergoes a phase separation. Liquid metallic drops 1 to 300 microm in size are formed, with lifetimes ranging from 0.1 to 600 microsec. For Ge a surprising amount is known: the phase diagram, the surface energy, the work function, the decay kinetics. Much less is known for Si. There is good agreement between theoretical and experimental values of the liquid density, the critical density, the critical temperature, and the binding energy. The stability of the liquid phase is strikingly dependent on band structure. The multivalley structure and mass anisotropy of Si, Ge, and Ge-Si, together with their indirect band gap, are no doubt responsible for the observed stability in these crystals. In the similar semiconductor gallium phosphide, drops have not yet been observed, most likely because the high impurity content traps the excitons. In gallium arsenide the existence of drops is controversial (75). Undoubtedly drops will be found to exist in other semiconductors, perhaps at even higher temperatures. This is an exciting field for the experimentalist; new phenomena are being rapidly discovered, usually before they are predicted. For the theorist, the electron-hole drop is of high intrinsic interest. It represents the first example of a quantum liquid of constant density in a periodic crystal lattice. A number of challenging experimental and theoretical problems remain.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Photodetectors

PubMed Central

Lin, Chu-Hsuan; Liu, Chee Wee

2010-01-01

The major radiation of the Sun can be roughly divided into three regions: ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Detection in these three regions is important to human beings. The metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetector, with a simpler process than the pn-junction photodetector and a lower dark current than the MSM photodetector, has been developed for light detection in these three regions. Ideal UV photodetectors with high UV-to-visible rejection ratio could be demonstrated with III–V metal-insulator-semiconductor UV photodetectors. The visible-light detection and near-infrared optical communications have been implemented with Si and Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors. For mid- and long-wavelength infrared detection, metal-insulator-semiconductor SiGe/Si quantum dot infrared photodetectors have been developed, and the detection spectrum covers atmospheric transmission windows. PMID:22163382

Protection of inorganic semiconductors for sustained, efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

DOE PAGES

Lichterman, Michael F.; Sun, Ke; Hu, Shu; ...

2015-10-25

Small-band-gap (E g < 2 eV) semiconductors must be stabilized for use in integrated devices that convert solar energy into the bonding energy of a reduced fuel, specifically H 2 (g) or a reduced-carbon species such as CH 3 OH or CH 4 . To sustainably and scalably complete the fuel cycle, electrons must be liberated through the oxidation of water to O 2 (g). Strongly acidic or strongly alkaline electrolytes are needed to enable efficient and intrinsically safe operation of a full solar-driven water-splitting system. But, under water-oxidation conditions, the small-band-gap semiconductors required for efficient cell operation aremore » unstable, either dissolving or forming insulating surface oxides. Here, we describe herein recent progress in the protection of semiconductor photoanodes under such operational conditions. We specifically describe the properties of two protective overlayers, TiO 2 /Ni and NiO x , both of which have demonstrated the ability to protect otherwise unstable semiconductors for > 100 h of continuous solar-driven water oxidation when in contact with a highly alkaline aqueous electrolyte (1.0 M KOH(aq)). Furthermore, the stabilization of various semiconductor photoanodes is reviewed in the context of the electronic characteristics and a mechanistic analysis of the TiO 2 films, along with a discussion of the optical, catalytic, and electronic nature of NiO x films for stabilization of semiconductor photoanodes for water oxidation.« less

Optical phonon effect in quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor quantum wires: Band-gap renormalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, Nguyen Trung; Bechstedt, F.

1996-02-01

We present theoretical studies of dynamical screening in quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor quantum wires including electron-electron and electron-LO-phonon interactions. Within the random-phase approximation we obtain analytical expressions for screened interaction potentials. These expressions can be used to calculate the band-gap renormalization of quantum wires, which depends on the free-carrier density and temperature. We find that the optical phonon interaction effect plays a significant role in band-gap renormalization of quantum wires. The numerical results are compared with some recent experiment measurements as well as available theories.

Improved half-metallic gap of zincblende half-metal superlattices with the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson density functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, San-Dong

2016-08-01

Binary transition-metal pnictides and chalcogenides half-metallic ferromagnetic materials with zincblende structure, being compatible with current semiconductor technology, can be used to make high-performance spintronic devices. Here, we investigate electronic structures and magnetic properties of composite structure ((CrX)2 /(YX)2 (X=As, Sb; Se, Te and Y=Ga; Zn) superlattices) of zincblende half-metallic ferromagnetism and semiconductor by using Tran and Blaha's modified Becke and Johnson (mBJ) exchange potential. Calculated results show that they all are half-metallic ferromagnets with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and mBJ, and the total magnetic moment per formula unit follows a Slater-Pauling-like "rule of 8". The key half-metallic gaps by using mBJ are enhanced with respect to GGA results, which is because mBJ makes the occupied minority-spin p-bands move toward lower energy, but toward higher energy for empty minority-spin Cr-d bands. When the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is included, the spin polarization deviates from 100%, and a most reduced polarization of 98.3% for (CrSb)2 /(GaSb)2, which indicates that SOC has small effects, of the order of 1%, in the considered four kinds of superlattice.

The possibility of chemically inert, graphene-based all-carbon electronic devices with 0.8 eV gap.

PubMed

Qi, Jing Shan; Huang, Jian Yu; Feng, Ji; Shi, Da Ning; Li, Ju

2011-05-24

Graphene is an interesting electronic material. However, flat monolayer graphene does not have significant gap in the electronic density of states, required for a large on-off ratio in logic applications. We propose here a novel device architecture, composed of self-folded carbon nanotube-graphene hybrids, which have been recently observed experimentally in Joule-heated graphene. These experiments demonstrated the feasibility of cutting, folding, and welding few-layer graphene in situ to form all-carbon nanostructures with complex topologies. The electronic gap of self-folded nanotubes can be combined with the semimetallicity of graphene electrodes to form a "metal-semiconductor-metal" junction. By ab initio calculations we demonstrate large energy gaps in the transmission spectra of such junctions, which preserve the intrinsic transport characteristics of the semiconducting nanotubes despite topologically necessary disinclinations at the flat graphene-curved nanotube interface. These all-carbon devices are proposed to be constructed by contact probe cutting and high-temperature annealing and, if produced, would be chemically stable at room temperature under normal gas environments.

Diluted magnetic semiconductors with narrow band gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Bo; Maekawa, Sadamichi

2016-10-01

We propose a method to realize diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) with p - and n -type carriers by choosing host semiconductors with a narrow band gap. By employing a combination of the density function theory and quantum Monte Carlo simulation, we demonstrate such semiconductors using Mn-doped BaZn2As2 , which has a band gap of 0.2 eV. In addition, we found a nontoxic DMS Mn-doped BaZn2Sb2 , of which the Curie temperature Tc is predicted to be higher than that of Mn-doped BaZn2As2 , the Tc of which was up to 230 K in a recent experiment.

SEM evaluation of metallization on semiconductors. [Scanning Electron Microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fresh, D. L.; Adolphsen, J. W.

1974-01-01

A test method for the evaluation of metallization on semiconductors is presented and discussed. The method has been prepared in MIL-STD format for submittal as a proposed addition to MIL-STD-883. It is applicable to discrete devices and to integrated circuits and specifically addresses batch-process oriented defects. Quantitative accept/reject criteria are given for contact windows, other oxide steps, and general interconnecting metallization. Figures are provided that illustrate typical types of defects. Apparatus specifications, sampling plans, and specimen preparation and examination requirements are described. Procedures for glassivated devices and for multi-metal interconnection systems are included.

Controlled electron doping into metallic atomic wires: Si(111)4×1-In

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morikawa, Harumo; Hwang, C. C.; Yeom, Han Woong

2010-02-01

We demonstrate the controllable electron doping into metallic atomic wires, indium wires self-assembled on the Si(111) surface, which feature one-dimensional (1D) band structure and temperature-driven metal-insulator transition. The electron filling of 1D metallic bands is systematically increased by alkali-metal adsorption, which, in turn, tunes the macroscopic property, that is, suppresses the metal-insulator transition. On the other hand, the dopant atoms induce a local lattice distortion without a band-gap opening, leading to a microscopic phase separation on the surface. The distinct bifunctional, electronic and structural, roles of dopants in different length scales are thus disclosed.

Band-Gap Engineering at a Semiconductor-Crystalline Oxide Interface

DOE PAGES

Jahangir-Moghadam, Mohammadreza; Ahmadi-Majlan, Kamyar; Shen, Xuan; ...

2015-02-09

The epitaxial growth of crystalline oxides on semiconductors provides a pathway to introduce new functionalities to semiconductor devices. Key to integrating the functionalities of oxides onto semiconductors is controlling the band alignment at interfaces between the two materials. Here we apply principles of band gap engineering traditionally used at heterojunctions between conventional semiconductors to control the band offset between a single crystalline oxide and a semiconductor. Reactive molecular beam epitaxy is used to realize atomically abrupt and structurally coherent interfaces between SrZr xTi 1-xO₃ and Ge, in which the band gap of the former is enhanced with Zr content x.more » We present structural and electrical characterization of SrZr xTi 1-xO₃-Ge heterojunctions and demonstrate a type-I band offset can be achieved. These results demonstrate that band gap engineering can be exploited to realize functional semiconductor crystalline oxide heterojunctions.« less

Femtosecond Optical and X-Ray Measurement of the Semiconductor-to-Metal Transition in VO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavalleri, Andrea; Toth, Csaba; Squier, Jeff; Siders, Craig; Raksi, Ferenc; Forget, Patrick; Kieffer, Jean-Claude

2001-03-01

While the use of ultrashort visible pulses allows access to ultrafast changes in the optical properties during phase transitions, measurement of the correlation between atomic movement and electronic rearrangement has proven more elusive. Here, we report on the conjunct measurement of ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics during a semiconductor-to-metal phase transition in VO2. Rearrangement of the unit cell from monoclinic to rutile (measured by ultrafast x-ray diffraction) is accompanied by a sharp increase in the electrical conductivity and perturbation of the optical properties (measured with ultrafast visible spectroscopy). Ultrafast x-ray diffraction experiments were performed using femtosecond bursts of Cu-Ka from a laser generated plasma source. A clear rise of the diffraction signal originating from the impulsively generated metallic phase was observable on the sub-picosecond timescale. Optical experiments were performed using time-resolved microscopy, providing temporally and spatially resolved measurements of the optical reflectivity at 800 nm. The data indicate that the reflectivity of the low-temperature semiconducting solid is driven to that of the equilibrium, high-temperature metallic phase within 400 fs after irradiation with a 50-fs laser pulse at fluences in excess of 10 mJ/cm2. In conclusion, the data presented in this contribution suggest that the semiconductor-to-metal transition in VO2 occurs within 500 fs after laser-irradiation. A nonthermal physical mechanism governs the re-arrangement.

Electron counting and a large family of two-dimensional semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Maosheng; Botana, Jorge; Zurek, Eva; Liu, Jingyao; Yang, Wen

Two-dimensional semiconductors (2DSC) are currently the focus of many studies, thanks to their novel and superior transport properties that may greatly influence future electronic devices. The potential applications of 2DSCs range from low-dimensional electronics, topological insulators and vallytronics all the way to novel photolysis. However, compared with the conventional semiconductors that are comprised of main group elements and cover a large range of band gaps and lattice constants, the choice of 2D materials is very limited. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a large family of 2DSCs, all adopting the same structure and consisting of only main group elements. Using advanced density functional calculations, we demonstrate the attainability of these materials, and show that they cover a large range of lattice constants, band gaps and band edge states, making them good candidate materials for heterojunctions. This family of two dimensional materials may be instrumental in the fabrication of 2DSC devices that may rival the currently employed 3D semiconductors.

Electronic and structural properties of M3(HITP)2 (M = Ni, Cu and Co) metal-organic frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silveira, Orlando; Chacham, Helio; Alexandre, Simone

Theoretical and experimental works have demonstrated that electrical and structural properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOF) can be significantly changed by the identity of the metal center, leading to a potential strategy for tuning the selectivity of the material toward different types of technological applications. In this work, we use first principle calculations to investigate the electronic properties of 2D MOF M3(HITP)2 (M is Ni, Cu and Co and HITP = 2,3,6,7,10,11 - hexaiminotriphenylene). Our results show that for M=Ni and Co, the structures are perfect planar and there is a full charge delocalization in the 2D plane of stacking due to the predominance of π - π bonding. The band structure for M = Ni shows that this material is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 132 meV, whilst for M = Co the band structure shows that this material is a ferromagnetic semiconductor with a direct band gap of 386 meV for spin down and a indirect band gap of 246 meV for spin up. For M=Cu, the material is a metal and adopts a distorted structure due to a different hybridization of the metal atom in comparison with its counterparts. We also propose a tight binding model that can represent the electronic structure near the Fermi level of this family of MOF.

Light-controlled plasmon switching using hybrid metal-semiconductor nanostructures.

PubMed

Paudel, Hari P; Leuenberger, Michael N

2012-06-13

We present a proof of concept for the dynamic control over the plasmon resonance frequencies in a hybrid metal-semiconductor nanoshell structure with Ag core and TiO(2) coating. Our method relies on the temporary change of the dielectric function ε of TiO(2) achieved through temporarily generated electron-hole pairs by means of a pump laser pulse. This change in ε leads to a blue shift of the Ag surface plasmon frequency. We choose TiO(2) as the environment of the Ag core because the band gap energy of TiO(2) is larger than the Ag surface plasmon energy of our nanoparticles, which allows the surface plasmon being excited without generating electron-hole pairs in the environment at the same time. We calculate the magnitude of the plasmon resonance shift as a function of electron-hole pair density and obtain shifts up to 126 nm at wavelengths around 460 nm. Using our results, we develop the model of a light-controlled surface plasmon polariton switch.

Algorithmic implementation of particle-particle ladder diagram approximation to study strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prayogi, A.; Majidi, M. A.

2017-07-01

In condensed-matter physics, strongly-correlated systems refer to materials that exhibit variety of fascinating properties and ordered phases, depending on temperature, doping, and other factors. Such unique properties most notably arise due to strong electron-electron interactions, and in some cases due to interactions involving other quasiparticles as well. Electronic correlation effects are non-trivial that one may need a sufficiently accurate approximation technique with quite heavy computation, such as Quantum Monte-Carlo, in order to capture particular material properties arising from such effects. Meanwhile, less accurate techniques may come with lower numerical cost, but the ability to capture particular properties may highly depend on the choice of approximation. Among the many-body techniques derivable from Feynman diagrams, we aim to formulate algorithmic implementation of the Ladder Diagram approximation to capture the effects of electron-electron interactions. We wish to investigate how these correlation effects influence the temperature-dependent properties of strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors. As we are interested to study the temperature-dependent properties of the system, the Ladder diagram method needs to be applied in Matsubara frequency domain to obtain the self-consistent self-energy. However, at the end we would also need to compute the dynamical properties like density of states (DOS) and optical conductivity that are defined in the real frequency domain. For this purpose, we need to perform the analytic continuation procedure. At the end of this study, we will test the technique by observing the occurrence of metal-insulator transition in strongly-correlated metals, and renormalization of the band gap in strongly-correlated semiconductors.

A silicon-on-insulator complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible flexible electronics technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Hongen; Xu, Yong

2012-07-01

This paper reports a simple flexible electronics technology that is compatible with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Compared with existing technologies such as direct fabrication on flexible substrates and transfer printing, the main advantage of this technology is its post-SOI-CMOS compatibility. Consequently, high-performance and high-density CMOS circuits can be first fabricated on SOI wafers using commercial foundry and then be integrated into flexible substrates. The yield is also improved by eliminating the transfer printing step. Furthermore, this technology allows the integration of various sensors and microfluidic devices. To prove the concept of this technology, flexible MOSFETs have been demonstrated.

Physicochemical and Electrophysical Properties of Metal/Semiconductor Containing Nanostructured Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerasimov, G. N.; Gromov, V. F.; Trakhtenberg, L. I.

2018-06-01

The properties of nanostructured composites based on metal oxides and metal-polymer materials are analyzed, along with ways of preparing them. The effect the interaction between metal and semiconductor nanoparticles has on the conductivity, photoconductivity, catalytic activity, and magnetic, dielectric, and sensor properties of nanocomposites is discussed. It is shown that as a result of this interaction, a material can acquire properties that do not exist in systems of isolated particles. The transfer of electrons between metal particles of different sizes in polymeric matrices leads to specific dielectric losses, and to an increase in the rate and a change in the direction of chemical reactions catalyzed by these particles. The interaction between metal-oxide semiconductor particles results in the electronic and chemical sensitization of sensor effects in nanostructured composite materials. Studies on creating molecular machines (Brownian motors), devices for magnetic recording of information, and high-temperature superconductors based on nanostructured systems are reviewed.

A room-temperature magnetic semiconductor from a ferromagnetic metallic glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wenjian; Zhang, Hongxia; Shi, Jin-An; Wang, Zhongchang; Song, Cheng; Wang, Xiangrong; Lu, Siyuan; Zhou, Xiangjun; Gu, Lin; Louzguine-Luzgin, Dmitri V.; Chen, Mingwei; Yao, Kefu; Chen, Na

2016-12-01

Emerging for future spintronic/electronic applications, magnetic semiconductors have stimulated intense interest due to their promises for new functionalities and device concepts. So far, the so-called diluted magnetic semiconductors attract many attentions, yet it remains challenging to increase their Curie temperatures above room temperature, particularly those based on III-V semiconductors. In contrast to the concept of doping magnetic elements into conventional semiconductors to make diluted magnetic semiconductors, here we propose to oxidize originally ferromagnetic metals/alloys to form new species of magnetic semiconductors. We introduce oxygen into a ferromagnetic metallic glass to form a Co28.6Fe12.4Ta4.3B8.7O46 magnetic semiconductor with a Curie temperature above 600 K. The demonstration of p-n heterojunctions and electric field control of the room-temperature ferromagnetism in this material reflects its p-type semiconducting character, with a mobility of 0.1 cm2 V-1 s-1. Our findings may pave a new way to realize high Curie temperature magnetic semiconductors with unusual multifunctionalities.

A room-temperature magnetic semiconductor from a ferromagnetic metallic glass.

PubMed

Liu, Wenjian; Zhang, Hongxia; Shi, Jin-An; Wang, Zhongchang; Song, Cheng; Wang, Xiangrong; Lu, Siyuan; Zhou, Xiangjun; Gu, Lin; Louzguine-Luzgin, Dmitri V; Chen, Mingwei; Yao, Kefu; Chen, Na

2016-12-08

Emerging for future spintronic/electronic applications, magnetic semiconductors have stimulated intense interest due to their promises for new functionalities and device concepts. So far, the so-called diluted magnetic semiconductors attract many attentions, yet it remains challenging to increase their Curie temperatures above room temperature, particularly those based on III-V semiconductors. In contrast to the concept of doping magnetic elements into conventional semiconductors to make diluted magnetic semiconductors, here we propose to oxidize originally ferromagnetic metals/alloys to form new species of magnetic semiconductors. We introduce oxygen into a ferromagnetic metallic glass to form a Co 28.6 Fe 12.4 Ta 4.3 B 8.7 O 46 magnetic semiconductor with a Curie temperature above 600 K. The demonstration of p-n heterojunctions and electric field control of the room-temperature ferromagnetism in this material reflects its p-type semiconducting character, with a mobility of 0.1 cm 2  V -1  s -1 . Our findings may pave a new way to realize high Curie temperature magnetic semiconductors with unusual multifunctionalities.

A room-temperature magnetic semiconductor from a ferromagnetic metallic glass

PubMed Central

Liu, Wenjian; Zhang, Hongxia; Shi, Jin-an; Wang, Zhongchang; Song, Cheng; Wang, Xiangrong; Lu, Siyuan; Zhou, Xiangjun; Gu, Lin; Louzguine-Luzgin, Dmitri V.; Chen, Mingwei; Yao, Kefu; Chen, Na

2016-01-01

Emerging for future spintronic/electronic applications, magnetic semiconductors have stimulated intense interest due to their promises for new functionalities and device concepts. So far, the so-called diluted magnetic semiconductors attract many attentions, yet it remains challenging to increase their Curie temperatures above room temperature, particularly those based on III–V semiconductors. In contrast to the concept of doping magnetic elements into conventional semiconductors to make diluted magnetic semiconductors, here we propose to oxidize originally ferromagnetic metals/alloys to form new species of magnetic semiconductors. We introduce oxygen into a ferromagnetic metallic glass to form a Co28.6Fe12.4Ta4.3B8.7O46 magnetic semiconductor with a Curie temperature above 600 K. The demonstration of p–n heterojunctions and electric field control of the room-temperature ferromagnetism in this material reflects its p-type semiconducting character, with a mobility of 0.1 cm2 V−1 s−1. Our findings may pave a new way to realize high Curie temperature magnetic semiconductors with unusual multifunctionalities. PMID:27929059

All-Graphene Planar Self-Switching MISFEDs, Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Field-Effect Diodes

PubMed Central

Al-Dirini, Feras; Hossain, Faruque M.; Nirmalathas, Ampalavanapillai; Skafidas, Efstratios

2014-01-01

Graphene normally behaves as a semimetal because it lacks a bandgap, but when it is patterned into nanoribbons a bandgap can be introduced. By varying the width of these nanoribbons this band gap can be tuned from semiconducting to metallic. This property allows metallic and semiconducting regions within a single Graphene monolayer, which can be used in realising two-dimensional (2D) planar Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor field effect devices. Based on this concept, we present a new class of nano-scale planar devices named Graphene Self-Switching MISFEDs (Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Field-Effect Diodes), in which Graphene is used as the metal and the semiconductor concurrently. The presented devices exhibit excellent current-voltage characteristics while occupying an ultra-small area with sub-10 nm dimensions and an ultimate thinness of a single atom. Quantum mechanical simulation results, based on the Extended Huckel method and Nonequilibrium Green's Function Formalism, show that a Graphene Self-Switching MISFED with a channel as short as 5 nm can achieve forward-to-reverse current rectification ratios exceeding 5000. PMID:24496307

Ultrafast direct electron transfer at organic semiconductor and metal interfaces.

PubMed

Xiang, Bo; Li, Yingmin; Pham, C Huy; Paesani, Francesco; Xiong, Wei

2017-11-01

The ability to control direct electron transfer can facilitate the development of new molecular electronics, light-harvesting materials, and photocatalysis. However, control of direct electron transfer has been rarely reported, and the molecular conformation-electron dynamics relationships remain unclear. We describe direct electron transfer at buried interfaces between an organic polymer semiconductor film and a gold substrate by observing the first dynamical electric field-induced vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG). In transient electric field-induced VSFG measurements on this system, we observe dynamical responses (<150 fs) that depend on photon energy and polarization, demonstrating that electrons are directly transferred from the Fermi level of gold to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of organic semiconductor. Transient spectra further reveal that, although the interfaces are prepared without deliberate alignment control, a subensemble of surface molecules can adopt conformations for direct electron transfer. Density functional theory calculations support the experimental results and ascribe the observed electron transfer to a flat-lying polymer configuration in which electronic orbitals are found to be delocalized across the interface. The present observation of direct electron transfer at complex interfaces and the insights gained into the relationship between molecular conformations and electron dynamics will have implications for implementing novel direct electron transfer in energy materials.

Cu doped diamond: Effect of charge state and defect aggregation on spin interactions in a 3d transition metal doped wide band-gap semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benecha, E. M.; Lombardi, E. B.

2018-05-01

We present a first principles study of Cu in diamond using DFT+U electronic structure methods, by carefully considering the impact of co-doping, charge state, and Fermi level position on its stability, lattice location, spin states, and electronic properties. We show that the energetic stability and spin states of Cu are strongly dependent on the Fermi level position and the type of diamond co-doping, with Cu being energetically more favorable in n-type or p-type co-doped diamond compared to intrinsic diamond. Since Cu has been predicted to order magnetically in a number of other wide band-gap semiconductors, we have also evaluated this possibility for Cu doped diamond. We show that while Cu exhibits strong spin interactions at specific interatomic separations in diamond, a detailed consideration of the impact of Fermi level position and Cu aggregation precludes magnetic ordering, with Cu forming non-magnetic, antiferromagnetic, or paramagnetic clusters. These results have important implications in the understanding of the properties of transition metal dopants in diamond for device applications.

Rocksalt nitride metal/semiconductor superlattices: A new class of artificially structured materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Bivas; Shakouri, Ali; Sands, Timothy D.

2018-06-01

Artificially structured materials in the form of superlattice heterostructures enable the search for exotic new physics and novel device functionalities, and serve as tools to push the fundamentals of scientific and engineering knowledge. Semiconductor heterostructures are the most celebrated and widely studied artificially structured materials, having led to the development of quantum well lasers, quantum cascade lasers, measurements of the fractional quantum Hall effect, and numerous other scientific concepts and practical device technologies. However, combining metals with semiconductors at the atomic scale to develop metal/semiconductor superlattices and heterostructures has remained a profoundly difficult scientific and engineering challenge. Though the potential applications of metal/semiconductor heterostructures could range from energy conversion to photonic computing to high-temperature electronics, materials challenges primarily had severely limited progress in this pursuit until very recently. In this article, we detail the progress that has taken place over the last decade to overcome the materials engineering challenges to grow high quality epitaxial, nominally single crystalline metal/semiconductor superlattices based on transition metal nitrides (TMN). The epitaxial rocksalt TiN/(Al,Sc)N metamaterials are the first pseudomorphic metal/semiconductor superlattices to the best of our knowledge, and their physical properties promise a new era in superlattice physics and device engineering.

Disorder induced gap states as a cause of threshold voltage instabilities in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matys, M.; Kaneki, S.; Nishiguchi, K.; Adamowicz, B.; Hashizume, T.

2017-12-01

We proposed that the disorder induced gap states (DIGS) can be responsible for the threshold voltage (Vth) instability in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors. In order to verify this hypothesis, we performed the theoretical calculations of the capacitance voltage (C-V) curves for the Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN structures using the DIGS model and compared them with measured ones. We found that the experimental C-V curves with a complex hysteresis behavior varied with the maximum forward bias and the sweeping rate can be well reproduced theoretically by assuming a particular distribution in energy and space of the DIGS continuum near the Al2O3/AlGaN interface, i.e., a U-shaped energy density distribution and exponential depth decay from the interface into Al2O3 layer (up to 4 nm), as well as suitable DIGS capture cross sections (the order of magnitude of 10-15 cm2). Finally, we showed that the DIGS model can also explain the negative bias induced threshold voltage instability. We believe that these results should be critical for the successful development of the passivation techniques, which allows to minimize the Vth instability related effects.

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping

PubMed Central

Rossi, Alessandro; Tanttu, Tuomo; Hudson, Fay E.; Sun, Yuxin; Möttönen, Mikko; Dzurak, Andrew S.

2015-01-01

As mass-produced silicon transistors have reached the nano-scale, their behavior and performances are increasingly affected, and often deteriorated, by quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling through single dopants, scattering via interface defects, and discrete trap charge states. However, progress in silicon technology has shown that these phenomena can be harnessed and exploited for a new class of quantum-based electronics. Among others, multi-layer-gated silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) technology can be used to control single charge or spin confined in electrostatically-defined quantum dots (QD). These QD-based devices are an excellent platform for quantum computing applications and, recently, it has been demonstrated that they can also be used as single-electron pumps, which are accurate sources of quantized current for metrological purposes. Here, we discuss in detail the fabrication protocol for silicon MOS QDs which is relevant to both quantum computing and quantum metrology applications. Moreover, we describe characterization methods to test the integrity of the devices after fabrication. Finally, we give a brief description of the measurement set-up used for charge pumping experiments and show representative results of electric current quantization. PMID:26067215

Structural and electronic properties of GaAs and GaP semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rani, Anita; Kumar, Ranjan

2015-05-15

The Structural and Electronic properties of Zinc Blende phase of GaAs and GaP compounds are studied using self consistent SIESTA-code, pseudopotentials and Density Functional Theory (DFT) in Local Density Approximation (LDA). The Lattice Constant, Equillibrium Volume, Cohesive Energy per pair, Compressibility and Band Gap are calculated. The band gaps calcultated with DFT using LDA is smaller than the experimental values. The P-V data fitted to third order Birch Murnaghan equation of state provide the Bulk Modulus and its pressure derivatives. Our Structural and Electronic properties estimations are in agreement with available experimental and theoretical data.

Chemical Modification of Semiconductor Surfaces for Molecular Electronics.

PubMed

Vilan, Ayelet; Cahen, David

2017-03-08

Inserting molecular monolayers within metal/semiconductor interfaces provides one of the most powerful expressions of how minute chemical modifications can affect electronic devices. This topic also has direct importance for technology as it can help improve the efficiency of a variety of electronic devices such as solar cells, LEDs, sensors, and possible future bioelectronic ones. The review covers the main aspects of using chemistry to control the various aspects of interface electrostatics, such as passivation of interface states and alignment of energy levels by intrinsic molecular polarization, as well as charge rearrangement with the adjacent metal and semiconducting contacts. One of the greatest merits of molecular monolayers is their capability to form excellent thin dielectrics, yielding rich and unique current-voltage characteristics for transport across metal/molecular monolayer/semiconductor interfaces. We explain the interplay between the monolayer as tunneling barrier on the one hand, and the electrostatic barrier within the semiconductor, due to its space-charge region, on the other hand, as well as how different monolayer chemistries control each of these barriers. Practical tools to experimentally identify these two barriers and distinguish between them are given, followed by a short look to the future. This review is accompanied by another one, concerning the formation of large-area molecular junctions and charge transport that is dominated solely by molecules.

Epitaxial growth of CoO films on semiconductor and metal substrates by constructing a complex heterostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Entani, S.; Kiguchi, M.; Saiki, K.; Koma, A.

2003-01-01

Epitaxial growth of CoO films was studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The RHEED results indicated that an epitaxial CoO film grew on semiconductor and metal substrates (CoO (0 0 1)∥GaAs (0 0 1), Cu (0 0 1), Ag (0 0 1) and [1 0 0]CoO∥[1 0 0] substrates) by constructing a complex heterostructure with two alkali halide buffer layers. The AES, EELS and UPS results showed that the grown CoO film had almost the same electronic structure as bulk CoO. We could show that use of alkali halide buffer layers was a good way to grow metal oxide films on semiconductor and metal substrates in an O 2 atmosphere. The alkali halide layers not only works as glue to connect very dissimilar materials but also prevents oxidation of metal and semiconductor substrates.

Enhanced thermoelectric performance in the Rashba semiconductor BiTeI through band gap engineering.

PubMed

Wu, Lihua; Yang, Jiong; Zhang, Tiansong; Wang, Shanyu; Wei, Ping; Zhang, Wenqing; Chen, Lidong; Yang, Jihui

2016-03-02

Rashba semiconductors are of great interest in spintronics, superconducting electronics and thermoelectrics. Bulk BiTeI is a new Rashba system with a giant spin-split band structure. 2D-like thermoelectric response has been found in BiTeI. However, as optimizing the carrier concentration, the bipolar effect occurs at elevated temperature and deteriorates the thermoelectric performance of BiTeI. In this paper, band gap engineering in Rashba semiconductor BiTeI through Br-substitution successfully reduces the bipolar effect and improves the thermoelectric properties. By utilizing the optical absorption and Burstein-Moss-effect analysis, we find that the band gap in Rashba semiconductor BiTeI increases upon bromine substitution, which is consistent with theoretical predictions. Bipolar transport is mitigated due to the larger band gap, as the thermally-activated minority carriers diminish. Consequently, the Seebeck coefficient keeps increasing with a corresponding rise in temperature, and thermoelectric performance can thus be enhanced with a ZT  =  0.5 at 570 K for BiTeI0.88Br0.12.

Visible light water splitting using dye-sensitized oxide semiconductors.

PubMed

Youngblood, W Justin; Lee, Seung-Hyun Anna; Maeda, Kazuhiko; Mallouk, Thomas E

2009-12-21

Researchers are intensively investigating photochemical water splitting as a means of converting solar to chemical energy in the form of fuels. Hydrogen is a key solar fuel because it can be used directly in combustion engines or fuel cells, or combined catalytically with CO(2) to make carbon containing fuels. Different approaches to solar water splitting include semiconductor particles as photocatalysts and photoelectrodes, molecular donor-acceptor systems linked to catalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution, and photovoltaic cells coupled directly or indirectly to electrocatalysts. Despite several decades of research, solar hydrogen generation is efficient only in systems that use expensive photovoltaic cells to power water electrolysis. Direct photocatalytic water splitting is a challenging problem because the reaction is thermodynamically uphill. Light absorption results in the formation of energetic charge-separated states in both molecular donor-acceptor systems and semiconductor particles. Unfortunately, energetically favorable charge recombination reactions tend to be much faster than the slow multielectron processes of water oxidation and reduction. Consequently, visible light water splitting has only recently been achieved in semiconductor-based photocatalytic systems and remains an inefficient process. This Account describes our approach to two problems in solar water splitting: the organization of molecules into assemblies that promote long-lived charge separation, and catalysis of the electrolysis reactions, in particular the four-electron oxidation of water. The building blocks of our artificial photosynthetic systems are wide band gap semiconductor particles, photosensitizer and electron relay molecules, and nanoparticle catalysts. We intercalate layered metal oxide semiconductors with metal nanoparticles. These intercalation compounds, when sensitized with [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) derivatives, catalyze the photoproduction of hydrogen from sacrificial

First principles study of the electronic properties and band gap modulation of two-dimensional phosphorene monolayer: Effect of strain engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phuc, Huynh V.; Hieu, Nguyen N.; Ilyasov, Victor V.; Phuong, Le T. T.; Nguyen, Chuong V.

2018-06-01

The effect of strain on the structural and electronic properties of monolayer phosphorene is studied by using first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory. The intra- and inter-bond length and bond angle for monolayer phosphorene is also evaluated. The intra- and inter-bond length and the bond angle for phosphorene show an opposite tendency under different directions of the applied strain. At the equilibrium state, monolayer phosphorene is a semiconductor with a direct band gap at the Γ-point of 0.91 eV. A direct-indirect band gap transition is found in monolayer phosphorene when both the compression and tensile strain are simultaneously applied along both zigzag and armchair directions. Under the applied compression strain, a semiconductor-metal transition for monolayer phosphorene is observed at -13% and -10% along armchair and zigzag direction, respectively. The direct-indirect and phase transition will largely constrain application of monolayer phosphorene to electronic and optical devices.

New Material Transistor with Record-High Field-Effect Mobility among Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductors.

PubMed

Shih, Cheng Wei; Chin, Albert

2016-08-03

At an ultrathin 5 nm, we report a new high-mobility tin oxide (SnO2) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) exhibiting extremely high field-effect mobility values of 279 and 255 cm(2)/V-s at 145 and 205 °C, respectively. These values are the highest reported mobility values among all wide-band-gap semiconductors of GaN, SiC, and metal-oxide MOSFETs, and they also exceed those of silicon devices at the aforementioned elevated temperatures. For the first time among existing semiconductor transistors, a new device physical phenomenon of a higher mobility value was measured at 45-205 °C than at 25 °C, which is due to the lower optical phonon scattering by the large SnO2 phonon energy. Moreover, the high on-current/off-current of 4 × 10(6) and the positive threshold voltage of 0.14 V at 25 °C are significantly better than those of a graphene transistor. This wide-band-gap SnO2 MOSFET exhibits high mobility in a 25-205 °C temperature range, a wide operating voltage of 1.5-20 V, and the ability to form on an amorphous substrate, rendering it an ideal candidate for multifunctional low-power integrated circuit (IC), display, and brain-mimicking three-dimensional IC applications.

Electronic characterization of defects in narrow gap semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, James D.

1994-01-01

We use a Green's function technique to calculate the position of deep defects in narrow gap semiconductors. We consider substitutional (including antisite), vacancy, and interstitial (self and foreign) deep defects. We also use perturbation theory to look at the effect of nonparabolic bands on shallow defect energies and find nonparabolicity can increase the binding by 10 percent or so. We consider mercury cadmium telluride (MCT), mercury zinc telluride (MZT), and mercury zinc selenide (MZS). For substitutional and interstitial defects we look at the situation with and without relaxation. For substitutional impurities in MCT, MZT, and MZS, we consider x (the concentration of Cd or Zn) in the range 0.1 less than x less than 0.3 and also consider appropriate x so E(sub g) = 0.1 eV for each of the three compounds. We consider several cation site s-like deep levels and anion site p-like levels. For E(sub g) = 0.1 eV, we also consider the effects of relaxation. Similar comments apply to the interstitial deep levels whereas no relaxation is considered for the ideal vacancy model. Relaxation effects can be greater for the interstitial than the substitutional cases. Specific results are given in figures and tables and comparison to experiment is made in a limited number of cases. We find, for example, that I, Se, S, Rn, and N are possible cation site, s-like deep levels in MCT and Zn and Mg are for anion site, p-like levels (both levels for substitutional cases). The corresponding cation and anion site levels for interstitial deep defects are (Au, Ag, Hg, Cd, Cu, Zn) and (N, Ar, O, F). For the substitutional cases we have some examples of relaxation moving the levels into the band gap, whereas for the interstitial case we have examples where relaxation moves it out of the band gap. Future work involves calculating the effects of charge state interaction and seeing the effect of relaxation on vacancy levels.

Circular electrode geometry metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcaddo, James A. (Inventor); Towe, Elias (Inventor); Bishop, William L. (Inventor); Wang, Liang-Guo (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The invention comprises a high speed, metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector which comprises a pair of generally circular, electrically conductive electrodes formed on an optically active semiconductor layer. Various embodiments of the invention include a spiral, intercoiled electrode geometry and an electrode geometry comprised of substantially circular, concentric electrodes which are interposed. These electrode geometries result in photodetectors with lower capacitances, dark currents and lower inductance which reduces the ringing seen in the optical pulse response.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides as atomically thin semiconductors: opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Duan, Xidong; Wang, Chen; Pan, Anlian; Yu, Ruqin; Duan, Xiangfeng

2015-12-21

The discovery of graphene has ignited intensive interest in two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs). These 2DLMs represent a new class of nearly ideal 2D material systems for exploring fundamental chemistry and physics at the limit of single-atom thickness, and have the potential to open up totally new technological opportunities beyond the reach of existing materials. In general, there are a wide range of 2DLMs in which the atomic layers are weakly bonded together by van der Waals interactions and can be isolated into single or few-layer nanosheets. The van der Waals interactions between neighboring atomic layers could allow much more flexible integration of distinct materials to nearly arbitrarily combine and control different properties at the atomic scale. The transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (e.g., MoS2, WSe2) represent a large family of layered materials, many of which exhibit tunable band gaps that can undergo a transition from an indirect band gap in bulk crystals to a direct band gap in monolayer nanosheets. These 2D-TMDs have thus emerged as an exciting class of atomically thin semiconductors for a new generation of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Recent studies have shown exciting potential of these atomically thin semiconductors, including the demonstration of atomically thin transistors, a new design of vertical transistors, as well as new types of optoelectronic devices such as tunable photovoltaic devices and light emitting devices. In parallel, there have also been considerable efforts in developing diverse synthetic approaches for the rational growth of various forms of 2D materials with precisely controlled chemical composition, physical dimension, and heterostructure interface. Here we review the recent efforts, progress, opportunities and challenges in exploring the layered TMDs as a new class of atomically thin semiconductors.

Quantum spill-out in few-nanometer metal gaps: Effect on gap plasmons and reflectance from ultrasharp groove arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skjølstrup, Enok J. H.; Søndergaard, Thomas; Pedersen, Thomas G.

2018-03-01

Plasmons in ultranarrow metal gaps are highly sensitive to the electron density profile at the metal surfaces. Using a quantum mechanical approach and assuming local response, we study the effects of electron spill-out on gap plasmons and reflectance from ultrasharp metal grooves. We demonstrate that the mode index of ultranarrow gap plasmons converges to the bulk refractive index in the limit of vanishing gap and, thereby, rectify the unphysical divergence found in classical models. Surprisingly, spill-out also significantly increases the plasmonic absorption for few-nanometer gaps and lowers the reflectance from arrays of ultrasharp metal grooves. These findings are explained in terms of enhanced gap plasmon absorption taking place inside the gap 1-2 Å from the walls and delocalization near the groove bottom. Reflectance calculations taking spill-out into account are shown to be in much better agreement with measurements compared with classical models.

Modulating the electronic and magnetic properties of bilayer borophene via transition metal atoms intercalation: from metal to half metal and semiconductor.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiuyun; Sun, Yi; Ma, Liang; Zhao, Xinli; Yao, Xiaojing

2018-07-27

Borophene, a two-dimensional monolayer made of boron atoms, has attracted wide attention due to its appealing properties. Great efforts have been devoted to fine tuning its electronic and magnetic properties for desired applications. Herein, we theoretically investigate the versatile electronic and magnetic properties of bilayer borophene (BLB) intercalated by 3d transition metal (TM) atoms, TM@BLBs (TM = Ti-Fe), using ab initio calculations. Four allotropes of AA-stacking (α 1 -, β-, β 12 - and χ 3 -) BLBs with different intercalation concentrations of TM atoms are considered. Our results show that the TM atoms are strongly bonded to the borophene layers with fairly large binding energies, around 6.31 ∼ 15.44 eV per TM atom. The BLBs with Cr and Mn intercalation have robust ferromagnetism, while for the systems decorated with Fe atoms, fruitful magnetic properties, such as nonmagnetic, ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, are identified. In particular, the α 1 - and β-BLBs intercalated by Mn or Fe atom can be transformed into a semiconductor, half metal or graphene-like semimetal. Moreover, some heavily doped TM@BLBs expose high Curie temperatures above room temperature. The attractive properties of TM@BLBs entail an efficient way to modulate the electronic and magnetic properties of borophene sheets for advanced applications.

Modulating the electronic and magnetic properties of bilayer borophene via transition metal atoms intercalation: from metal to half metal and semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiuyun; Sun, Yi; Ma, Liang; Zhao, Xinli; Yao, Xiaojing

2018-07-01

Borophene, a two-dimensional monolayer made of boron atoms, has attracted wide attention due to its appealing properties. Great efforts have been devoted to fine tuning its electronic and magnetic properties for desired applications. Herein, we theoretically investigate the versatile electronic and magnetic properties of bilayer borophene (BLB) intercalated by 3d transition metal (TM) atoms, TM@BLBs (TM = Ti-Fe), using ab initio calculations. Four allotropes of AA-stacking (α 1-, β-, β 12- and χ 3-) BLBs with different intercalation concentrations of TM atoms are considered. Our results show that the TM atoms are strongly bonded to the borophene layers with fairly large binding energies, around 6.31 ∼ 15.44 eV per TM atom. The BLBs with Cr and Mn intercalation have robust ferromagnetism, while for the systems decorated with Fe atoms, fruitful magnetic properties, such as nonmagnetic, ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, are identified. In particular, the α 1- and β-BLBs intercalated by Mn or Fe atom can be transformed into a semiconductor, half metal or graphene-like semimetal. Moreover, some heavily doped TM@BLBs expose high Curie temperatures above room temperature. The attractive properties of TM@BLBs entail an efficient way to modulate the electronic and magnetic properties of borophene sheets for advanced applications.

MBE Growth of Ferromagnetic Metal/Compound Semiconductor Heterostructures for Spintronics

ScienceCinema

Palmstrom, Chris [University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States

2017-12-09

Electrical transport and spin-dependent transport across ferromagnet/semiconductor contacts is crucial in the realization of spintronic devices. Interfacial reactions, the formation of non-magnetic interlayers, and conductivity mismatch have been attributed to low spin injection efficiency. MBE has been used to grow epitaxial ferromagnetic metal/GA(1-x)AL(x)As heterostructures with the aim of controlling the interfacial structural, electronic, and magnetic properties. In situ, STM, XPS, RHEED and LEED, and ex situ XRD, RBS, TEM, magnetotransport, and magnetic characterization have been used to develop ferromagnetic elemental and metallic compound/compound semiconductor tunneling contacts for spin injection. The efficiency of the spin polarized current injected from the ferromagnetic contact has been determined by measuring the electroluminescence polarization of the light emitted from/GA(1-x)AL(x)As light-emitting diodes as a function of applied magnetic field and temperature. Interfacial reactions during MBE growth and post-growth anneal, as well as the semiconductor device band structure, were found to have a dramatic influence on the measured spin injection, including sign reversal. Lateral spin-transport devices with epitaxial ferromagnetic metal source and drain tunnel barrier contacts have been fabricated with the demonstration of electrical detection and the bias dependence of spin-polarized electron injection and accumulation at the contacts. This talk emphasizes the progress and achievements in the epitaxial growth of a number of ferromagnetic compounds/III-V semiconductor heterostructures and the progress towards spintronic devices.

VO2 microcrystals as an advanced smart window material at semiconductor to metal transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Raktima; Magudapathy, P.; Sardar, Manas; Pandian, Ramanathaswamy; Dhara, Sandip

2017-11-01

Textured VO2(0 1 1) microcrystals are grown in the monoclinic, M1 phase which undergoes a reversible first order semiconductor to metal transition (SMT) accompanied by a structural phase transition to rutile tetragonal, R phase. Around the phase transition, VO2 also experiences noticeable change in its optical and electrical properties. A change in color of the VO2 micro crystals from white to cyan around the transition temperature is observed, which is further understood by absorption of red light using temperature dependent ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic analysis and photoluminescence studies. The absorption of light in the red region is explained by the optical transition between Hubbard states, confirming the electronic correlation as the driving force for SMT in VO2. The thermochromism in VO2 has been studied for smart window applications so far in the IR region, which supports the opening of the band gap in semiconducting phase; whereas there is hardly any report in the management of visible light. The filtering of blue light along with reflection of infrared above the semiconductor to metal transition temperature make VO2 applicable as advanced smart windows for overall heat management of a closure.

Graphene-diamond interface: Gap opening and electronic spin injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yandong; Dai, Ying; Guo, Meng; Huang, Baibiao

2012-06-01

Creating a finite band gap, injecting electronic spin, and finding a suitable substrate are the three important challenges for building graphene-based devices. Here, first-principles calculations are performed to investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of graphene adsorbed on the (111) surface of diamond, which is synthesized experimentally [Nature10.1038/nature09979 472, 74 (2011); J. Appl. Phys.10.1063/1.3627370 110, 044324 (2011); Nano Lett.10.1021/nl204545q 12, 1603 (2012); ACS Nano10.1021/nn204362p 6, 1018 (2012)]. Our results reveal that the graphene adsorbed on the diamond surface is a semiconductor with a finite gap depending on the adsorption arrangements due to the variation of on-site energy induced by the diamond surface, with the extra advantage of maintaining main characters of the linear band dispersion of graphene. More interestingly, different from typical graphene/semiconductor hybrid systems, we find that electronic spin can arise ``intrinsically'' in graphene owing to the exchange proximity interaction between electrons in graphene and localized electrons in the diamond surface rather than the characteristic graphene states. These predications strongly revive this new synthesized system as a viable candidate to overcome all the aforementioned challenges, providing an ideal platform for future graphene-based electronics.

Numerical investigation of metal-semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor passivated hole contacts based on atomic layer deposited AlO x

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Cangming; Xin, Zheng; Ling, Zhi Peng; Aberle, Armin G.; Stangl, Rolf

2017-08-01

Excellent c-Si tunnel layer surface passivation has been obtained recently in our lab, using atomic layer deposited aluminium oxide (ALD AlO x ) in the tunnel layer regime of 0.9 to 1.5 nm, investigated to be applied for contact passivation. Using the correspondingly measured interface properties, this paper compares the theoretical collection efficiency of a conventional metal-semiconductor (MS) contact on diffused p+ Si to a metal-semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor (MSIS) contact on diffused p+ Si or on undoped n-type c-Si. The influences of (1) the tunnel layer passivation quality at the tunnel oxide interface (Q f and D it), (2) the tunnel layer thickness and the electron and hole tunnelling mass, (3) the tunnel oxide material, and (4) the semiconductor capping layer material properties are investigated numerically by evaluation of solar cell efficiency, open-circuit voltage, and fill factor.

Energy Impacts of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors in U.S. Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Fleet.

PubMed

Warren, Joshua A; Riddle, Matthew E; Graziano, Diane J; Das, Sujit; Upadhyayula, Venkata K K; Masanet, Eric; Cresko, Joe

2015-09-01

Silicon carbide and gallium nitride, two leading wide band gap semiconductors with significant potential in electric vehicle power electronics, are examined from a life cycle energy perspective and compared with incumbent silicon in U.S. light-duty electric vehicle fleet. Cradle-to-gate, silicon carbide is estimated to require more than twice the energy as silicon. However, the magnitude of vehicle use phase fuel savings potential is comparatively several orders of magnitude higher than the marginal increase in cradle-to-gate energy. Gallium nitride cradle-to-gate energy requirements are estimated to be similar to silicon, with use phase savings potential similar to or exceeding that of silicon carbide. Potential energy reductions in the United States vehicle fleet are examined through several scenarios that consider the market adoption potential of electric vehicles themselves, as well as the market adoption potential of wide band gap semiconductors in electric vehicles. For the 2015-2050 time frame, cumulative energy savings associated with the deployment of wide band gap semiconductors are estimated to range from 2-20 billion GJ depending on market adoption dynamics.

Organic molecules on metal and oxide semiconductor substrates: Adsorption behavior and electronic energy level alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggieri, Charles M.

Modern devices such as organic light emitting diodes use organic/oxide and organic/metal interfaces for crucial processes such as charge injection and charge transfer. Understanding fundamental physical processes occurring at these interfaces is essential to improving device performance. The ultimate goal of studying such interfaces is to form a predictive model of interfacial interactions, which has not yet been established. To this end, this thesis focuses on obtaining a better understanding of fundamental physical interactions governing molecular self-assembly and electronic energy level alignment at organic/metal and organic/oxide interfaces. This is accomplished by investigating both the molecular adsorption geometry using scanning tunneling microscopy, as well as the electronic structure at the interface using direct and inverse photoemission spectroscopy, and analyzing the results in the context of first principles electronic structure calculations. First, we study the adsorption geometry of zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) molecules on three noble metal surfaces: Au(111), Ag(111), and Ag(100). These surfaces were chosen to systematically compare the molecular self-assembly and adsorption behavior on two metals of the same surface symmetry and two surface symmetries of one metal. From this investigation, we improve the understanding of self-assembly at organic/metal interfaces and the relative strengths of competing intermolecular and molecule-substrate interactions that influence molecular adsorption geometry. We then investigate the electronic structure of the ZnTPP/Au(111), Ag(111), and Ag(100) interfaces as examples of weakly-interacting systems. We compare these cases to ZnTPP on TiO2(110), a wide-bandgap oxide semiconductor, and explain the intermolecular and molecule-substrate interactions that determine the electronic energy level alignment at the interface. Finally we study tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), a strong electron acceptor, on TiO2

Nanometer-scale modification and welding of silicon and metallic nanowires with a high-intensity electron beam.

PubMed

Xu, Shengyong; Tian, Mingliang; Wang, Jinguo; Xu, Jian; Redwing, Joan M; Chan, Moses H W

2005-12-01

We demonstrate that a high-intensity electron beam can be applied to create holes, gaps, and other patterns of atomic and nanometer dimensions on a single nanowire, to weld individual nanowires to form metal-metal or metal-semiconductor junctions, and to remove the oxide shell from a crystalline nanowire. In single-crystalline Si nanowires, the beam induces instant local vaporization and local amorphization. In metallic Au, Ag, Cu, and Sn nanowires, the beam induces rapid local surface melting and enhanced surface diffusion, in addition to local vaporization. These studies open up a novel approach for patterning and connecting nanomaterials in devices and circuits at the nanometer scale.

Optically programmable electron spin memory using semiconductor quantum dots.

PubMed

Kroutvar, Miro; Ducommun, Yann; Heiss, Dominik; Bichler, Max; Schuh, Dieter; Abstreiter, Gerhard; Finley, Jonathan J

2004-11-04

The spin of a single electron subject to a static magnetic field provides a natural two-level system that is suitable for use as a quantum bit, the fundamental logical unit in a quantum computer. Semiconductor quantum dots fabricated by strain driven self-assembly are particularly attractive for the realization of spin quantum bits, as they can be controllably positioned, electronically coupled and embedded into active devices. It has been predicted that the atomic-like electronic structure of such quantum dots suppresses coupling of the spin to the solid-state quantum dot environment, thus protecting the 'spin' quantum information against decoherence. Here we demonstrate a single electron spin memory device in which the electron spin can be programmed by frequency selective optical excitation. We use the device to prepare single electron spins in semiconductor quantum dots with a well defined orientation, and directly measure the intrinsic spin flip time and its dependence on magnetic field. A very long spin lifetime is obtained, with a lower limit of about 20 milliseconds at a magnetic field of 4 tesla and at 1 kelvin.

Strain-induced semi-metal to semiconductor transition and strong enhancement in thermopower of TiS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, Atanu; Pandey, Tribhuwan; Singh, Abhishek K.

2015-03-01

Electronic properties of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (MX2, where M = Mo, W and X = S, Se, Te) are very sensitive to the applied pressure/strain, causing a semiconductor to metal transition. Using first principles density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that bulk TiS2 changes from semi-metal to semi-conducting electronic phase upon application of uniform biaxial strain. This phase transition is responsible for the charge transfer from Ti to S and reduces the overlap between Ti-(d) and S-(p) orbitals. The transport calculations show a three-fold enhancement in thermopower for both p- and n-type TiS2 due to opening of band gap along with changes in dispersion of bands. The electrical conductivity and thermopower shows a large anisotropy due to the difference in the effective masses along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. We further demonstrate that the enhancement of thermoelectric performance, can also be achieved by doping TiS2 with larger iso-electronic elements such as Zr or Hf at the Ti sites. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under NPMASS and Department of Science and Technology(DST) nanomission

Engineering of band gap states of amorphous SiZnSnO semiconductor as a function of Si doping concentration.

PubMed

Choi, Jun Young; Heo, Keun; Cho, Kyung-Sang; Hwang, Sung Woo; Kim, Sangsig; Lee, Sang Yeol

2016-11-04

We investigated the band gap of SiZnSnO (SZTO) with different Si contents. Band gap engineering of SZTO is explained by the evolution of the electronic structure, such as changes in the band edge states and band gap. Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), it was verified that Si atoms can modify the band gap of SZTO thin films. Carrier generation originating from oxygen vacancies can modify the band-gap states of oxide films with the addition of Si. Since it is not easy to directly derive changes in the band gap states of amorphous oxide semiconductors, no reports of the relationship between the Fermi energy level of oxide semiconductor and the device stability of oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) have been presented. The addition of Si can reduce the total density of trap states and change the band-gap properties. When 0.5 wt% Si was used to fabricate SZTO TFTs, they showed superior stability under negative bias temperature stress. We derived the band gap and Fermi energy level directly using data from UPS, Kelvin probe, and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses.

Engineering of band gap states of amorphous SiZnSnO semiconductor as a function of Si doping concentration

PubMed Central

Choi, Jun Young; Heo, Keun; Cho, Kyung-Sang; Hwang, Sung Woo; Kim, Sangsig; Lee, Sang Yeol

2016-01-01

We investigated the band gap of SiZnSnO (SZTO) with different Si contents. Band gap engineering of SZTO is explained by the evolution of the electronic structure, such as changes in the band edge states and band gap. Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), it was verified that Si atoms can modify the band gap of SZTO thin films. Carrier generation originating from oxygen vacancies can modify the band-gap states of oxide films with the addition of Si. Since it is not easy to directly derive changes in the band gap states of amorphous oxide semiconductors, no reports of the relationship between the Fermi energy level of oxide semiconductor and the device stability of oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) have been presented. The addition of Si can reduce the total density of trap states and change the band-gap properties. When 0.5 wt% Si was used to fabricate SZTO TFTs, they showed superior stability under negative bias temperature stress. We derived the band gap and Fermi energy level directly using data from UPS, Kelvin probe, and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses. PMID:27812035

BC8 Silicon (Si-III) is a Narrow-Gap Semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haidong; Liu, Hanyu; Wei, Kaya; Kurakevych, Oleksandr O.; Le Godec, Yann; Liu, Zhenxian; Martin, Joshua; Guerrette, Michael; Nolas, George S.; Strobel, Timothy A.

2017-04-01

Large-volume, phase-pure synthesis of BC8 silicon (I a 3 ¯ , c I 16 ) has enabled bulk measurements of optical, electronic, and thermal properties. Unlike previous reports that conclude BC8-Si is semimetallic, we demonstrate that this phase is a direct band gap semiconductor with a very small energy gap and moderate carrier concentration and mobility at room temperature, based on far- and midinfrared optical spectroscopy, temperature-dependent electrical conductivity, Seebeck and heat capacity measurements. Samples exhibit a plasma wavelength near 11 μ m , indicating potential for infrared plasmonic applications. Thermal conductivity is reduced by 1-2 orders of magnitude depending on temperature as compared with the diamond cubic (DC-Si) phase. The electronic structure and dielectric properties can be reproduced by first-principles calculations with hybrid functionals after adjusting the level of exact Hartree-Fock (HF) exchange mixing. These results clarify existing limited and controversial experimental data sets and ab initio calculations.

Barrier height enhancement of metal/semiconductor contact by an enzyme biofilm interlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ocak, Yusuf Selim; Gul Guven, Reyhan; Tombak, Ahmet; Kilicoglu, Tahsin; Guven, Kemal; Dogru, Mehmet

2013-06-01

A metal/interlayer/semiconductor (Al/enzyme/p-Si) MIS device was fabricated using α-amylase enzyme as a thin biofilm interlayer. It was observed that the device showed an excellent rectifying behavior and the barrier height value of 0.78 eV for Al/α-amylase/p-Si was meaningfully larger than the one of 0.58 eV for conventional Al/p-Si metal/semiconductor (MS) contact. Enhancement of the interfacial potential barrier of Al/p-Si MS diode was realized using enzyme interlayer by influencing the space charge region of Si semiconductor. The electrical properties of the structure were executed by the help of current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. The photovoltaic properties of the structure were executed under a solar simulator with AM1.5 global filter between 40 and 100 mW/cm2 illumination conditions. It was also reported that the α-amylase enzyme produced from Bacillus licheniformis had a 3.65 eV band gap value obtained from optical method.

Limiting current of intense electron beams in a decelerating gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nusinovich, G. S.; Beaudoin, B. L.; Thompson, C.; Karakkad, J. A.; Antonsen, T. M.

2016-02-01

For numerous applications, it is desirable to develop electron beam driven efficient sources of electromagnetic radiation that are capable of producing the required power at beam voltages as low as possible. This trend is limited by space charge effects that cause the reduction of electron kinetic energy and can lead to electron reflection. So far, this effect was analyzed for intense beams propagating in uniform metallic pipes. In the present study, the limiting currents of intense electron beams are analyzed for the case of beam propagation in the tubes with gaps. A general treatment is illustrated by an example evaluating the limiting current in a high-power, tunable 1-10 MHz inductive output tube (IOT), which is currently under development for ionospheric modification. Results of the analytical theory are compared to results of numerical simulations. The results obtained allow one to estimate the interaction efficiency of IOTs.

Nature-Inspired Capillary-Driven Welding Process for Boosting Metal-Oxide Nanofiber Electronics.

PubMed

Meng, You; Lou, Kaihua; Qi, Rui; Guo, Zidong; Shin, Byoungchul; Liu, Guoxia; Shan, Fukai

2018-06-20

Recently, semiconducting nanofiber networks (NFNs) have been considered as one of the most promising platforms for large-area and low-cost electronics applications. However, the high contact resistance among stacking nanofibers remained to be a major challenge, leading to poor device performance and parasitic energy consumption. In this report, a controllable welding technique for NFNs was successfully demonstrated via a bioinspired capillary-driven process. The interfiber connections were well-achieved via a cooperative concept, combining localized capillary condensation and curvature-induced surface diffusion. With the improvements of the interfiber connections, the welded NFNs exhibited enhanced mechanical property and high electrical performance. The field-effect transistors (FETs) based on the welded Hf-doped In 2 O 3 (InHfO) NFNs were demonstrated for the first time. Meanwhile, the mechanisms involved in the grain-boundary modulation for polycrystalline metal-oxide nanofibers were discussed. When the high-k ZrO x dielectric thin films were integrated into the FETs, the field-effect mobility and operating voltage were further improved to be 25 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and 3 V, respectively. This is one of the best device performances among the reported nanofibers-based FETs. These results demonstrated the potencies of the capillary-driven welding process and grain-boundary modulation mechanism for metal-oxide NFNs, which could be applicable for high-performance, large-scale, and low-power functional electronics.

Evidence for Itinerant Carriers in an Anisotropic Narrow-Gap Semiconductor by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ju, Sailong; Bai, Wei; Wu, Liming; Lin, Hua; Xiao, Chong; Cui, Shengtao; Li, Zhou; Kong, Shuai; Liu, Yi; Liu, Dayong; Zhang, Guobin; Sun, Zhe; Xie, Yi

2018-01-01

The ability to accurately determine the electronic structure of solids has become a key prerequisite for modern functional materials. For example, the precise determination of the electronic structure helps to balance the three thermoelectric parameters, which is the biggest challenge to design high-performance thermoelectric materials. Herein, by high-resolution, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), the itinerant carriers in CsBi 4 Te 6 (CBT) are revealed for the first time. CBT is a typical anisotropic, narrow-gap semiconductor used as a practical candidate for low-temperature thermoelectric applications, and p-doped CBT series show superconductivity at relatively low carrier concentrations. The ARPES results show a significantly larger bandwidth near the Fermi surface than calculations, which means the carriers transport anisotropically and itinerantly in CBT. It is reasonable to believe that these newly discovered features of carriers in narrow-gap semiconductors are promising for designing optimal thermoelectric materials and superconductors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thin film transistors for flexible electronics: contacts, dielectrics and semiconductors.

PubMed

Quevedo-Lopez, M A; Wondmagegn, W T; Alshareef, H N; Ramirez-Bon, R; Gnade, B E

2011-06-01

The development of low temperature, thin film transistor processes that have enabled flexible displays also present opportunities for flexible electronics and flexible integrated systems. Of particular interest are possible applications in flexible sensor systems for unattended ground sensors, smart medical bandages, electronic ID tags for geo-location, conformal antennas, radiation detectors, etc. In this paper, we review the impact of gate dielectrics, contacts and semiconductor materials on thin film transistors for flexible electronics applications. We present our recent results to fully integrate hybrid complementary metal oxide semiconductors comprising inorganic and organic-based materials. In particular, we demonstrate novel gate dielectric stacks and semiconducting materials. The impact of source and drain contacts on device performance is also discussed.

Nanoscale Insight and Control of Structural and Electronic Properties of Organic Semiconductor / Metal Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maughan, Bret

Organic semiconductor interfaces are promising materials for use in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Current models for metal-organic interfacial electronic structure and dynamics are inadequate for strongly hybridized systems. This work aims to address this issue by identifying the factors most important for understanding chemisorbed interfaces with an eye towards tuning the interfacial properties. Here, I present the results of my research on chemisorbed interfaces formed between thin-films of phthalocyanine molecules grown on monocrystalline Cu(110). Using atomically-resolved nanoscale imaging in combination with surface-sensitive photoemission techniques, I show that single-molecule level interactions control the structural and electronic properties of the interface. I then demonstrate that surface modifications aimed at controlling interfacial interactions are an effective way to tailor the physical and electronic structure of the interface. This dissertation details a systematic investigation of the effect of molecular and surface functionalization on interfacial interactions. To understand the role of molecular structure, two types of phthalocyanine (Pc) molecules are studied: non-planar, dipolar molecules (TiOPc), and planar, non-polar molecules (H2Pc and CuPc). Multiple adsorption configurations for TiOPc lead to configuration-dependent self-assembly, Kondo screening, and electronic energy-level alignment. To understand the role of surface structure, the Cu(110) surface is textured and passivated by oxygen chemisorption prior to molecular deposition, which gives control over thin-film growth and interfacial electronic structure in H2Pc and CuPc films. Overall, the work presented here demonstrates a method for understanding interfacial electronic structure of strongly hybridized interfaces, an important first step towards developing more robust models for metal-organic interfaces, and reliable, predictive tuning of interfacial

A new electrode design for ambipolar injection in organic semiconductors.

PubMed

Kanagasekaran, Thangavel; Shimotani, Hidekazu; Shimizu, Ryota; Hitosugi, Taro; Tanigaki, Katsumi

2017-10-17

Organic semiconductors have attracted much attention for low-cost, flexible and human-friendly optoelectronics. However, achieving high electron-injection efficiency is difficult from air-stable electrodes and cannot be equivalent to that of holes. Here, we present a novel concept of electrode composed of a bilayer of tetratetracontane (TTC) and polycrystalline organic semiconductors (pc-OSC) covered by a metal layer. Field-effect transistors of single-crystal organic semiconductors with the new electrodes of M/pc-OSC/TTC (M: Ca or Au) show both highly efficient electron and hole injection. Contact resistance for electron injection from Au/pc-OSC/TTC and hole injection from Ca/pc-OSC/TTC are comparable to those for electron injection from Ca and hole injection from Au, respectively. Furthermore, the highest field-effect mobilities of holes (22 cm 2  V -1  s -1 ) and electrons (5.0 cm 2  V -1  s -1 ) are observed in rubrene among field-effect transistors with electrodes so far proposed by employing Ca/pc-OSC/TTC and Au/pc-OSC/TTC electrodes for electron and hole injection, respectively.One of technological challenges building organic electronics is efficient injection of electrons at metal-semiconductor interfaces compared to that of holes. The authors show an air-stable electrode design with induced gap states, which support Fermi level pinning and thus ambipolar carrier injection.

Structural Design Principle of Small-Molecule Organic Semiconductors for Metal-Free, Visible-Light-Promoted Photocatalysis.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Huang, Wei; Li, Run; Gehrig, Dominik; Blom, Paul W M; Landfester, Katharina; Zhang, Kai A I

2016-08-08

Herein, we report on the structural design principle of small-molecule organic semiconductors as metal-free, pure organic and visible light-active photocatalysts. Two series of electron-donor and acceptor-type organic semiconductor molecules were synthesized to meet crucial requirements, such as 1) absorption range in the visible region, 2) sufficient photoredox potential, and 3) long lifetime of photogenerated excitons. The photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in the intermolecular C-H functionalization of electron-rich heteroaromates with malonate derivatives. A mechanistic study of the light-induced electron transport between the organic photocatalyst, substrate, and the sacrificial agent are described. With their tunable absorption range and defined energy-band structure, the small-molecule organic semiconductors could offer a new class of metal-free and visible light-active photocatalysts for chemical reactions. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tuning the p-type Schottky barrier in 2D metal/semiconductor interface:boron-sheet on MoSe2, and WSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couto, W. R. M.; Miwa, R. H.; Fazzio, A.

2017-10-01

Van der Waals (vdW) metal/semiconductor heterostructures have been investigated through first-principles calculations. We have considered the recently synthesized borophene (Mannix et al 2015 Science 350 1513), and the planar boron sheets (S1 and S2) (Feng et al 2016 Nat. Chem. 8 563) as the 2D metal layer, and the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) MoSe2, and WSe2 as the semiconductor monolayer. We find that the energetic stability of those 2D metal/semiconductor heterojunctions is mostly ruled by the vdW interactions; however, chemical interactions also take place in borophene/TMDC. The electronic charge transfer at the metal/semiconductor interface has been mapped, where we find a a net charge transfer from the TMDCs to the boron sheets. Further electronic structure calculations reveal that the metal/semiconductor interfaces, composed by planar boron sheets S1 and S2, present a p-type Schottky barrier which can be tuned to a p-type ohmic contact by an external electric field.

Accuracy of dielectric-dependent hybrid functionals in the prediction of optoelectronic properties of metal oxide semiconductors: a comprehensive comparison with many-body GW and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerosa, M.; E Bottani, C.; Di Valentin, C.; Onida, G.; Pacchioni, G.

2018-01-01

Understanding the electronic structure of metal oxide semiconductors is crucial to their numerous technological applications, such as photoelectrochemical water splitting and solar cells. The needed experimental and theoretical knowledge goes beyond that of pristine bulk crystals, and must include the effects of surfaces and interfaces, as well as those due to the presence of intrinsic defects (e.g. oxygen vacancies), or dopants for band engineering. In this review, we present an account of the recent efforts in predicting and understanding the optoelectronic properties of oxides using ab initio theoretical methods. In particular, we discuss the performance of recently developed dielectric-dependent hybrid functionals, providing a comparison against the results of many-body GW calculations, including G 0 W 0 as well as more refined approaches, such as quasiparticle self-consistent GW. We summarize results in the recent literature for the band gap, the band level alignment at surfaces, and optical transition energies in defective oxides, including wide gap oxide semiconductors and transition metal oxides. Correlated transition metal oxides are also discussed. For each method, we describe successes and drawbacks, emphasizing the challenges faced by the development of improved theoretical approaches. The theoretical section is preceded by a critical overview of the main experimental techniques needed to characterize the optoelectronic properties of semiconductors, including absorption and reflection spectroscopy, photoemission, and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS).

Energy Impacts of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors in U.S. Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Fleet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warren, Joshua A.; Riddle, Matthew E.; Graziano, Diane J.

2015-08-12

Silicon carbide and gallium nitride, two leading wide band gap semiconductors with significant potential in electric vehicle power electronics, are examined from a life cycle energy perspective and compared with incumbent silicon in U.S. light-duty electric vehicle fleet. Cradle-to-gate, silicon carbide is estimated to require more than twice the energy as silicon. However, the magnitude of vehicle use phase fuel savings potential is comparatively several orders of magnitude higher than the marginal increase in cradle-to-gate energy. Gallium nitride cradle-to-gate energy requirements are estimated to be similar to silicon, with use phase savings potential similar to or exceeding that of siliconmore » carbide. Potential energy reductions in the United States vehicle fleet are examined through several scenarios that consider the market adoption potential of electric vehicles themselves, as well as the market adoption potential of wide band gap semiconductors in electric vehicles. For the 2015–2050 time frame, cumulative energy savings associated with the deployment of wide band gap semiconductors are estimated to range from 2–20 billion GJ depending on market adoption dynamics.« less

The MSFC complementary metal oxide semiconductor (including multilevel interconnect metallization) process handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bouldin, D. L.; Eastes, R. W.; Feltner, W. R.; Hollis, B. R.; Routh, D. E.

1979-01-01

The fabrication techniques for creation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuits at George C. Marshall Space Flight Center are described. Examples of C-MOS integrated circuits manufactured at MSFC are presented with functional descriptions of each. Typical electrical characteristics of both p-channel metal oxide semiconductor and n-channel metal oxide semiconductor discrete devices under given conditions are provided. Procedures design, mask making, packaging, and testing are included.

Exciton fission in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors.

PubMed

Steinhoff, A; Florian, M; Rösner, M; Schönhoff, G; Wehling, T O; Jahnke, F

2017-10-27

When electron-hole pairs are excited in a semiconductor, it is a priori not clear if they form a plasma of unbound fermionic particles or a gas of composite bosons called excitons. Usually, the exciton phase is associated with low temperatures. In atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors, excitons are particularly important even at room temperature due to strong Coulomb interaction and a large exciton density of states. Using state-of-the-art many-body theory, we show that the thermodynamic fission-fusion balance of excitons and electron-hole plasma can be efficiently tuned via the dielectric environment as well as charge carrier doping. We propose the observation of these effects by studying exciton satellites in photoemission and tunneling spectroscopy, which present direct solid-state counterparts of high-energy collider experiments on the induced fission of composite particles.

Mechanical and electronic properties of Janus monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wenwu; Wang, Zhiguo

2018-05-01

The mechanical and electronic properties of Janus monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides MXY (M  =  Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W; X/Y  =  S, Se, Te) were investigated using density functional theory. Results show that breaking the out-of-plane structural symmetry can be used to tune the electronic and mechanical behavior of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. The band gaps of monolayer WXY and MoXY are in the ranges of 0.16–1.91 and 0.94–1.69 eV, respectively. A semiconductor to metallic phase transition occurred in Janus monolayer MXY (M  =  Ti, Zr and Hf). The monolayers MXY (M  =  V, Nb, Ta and Cr) show metallic characteristics, which show no dependence on the structural symmetry breaking. The mechanical properties of MXY depended on the composition. Monolayer MXY (M  =  Mo, Ti, Zr, Hf and W) showed brittle characteristic, whereas monolayer CrXY and VXY are with ductile characteristic. The in-plane stiffness of pristine and Janus monolayer MXY are in the range between 22 and 158 N m‑1. The tunable electronic and mechanical properties of these 2D materials would advance the development of ultra-sensitive detectors, nanogenerators, low-power electronics, and energy harvesting and electromechanical systems.

Metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructures for plasmonic hot-carrier optoelectronics.

PubMed

García de Arquer, F Pelayo; Konstantatos, Gerasimos

2015-06-01

Plasmonic hot-electron devices are attractive candidates for light-energy harvesting and photodetection applications. For solid state devices, the most compact and straightforward architecture is the metal-semiconductor Schottky junction. However convenient, this structure introduces limitations such as the elevated dark current associated to thermionic emission, or constraints for device design due to the finite choice of materials. In this work we theoretically consider the metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction as a candidate for plasmonic hot-carrier photodetection and solar cells. The presence of the insulating layer can significantly reduce the dark current, resulting in increased device performance with predicted solar power conversion efficiencies up to 9%. For photodetection, the sensitivity can be extended well into the infrared by a judicious choice of the insulating layer, with up to 300-fold expected enhancement in detectivity.

Electron beam pumped semiconductor laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hug, William F. (Inventor); Reid, Ray D. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

Electron-beam-pumped semiconductor ultra-violet optical sources (ESUVOSs) are disclosed that use ballistic electron pumped wide bandgap semiconductor materials. The sources may produce incoherent radiation and take the form of electron-beam-pumped light emitting triodes (ELETs). The sources may produce coherent radiation and take the form of electron-beam-pumped laser triodes (ELTs). The ELTs may take the form of electron-beam-pumped vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (EVCSEL) or edge emitting electron-beam-pumped lasers (EEELs). The semiconductor medium may take the form of an aluminum gallium nitride alloy that has a mole fraction of aluminum selected to give a desired emission wavelength, diamond, or diamond-like carbon (DLC). The sources may be produced from discrete components that are assembled after their individual formation or they may be produced using batch MEMS-type or semiconductor-type processing techniques to build them up in a whole or partial monolithic manner, or combination thereof.

Graphene-insulator-semiconductor capacitors as superior test structures for photoelectric determination of semiconductor devices band diagrams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piskorski, K.; Passi, V.; Ruhkopf, J.; Lemme, M. C.; Przewlocki, H. M.

2018-05-01

We report on the advantages of using Graphene-Insulator-Semiconductor (GIS) instead of Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) structures in reliable and precise photoelectric determination of the band alignment at the semiconductor-insulator interface and of the insulator band gap determination. Due to the high transparency to light of the graphene gate in GIS structures large photocurrents due to emission of both electrons and holes from the substrate and negligible photocurrents due to emission of carriers from the gate can be obtained, which allows reliable determination of barrier heights for both electrons, Ee and holes, Eh from the semiconductor substrate. Knowing the values of both Ee and Eh allows direct determination of the insulator band gap EG(I). Photoelectric measurements were made of a series of Graphene-SiO2-Si structures and an example is shown of the results obtained in sequential measurements of the same structure giving the following barrier height values: Ee = 4.34 ± 0.01 eV and Eh = 4.70 ± 0.03 eV. Based on this result and results obtained for other structures in the series we conservatively estimate the maximum uncertainty of both barrier heights estimations at ± 0.05 eV. This sets the SiO2 band gap estimation at EG(I) = 7.92 ± 0.1 eV. It is shown that widely different SiO2 band gap values were found by research groups using various determination methods. We hypothesize that these differences are due to different sensitivities of measurement methods used to the existence of the SiO2 valence band tail.

Microwave-Driven Coherent Operation of a Semiconductor Quantum Dot Charge Qubit

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-16

indicating that understanding high frequency charge noise as well as charge relaxation at the sweet spot will be important for further development. The...Microwave-driven coherent operation of a semiconductor quantum dot charge qubit Dohun Kim,1 D. R. Ward,1 C. B. Simmons,1 John King Gamble,2 Robin...University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA A most intuitive realization of a qubit is a sin- gle electron charge sitting at two well -defined

Correlated electron-hole mechanism for molecular doping in organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; D'Avino, Gabriele; Pershin, Anton; Jacquemin, Denis; Duchemin, Ivan; Beljonne, David; Blase, Xavier

2017-07-01

The electronic and optical properties of the paradigmatic F4TCNQ-doped pentacene in the low-doping limit are investigated by a combination of state-of-the-art many-body ab initio methods accounting for environmental screening effects, and a carefully parametrized model Hamiltonian. We demonstrate that while the acceptor level lies very deep in the gap, the inclusion of electron-hole interactions strongly stabilizes dopant-semiconductor charge transfer states and, together with spin statistics and structural relaxation effects, rationalize the possibility for room-temperature dopant ionization. Our findings reconcile available experimental data, shedding light on the partial vs. full charge transfer scenario discussed in the literature, and question the relevance of the standard classification in shallow or deep impurity levels prevailing for inorganic semiconductors.

Efficient semiconductor multicycle terahertz pulse source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraha, P. S.; Krizsán, G.; Polónyi, Gy; Mechler, M. I.; Hebling, J.; Tóth, Gy; Fülöp, J. A.

2018-05-01

Multicycle THz pulse generation by optical rectification in GaP semiconductor nonlinear material is investigated by numerical simulations. It is shown that GaP can be an efficient and versatile source with up to about 8% conversion efficiency and a tuning range from 0.1 THz to about 7 THz. Contact-grating technology for pulse-front tilt can ensure an excellent focusability and scaling the THz pulse energy beyond 1 mJ. Shapeable infrared pump pulses with a constant intensity-modulation period can be delivered for example by a flexible and efficient dual-chirped optical parametric amplifier. Potential applications include linear and nonlinear THz spectroscopy and THz-driven acceleration of electrons.

Electronic and Thermal Effects in the Insulator-Metal Phase Transition in VO2 Nano-Gap Junctions

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-27

VO2 , air, or SiO2, the 2 -0.50 -0.25 0.00 0.25 0.50 0 2 4 6 V Gap V App V o lt ag e (V ) time (ms) t p V I→M V M→I 100 400 700 1000 0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5...Electronic and thermal effects in the insulator-metal phase transition in VO2 nano-gap junctions Arash Joushaghani,1 Junho Jeong,1 Suzanne Paradis,2...Canada (Dated: 27 November 2014) By controlling the thermal transport of VO2 nano-gap junctions using device geometry, contact material, and applied

Impact of metal gates on remote phonon scattering in titanium nitride/hafnium dioxide n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors-low temperature electron mobility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maitra, Kingsuk; Frank, Martin M.; Narayanan, Vijay; Misra, Veena; Cartier, Eduard A.

2007-12-01

We report low temperature (40-300 K) electron mobility measurements on aggressively scaled [equivalent oxide thickness (EOT)=1 nm] n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (nMOSFETs) with HfO2 gate dielectrics and metal gate electrodes (TiN). A comparison is made with conventional nMOSFETs containing HfO2 with polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) gate electrodes. No substantial change in the temperature acceleration factor is observed when poly-Si is replaced with a metal gate, showing that soft optical phonons are not significantly screened by metal gates. A qualitative argument based on an analogy between remote phonon scattering and high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS) is provided to explain the underlying physics of the observed phenomenon. It is also shown that soft optical phonon scattering is strongly damped by thin SiO2 interface layers, such that room temperature electron mobility values at EOT=1 nm become competitive with values measured in nMOSFETs with SiON gate dielectrics used in current high performance processors.

Development of Room Temperature Excitonic Lasing From ZnO and MgZnO Thin Film Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suja, Mohammad Zahir Uddin

efficiency up to 6 times is demonstrated. Threshold current for lasing is decreased by as much as 30% while the output power is increased up to 350% at an injection current of 40 mA. A numerical simulation study reveals that hole carriers are generated in the ZnO MSM devices from impact ionization processes for subsequent plasmon-exciton coupled lasing. Our results suggest that plasmon-enhanced ZnO MSM random lasers can become a competitive candidate of efficient ultraviolet light sources. Semiconductor lasers in the deep ultraviolet (UV) range have numerous potential applications ranging from water purification and medical diagnosis to high-density data storage and flexible displays. Nevertheless, very little success was achieved in the realization of electrically driven deep UV semiconductor lasers to date. In this thesis, we report the fabrication and characterization of deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers. These lasers are operated with continuous current mode at room temperature and the shortest wavelength reaches 284 nm. The wide bandgap MgZnO thin films with various Mg mole fractions were grown on c-sapphire substrate using radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) random laser devices were fabricated using lithography and metallization processes. Besides the demonstration of scalable emission wavelength, very low threshold current densities of 29 33 A/cm2 are achieved. Numerical modeling reveals that impact ionization process is responsible for the generation of hole carriers in the MgZnO MSM devices. The interaction of electrons and holes leads to radiative excitonic recombination and subsequent coherent random lasing.

Diverse and tunable electronic structures of single-layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides for photocatalytic water splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jian; Li, Xi-Bo; Wang, Da; Lau, Woon-Ming; Peng, Ping; Liu, Li-Min

2014-02-01

The family of bulk metal phosphorus trichalcogenides (APX3, A = MII, M_{0.5}^IM_{0.5}^{III}; X = S, Se; MI, MII, and MIII represent Group-I, Group-II, and Group-III metals, respectively) has attracted great attentions because such materials not only own magnetic and ferroelectric properties, but also exhibit excellent properties in hydrogen storage and lithium battery because of the layered structures. Many layered materials have been exfoliated into two-dimensional (2D) materials, and they show distinct electronic properties compared with their bulks. Here we present a systematical study of single-layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides by density functional theory calculations. The results show that the single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides have very low formation energies, which indicates that the exfoliation of single layer APX3 should not be difficult. The family of single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides exhibits a large range of band gaps from 1.77 to 3.94 eV, and the electronic structures are greatly affected by the metal or the chalcogenide atoms. The calculated band edges of metal phosphorus trichalcogenides further reveal that single-layer ZnPSe3, CdPSe3, Ag0.5Sc0.5PSe3, and Ag0.5In0.5PX3 (X = S and Se) have both suitable band gaps for visible-light driving and sufficient over-potentials for water splitting. More fascinatingly, single-layer Ag0.5Sc0.5PSe3 is a direct band gap semiconductor, and the calculated optical absorption further convinces that such materials own outstanding properties for light absorption. Such results demonstrate that the single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides own high stability, versatile electronic properties, and high optical absorption, thus such materials have great chances to be high efficient photocatalysts for water-splitting.

Fabrication of Hydrogenated Diamond Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Liu, Jiangwei; Koide, Yasuo

2017-01-01

Diamond is regarded as a promising material for fabrication of high-power and high-frequency electronic devices due to its remarkable intrinsic properties, such as wide band gap energy, high carrier mobility, and high breakdown field. Meanwhile, since diamond has good biocompatibility, long-term durability, good chemical inertness, and a large electron-chemical potential window, it is a suitable candidate for the fabrication of biosensors. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of hydrogenated diamond (H-diamond) based metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs). The fabrication is based on the combination of laser lithography, dry-etching, atomic layer deposition (ALD), sputtering deposition (SD), electrode evaporation, and lift-off techniques. The gate insulator is high-k HfO 2 with a SD/ALD bilayer structure. The thin ALD-HfO 2 film (4.0 nm) acts as a buffer layer to prevent the hydrogen surface of the H-diamond from plasma discharge damage during the SD-HfO 2 deposition. The growth of H-diamond epitaxial layer, fabrication of H-diamond MISFETs, and electrical property measurements for the MISFETs is demonstrated. This chapter explains the fabrication of H-diamond FET based biosensors.

Photoinduced electron transfer from semiconductor quantum dots to metal oxide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Tvrdy, Kevin; Frantsuzov, Pavel A; Kamat, Prashant V

2011-01-04

Quantum dot-metal oxide junctions are an integral part of next-generation solar cells, light emitting diodes, and nanostructured electronic arrays. Here we present a comprehensive examination of electron transfer at these junctions, using a series of CdSe quantum dot donors (sizes 2.8, 3.3, 4.0, and 4.2 nm in diameter) and metal oxide nanoparticle acceptors (SnO(2), TiO(2), and ZnO). Apparent electron transfer rate constants showed strong dependence on change in system free energy, exhibiting a sharp rise at small driving forces followed by a modest rise further away from the characteristic reorganization energy. The observed trend mimics the predicted behavior of electron transfer from a single quantum state to a continuum of electron accepting states, such as those present in the conduction band of a metal oxide nanoparticle. In contrast with dye-sensitized metal oxide electron transfer studies, our systems did not exhibit unthermalized hot-electron injection due to relatively large ratios of electron cooling rate to electron transfer rate. To investigate the implications of these findings in photovoltaic cells, quantum dot-metal oxide working electrodes were constructed in an identical fashion to the films used for the electron transfer portion of the study. Interestingly, the films which exhibited the fastest electron transfer rates (SnO(2)) were not the same as those which showed the highest photocurrent (TiO(2)). These findings suggest that, in addition to electron transfer at the quantum dot-metal oxide interface, other electron transfer reactions play key roles in the determination of overall device efficiency.

Absorption properties of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanoparticles.

PubMed

Shaviv, Ehud; Schubert, Olaf; Alves-Santos, Marcelo; Goldoni, Guido; Di Felice, Rosa; Vallée, Fabrice; Del Fatti, Natalia; Banin, Uri; Sönnichsen, Carsten

2011-06-28

The optical response of hybrid metal-semiconductor nanoparticles exhibits different behaviors due to the proximity between the disparate materials. For some hybrid systems, such as CdS-Au matchstick-shaped hybrids, the particles essentially retain the optical properties of their original components, with minor changes. Other systems, such as CdSe-Au dumbbell-shaped nanoparticles, exhibit significant change in the optical properties due to strong coupling between the two materials. Here, we study the absorption of these hybrids by comparing experimental results with simulations using the discrete dipole approximation method (DDA) employing dielectric functions of the bare components as inputs. For CdS-Au nanoparticles, the DDA simulation provides insights on the gold tip shape and its interface with the semiconductor, information that is difficult to acquire by experimental means alone. Furthermore, the qualitative agreement between DDA simulations and experimental data for CdS-Au implies that most effects influencing the absorption of this hybrid system are well described by local dielectric functions obtained separately for bare gold and CdS nanoparticles. For dumbbell shaped CdSe-Au, we find a shortcoming of the electrodynamic model, as it does not predict the "washing out" of the optical features of the semiconductor and the metal observed experimentally. The difference between experiment and theory is ascribed to strong interaction of the metal and semiconductor excitations, which spectrally overlap in the CdSe case. The present study exemplifies the employment of theoretical approaches used to describe the optical properties of semiconductors and metal nanoparticles, to achieve better understanding of the behavior of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanoparticles.

Electron gas grid semiconductor radiation detectors

DOEpatents

Lee, Edwin Y.; James, Ralph B.

2002-01-01

An electron gas grid semiconductor radiation detector (EGGSRAD) useful for gamma-ray and x-ray spectrometers and imaging systems is described. The radiation detector employs doping of the semiconductor and variation of the semiconductor detector material to form a two-dimensional electron gas, and to allow transistor action within the detector. This radiation detector provides superior energy resolution and radiation detection sensitivity over the conventional semiconductor radiation detector and the "electron-only" semiconductor radiation detectors which utilize a grid electrode near the anode. In a first embodiment, the EGGSRAD incorporates delta-doped layers adjacent the anode which produce an internal free electron grid well to which an external grid electrode can be attached. In a second embodiment, a quantum well is formed between two of the delta-doped layers, and the quantum well forms the internal free electron gas grid to which an external grid electrode can be attached. Two other embodiments which are similar to the first and second embodiment involve a graded bandgap formed by changing the composition of the semiconductor material near the first and last of the delta-doped layers to increase or decrease the conduction band energy adjacent to the delta-doped layers.

Photoinduced electron transfer from semiconductor quantum dots to metal oxide nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Tvrdy, Kevin; Frantsuzov, Pavel A.; Kamat, Prashant V.

2011-01-01

Quantum dot-metal oxide junctions are an integral part of next-generation solar cells, light emitting diodes, and nanostructured electronic arrays. Here we present a comprehensive examination of electron transfer at these junctions, using a series of CdSe quantum dot donors (sizes 2.8, 3.3, 4.0, and 4.2 nm in diameter) and metal oxide nanoparticle acceptors (SnO2, TiO2, and ZnO). Apparent electron transfer rate constants showed strong dependence on change in system free energy, exhibiting a sharp rise at small driving forces followed by a modest rise further away from the characteristic reorganization energy. The observed trend mimics the predicted behavior of electron transfer from a single quantum state to a continuum of electron accepting states, such as those present in the conduction band of a metal oxide nanoparticle. In contrast with dye-sensitized metal oxide electron transfer studies, our systems did not exhibit unthermalized hot-electron injection due to relatively large ratios of electron cooling rate to electron transfer rate. To investigate the implications of these findings in photovoltaic cells, quantum dot-metal oxide working electrodes were constructed in an identical fashion to the films used for the electron transfer portion of the study. Interestingly, the films which exhibited the fastest electron transfer rates (SnO2) were not the same as those which showed the highest photocurrent (TiO2). These findings suggest that, in addition to electron transfer at the quantum dot-metal oxide interface, other electron transfer reactions play key roles in the determination of overall device efficiency. PMID:21149685

Method of physical vapor deposition of metal oxides on semiconductors

DOEpatents

Norton, David P.

2001-01-01

A process for growing a metal oxide thin film upon a semiconductor surface with a physical vapor deposition technique in a high-vacuum environment and a structure formed with the process involves the steps of heating the semiconductor surface and introducing hydrogen gas into the high-vacuum environment to develop conditions at the semiconductor surface which are favorable for growing the desired metal oxide upon the semiconductor surface yet is unfavorable for the formation of any native oxides upon the semiconductor. More specifically, the temperature of the semiconductor surface and the ratio of hydrogen partial pressure to water pressure within the vacuum environment are high enough to render the formation of native oxides on the semiconductor surface thermodynamically unstable yet are not so high that the formation of the desired metal oxide on the semiconductor surface is thermodynamically unstable. Having established these conditions, constituent atoms of the metal oxide to be deposited upon the semiconductor surface are directed toward the surface of the semiconductor by a physical vapor deposition technique so that the atoms come to rest upon the semiconductor surface as a thin film of metal oxide with no native oxide at the semiconductor surface/thin film interface. An example of a structure formed by this method includes an epitaxial thin film of (001)-oriented CeO.sub.2 overlying a substrate of (001) Ge.

Metallization of vanadium dioxide driven by large phonon entropy

DOE PAGES

Budai, John D.; Hong, Jiawang; Manley, Michael E.; ...

2014-11-10

Phase competition underlies many remarkable and technologically important phenomena in transition-metal oxides. Vanadium dioxide exhibits a first-order metal-insulator transition (MIT) near room temperature, where conductivity is suppressed and the lattice changes from tetragonal to monoclinic on cooling. Ongoing attempts to explain this coupled structural and electronic transition begin with two classic starting points: a Peierls MIT driven by instabilities in electron-lattice dynamics versus a Mott MIT where strong electron-electron correlations drive charge localization1-10. A key-missing piece of the VO2 puzzle is the role of lattice vibrations. Moreover, a comprehensive thermodynamic treatment must integrate both entropic and energetic aspects of themore » transition. Our measurements establish that the entropy driving the MIT is dominated by strongly anharmonic phonons rather than electronic contributions, and provide a direct determination of phonon dispersions. Our calculations identify softer bonding as the origin of the large vibrational entropy stabilizing the metallic rutile phase. They further reveal how a balance between higher entropy in the metal and orbital-driven lower energy in the insulator fully describes the thermodynamic forces controlling the MIT. This study illustrates the critical role of anharmonic lattice dynamics in metal-oxide phase competition, and provides guidance for the predictive design of new materials.« less

Using the scanning electron microscope on the production line to assure quality semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adolphsen, J. W.; Anstead, R. J.

1972-01-01

The use of the scanning electron microscope to detect metallization defects introduced during batch processing of semiconductor devices is discussed. A method of determining metallization integrity was developed which culminates in a procurement specification using the scanning microscope on the production line as a quality control tool. Batch process control of the metallization operation is monitored early in the manufacturing cycle.

Controlled fabrication of semiconductor-metal hybrid nano-heterostructures via site-selective metal photodeposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vela Becerra, Javier; Ruberu, T. Purnima A.

A method of synthesizing colloidal semiconductor-metal hybrid heterostructures is disclosed. The method includes dissolving semiconductor nanorods in a solvent to form a nanorod solution, and adding a precursor solution to the nanorod solution. The precursor solution contains a metal. The method further includes illuminating the combined precursor and nanorod solutions with light of a specific wavelength. The illumination causes the deposition of the metal in the precursor solution onto the surface of the semiconductor nanorods.

Rational design of metal-organic electronic devices: A computational perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chilukuri, Bhaskar

Organic and organometallic electronic materials continue to attract considerable attention among researchers due to their cost effectiveness, high flexibility, low temperature processing conditions and the continuous emergence of new semiconducting materials with tailored electronic properties. In addition, organic semiconductors can be used in a variety of important technological devices such as solar cells, field-effect transistors (FETs), flash memory, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, light emitting diodes (LEDs), etc. However, organic materials have thus far not achieved the reliability and carrier mobility obtainable with inorganic silicon-based devices. Hence, there is a need for finding alternative electronic materials other than organic semiconductors to overcome the problems of inferior stability and performance. In this dissertation, I research the development of new transition metal based electronic materials which due to the presence of metal-metal, metal-pi, and pi-pi interactions may give rise to superior electronic and chemical properties versus their organic counterparts. Specifically, I performed computational modeling studies on platinum based charge transfer complexes and d 10 cyclo-[M(mu-L)]3 trimers (M = Ag, Au and L = monoanionic bidentate bridging (C/N~C/N) ligand). The research done is aimed to guide experimental chemists to make rational choices of metals, ligands, substituents in synthesizing novel organometallic electronic materials. Furthermore, the calculations presented here propose novel ways to tune the geometric, electronic, spectroscopic, and conduction properties in semiconducting materials. In addition to novel material development, electronic device performance can be improved by making a judicious choice of device components. I have studied the interfaces of a p-type metal-organic semiconductor viz cyclo-[Au(mu-Pz)] 3 trimer with metal electrodes at atomic and surface levels. This work was aimed to guide the device

Two-dimensional wide-band-gap nitride semiconductors: Single-layer 1 T -X N2 (X =S ,Se , and Te )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jia-He; Zhang, Hong; Cheng, Xin-Lu; Miyamoto, Yoshiyuki

2016-11-01

Recently, the two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors arsenene and antimonene, with band gaps larger than 2.0 eV, have attracted tremendous interest, especially for potential applications in optoelectronic devices with a photoresponse in the blue and UV range. Motivated by this exciting discovery, types of highly stable wide-band-gap 2D nitride semiconductors were theoretically designed. We propose single-layer 1 T -X N2 (X =S , Se, and Te) via first-principles simulations. We compute 1 T -X N2 (X =S , Se, and Te) with indirect band gaps of 2.825, 2.351, and 2.336 eV, respectively. By applying biaxial strain, they are able to induce the transition from a wide-band-gap semiconductor to a metal, and the range of absorption spectra of 1 T -X N2 (X =S , Se, and Te) obviously extend from the ultraviolet region to the blue-purple light region. With an underlying graphene, we find that 1 T -X N2 can completely shield the light absorption of graphene in the range of 1-1.6 eV. Our research paves the way for optoelectronic devices working under blue or UV light, and mechanical sensors based on these 2D crystals.

Discrete Electronic Bands in Semiconductors and Insulators: Potential High-Light-Yield Scintillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Hongliang; Du, Mao-Hua

Bulk semiconductors and insulators typically have continuous valence and conduction bands. In this paper, we show that valence and conduction bands of a multinary semiconductor or insulator can be split to narrow discrete bands separated by large energy gaps. This unique electronic structure is demonstrated by first-principles calculations in several quaternary elpasolite compounds, i.e., Cs 2NaInBr 6, Cs 2NaBiCl 6, and Tl 2NaBiCl 6. The narrow discrete band structure in these quaternary elpasolites is due to the large electronegativity difference among cations and the large nearest-neighbor distances in cation sublattices. We further use Cs 2NaInBr 6 as an example tomore » show that the narrow bands can stabilize self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons (in which both the electron and the hole are strongly localized in static positions on adjacent sites) and promote strong exciton emission at room temperature. The discrete band structure should further suppress thermalization of hot carriers and may lead to enhanced impact ionization, which is usually considered inefficient in bulk semiconductors and insulators. Finally, these characteristics can enable efficient room-temperature light emission in low-gap scintillators and may overcome the light-yield bottleneck in current scintillator research.« less

Discrete Electronic Bands in Semiconductors and Insulators: Potential High-Light-Yield Scintillators

DOE PAGES

Shi, Hongliang; Du, Mao-Hua

2015-05-12

Bulk semiconductors and insulators typically have continuous valence and conduction bands. In this paper, we show that valence and conduction bands of a multinary semiconductor or insulator can be split to narrow discrete bands separated by large energy gaps. This unique electronic structure is demonstrated by first-principles calculations in several quaternary elpasolite compounds, i.e., Cs 2NaInBr 6, Cs 2NaBiCl 6, and Tl 2NaBiCl 6. The narrow discrete band structure in these quaternary elpasolites is due to the large electronegativity difference among cations and the large nearest-neighbor distances in cation sublattices. We further use Cs 2NaInBr 6 as an example tomore » show that the narrow bands can stabilize self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons (in which both the electron and the hole are strongly localized in static positions on adjacent sites) and promote strong exciton emission at room temperature. The discrete band structure should further suppress thermalization of hot carriers and may lead to enhanced impact ionization, which is usually considered inefficient in bulk semiconductors and insulators. Finally, these characteristics can enable efficient room-temperature light emission in low-gap scintillators and may overcome the light-yield bottleneck in current scintillator research.« less

The AMOS cell - An improved metal-semiconductor solar cell. [Antireflection coated Metal Oxide Semiconductor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stirn, R. J.; Yeh, Y.-C. M.

1975-01-01

A new fabrication process is being developed which significantly improves the efficiency of metal-semiconductor solar cells. The resultant effect, a marked increase in the open-circuit voltage, is produced by the addition of an interfacial layer oxide on the semiconductor. Cells using gold on n-type gallium arsenide have been made in small areas (0.17 sq cm) with conversion efficiencies of 15% in terrestrial sunlight.

Nonequilibrium carrier dynamics in transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinhoff, A.; Florian, M.; Rösner, M.; Lorke, M.; Wehling, T. O.; Gies, C.; Jahnke, F.

2016-09-01

When exploring new materials for their potential in (opto)electronic device applications, it is important to understand the role of various carrier interaction and scattering processes. In atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors, the Coulomb interaction is known to be much stronger than in quantum wells of conventional semiconductors like GaAs, as witnessed by the 50 times larger exciton binding energy. The question arises, whether this directly translates into equivalently faster carrier-carrier Coulomb scattering of excited carriers. Here we show that a combination of ab initio band-structure and many-body theory predicts Coulomb-mediated carrier relaxation on a sub-100 fs time scale for a wide range of excitation densities, which is less than an order of magnitude faster than in quantum wells.

Semiconductor quantum well irradiated by a two-mode electromagnetic field as a terahertz emitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, S.; Liew, T. C. H.; Kibis, O. V.

2018-04-01

We study theoretically the nonlinear optical properties of a semiconductor quantum well (QW) irradiated by a two-mode electromagnetic wave consisting of a strong resonant dressing field and a weak off-resonant driving field. In the considered strongly coupled electron-field system, the dressing field opens dynamic Stark gaps in the electron energy spectrum of the QW, whereas the driving field induces electron oscillations in the QW plane. Since the gapped electron spectrum restricts the amplitude of the oscillations, the emission of a frequency comb from the QW appears. Therefore, the doubly driven QW operates as a nonlinear optical element which can be used, particularly, for optically controlled generation of terahertz radiation.

One-Dimensional Nanostructures and Devices of II–V Group Semiconductors

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

The II–V group semiconductors, with narrow band gaps, are important materials with many applications in infrared detectors, lasers, solar cells, ultrasonic multipliers, and Hall generators. Since the first report on trumpet-like Zn3P2nanowires, one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures of II–V group semiconductors have attracted great research attention recently because these special 1-D nanostructures may find applications in fabricating new electronic and optoelectronic nanoscale devices. This article covers the 1-D II–V semiconducting nanostructures that have been synthesized till now, focusing on nanotubes, nanowires, nanobelts, and special nanostructures like heterostructured nanowires. Novel electronic and optoelectronic devices built on 1-D II–V semiconducting nanostructures will also be discussed, which include metal–insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors, metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors, andp–nheterojunction photodiode. We intent to provide the readers a brief account of these exciting research activities. PMID:20596452

Low-temperature magnetotransport of the narrow-gap semiconductor FeSb2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, H.; Okazaki, R.; Yasui, Y.; Terasaki, I.

2011-11-01

We present a study of the magnetoresistance and Hall effect in the narrow-gap semiconductor FeSb2 at low temperatures. Both the electrical and Hall resistivities show unusual magnetic field dependence in the low-temperature range where a large Seebeck coefficient was observed. By applying a two-carrier model, we find that the carrier concentration decreases from 1 down to 10-4 ppm/unit cell and the mobility increases from 2000 to 28 000 cm2/Vs with decreasing temperature from 30 down to 4 K. At lower temperatures, the magnetoresistive behavior drastically changes and a negative magnetoresistance is observed at 3 K. These low-temperature behaviors are reminiscent of the low-temperature magnetotransport observed in doped semiconductors such as As-doped Ge, which is well described by a weak-localization picture. We argue a detailed electronic structure in FeSb2 inferred from our observations.

Effects of surface plasma treatment on threshold voltage hysteresis and instability in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) AlGaN/GaN heterostructure HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidi, Z. H.; Lee, K. B.; Roberts, J. W.; Guiney, I.; Qian, H.; Jiang, S.; Cheong, J. S.; Li, P.; Wallis, D. J.; Humphreys, C. J.; Chalker, P. R.; Houston, P. A.

2018-05-01

In a bid to understand the commonly observed hysteresis in the threshold voltage (VTH) in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors during forward gate bias stress, we have analyzed a series of measurements on devices with no surface treatment and with two different plasma treatments before the in-situ Al2O3 deposition. The observed changes between samples were quasi-equilibrium VTH, forward bias related VTH hysteresis, and electrical response to reverse bias stress. To explain these effects, a disorder induced gap state model, combined with a discrete level donor, at the dielectric/semiconductor interface was employed. Technology Computer-Aided Design modeling demonstrated the possible differences in the interface state distributions that could give a consistent explanation for the observations.

The Role of Electronic Excitations on Chemical Reaction Dynamics at Metal, Semiconductor and Nanoparticle Surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tully, John C.

Chemical reactions are often facilitated and steered when carried out on solid surfaces, essential for applications such as heterogeneous catalysis, solar energy conversion, corrosion, materials processing, and many others. A critical factor that can determine the rates and pathways of chemical reactions at surfaces is the efficiency and specificity of energy transfer; how fast does energy move around and where does it go? For reactions on insulator surfaces energy transfer generally moves in and out of vibrations of the adsorbed molecule and the underlying substrate. By contrast, on metal surfaces, metallic nanoparticles and semiconductors, another pathway for energy flow opensmore » up, excitation and de-excitation of electrons. This so-called “nonadiabatic” mechanism often dominates the transfer of energy and can directly impact the course of a chemical reaction. Conventional computational methods such as molecular dynamics simulation do not account for this nonadiabatic behavior. The current DOE-BES funded project has focused on developing the underlying theoretical foundation and the computational methodology for the prediction of nonadiabatic chemical reaction dynamics at surfaces. The research has successfully opened up new methodology and new applications for molecular simulation. In particular, over the last three years, the “Electronic Friction” theory, pioneered by the PI, has now been developed into a stable and accurate computational method that is sufficiently practical to allow first principles “on-the-fly” simulation of chemical reaction dynamics at metal surfaces.« less

Emerging Hierarchical Aerogels: Self-Assembly of Metal and Semiconductor Nanocrystals.

PubMed

Cai, Bin; Sayevich, Vladimir; Gaponik, Nikolai; Eychmüller, Alexander

2018-06-19

Aerogels assembled from colloidal metal or semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) feature large surface area, ultralow density, and high porosity, thus rendering them attractive in various applications, such as catalysis, sensors, energy storage, and electronic devices. Morphological and structural modification of the aerogel backbones while maintaining the aerogel properties enables a second stage of the aerogel research, which is defined as hierarchical aerogels. Different from the conventional aerogels with nanowire-like backbones, those hierarchical aerogels are generally comprised of at least two levels of architectures, i.e., an interconnected porous structure on the macroscale and a specially designed configuration at local backbones at the nanoscale. This combination "locks in" the inherent properties of the NCs, so that the beneficial genes obtained by nanoengineering are retained in the resulting monolithic hierarchical aerogels. Herein, groundbreaking advances in the design, synthesis, and physicochemical properties of the hierarchical aerogels are reviewed and organized in three sections: i) pure metallic hierarchical aerogels, ii) semiconductor hierarchical aerogels, and iii) metal/semiconductor hybrid hierarchical aerogels. This report aims to define and demonstrate the concept, potential, and challenges of the hierarchical aerogels, thereby providing a perspective on the further development of these materials. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Valley excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors

DOE PAGES

Yu, Hongyi; Cui, Xiaodong; Xu, Xiaodong; ...

2014-12-30

Monolayer group-VIB transition metal dichalcogenides have recently emerged as a new class of semiconductors in the two-dimensional limit. The attractive properties include: the visible range direct band gap ideal for exploring optoelectronic applications; the intriguing physics associated with spin and valley pseudospin of carriers which implies potentials for novel electronics based on these internal degrees of freedom; the exceptionally strong Coulomb interaction due to the two-dimensional geometry and the large effective masses. The physics of excitons, the bound states of electrons and holes, has been one of the most actively studied topics on these two-dimensional semiconductors, where the excitons exhibitmore » remarkably new features due to the strong Coulomb binding, the valley degeneracy of the band edges, and the valley dependent optical selection rules for interband transitions. Here we give a brief overview of the experimental and theoretical findings on excitons in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, with focus on the novel properties associated with their valley degrees of freedom.« less

Metal-organic semiconductor interfacial barrier height determination from internal photoemission signal in spectral response measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sandeep; Iyer, S. Sundar Kumar

2017-04-01

Accurate and convenient evaluation methods of the interfacial barrier ϕb for charge carriers in metal semiconductor (MS) junctions are important for designing and building better opto-electronic devices. This becomes more critical for organic semiconductor devices where a plethora of molecules are in use and standardised models applicable to myriads of material combinations for the different devices may have limited applicability. In this paper, internal photoemission (IPE) from spectral response (SR) in the ultra-violet to near infra-red range of different MS junctions of metal-organic semiconductor-metal (MSM) test structures is used to determine more realistic MS ϕb values. The representative organic semiconductor considered is [6, 6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester, and the metals considered are Al and Au. The IPE signals in the SR measurement of the MSM device are identified and separated before it is analysed to estimate ϕb for the MS junction. The analysis of IPE signals under different bias conditions allows the evaluation of ϕb for both the front and back junctions, as well as for symmetric MSM devices.

Electrostatic analysis of n-doped SrTiO{sub 3} metal-insulator-semiconductor systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kamerbeek, A. M., E-mail: a.m.kamerbeek@rug.nl; Banerjee, T.; Hueting, R. J. E.

2015-12-14

Electron doped SrTiO{sub 3}, a complex-oxide semiconductor, possesses novel electronic properties due to its strong temperature and electric-field dependent permittivity. Due to the high permittivity, metal/n-SrTiO{sub 3} systems show reasonably strong rectification even when SrTiO{sub 3} is degenerately doped. Our experiments show that the insertion of a sub nanometer layer of AlO{sub x} in between the metal and n-SrTiO{sub 3} interface leads to a dramatic reduction of the Schottky barrier height (from around 0.90 V to 0.25 V). This reduces the interface resistivity by 4 orders of magnitude. The derived electrostatic analysis of the metal-insulator-semiconductor (n-SrTiO{sub 3}) system is consistent with thismore » trend. When compared with a Si based MIS system, the change is much larger and mainly governed by the high permittivity of SrTiO{sub 3}. The non-linear permittivity of n-SrTiO{sub 3} leads to unconventional properties such as a temperature dependent surface potential non-existent for semiconductors with linear permittivity such as Si. This allows tuning of the interfacial band alignment, and consequently the Schottky barrier height, in a much more drastic way than in conventional semiconductors.« less

Coulomb gap triptych in a periodic array of metal nanocrystals.

PubMed

Chen, Tianran; Skinner, Brian; Shklovskii, B I

2012-09-21

The Coulomb gap in the single-particle density of states (DOS) is a universal consequence of electron-electron interaction in disordered systems with localized electron states. Here we show that in arrays of monodisperse metallic nanocrystals, there is not one but three identical adjacent Coulomb gaps, which together form a structure that we call a "Coulomb gap triptych." We calculate the DOS and the conductivity in two- and three-dimensional arrays using a computer simulation. Unlike in the conventional Coulomb glass models, in nanocrystal arrays the DOS has a fixed width in the limit of large disorder. The Coulomb gap triptych can be studied via tunneling experiments.

Improvement of Surge Protection by Using an AlGaN/GaN-Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Varactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferng, Yi-Cherng; Chang, Liann-Be; Das, Atanu; Lin, Ching-Chi; Cheng, Chun-Yu; Kuei, Ping-Yu; Chow, Lee

2012-12-01

In this paper, a varactor with metal-semiconductor-metal diodes on top of the (NH4)2S/P2S5-treated AlGaN/GaN two-dimensional electron gas epitaxial structure (MSM-2DEG) is proposed to the surge protection for the first time. The sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor properties, including current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and frequency response of the proposed surge protection circuit, are presented. To verify its capability of surge protection, we replace the metal oxide varistor (MOV) and resistor (R) in a state-of-the-art surge protection circuit with the sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor under the application conditions of system-level surge tests. The measured results show that the proposed surge protection circuit, consisted of a gas discharge arrester (GDA) and a sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor, can suppress an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) voltage of 4000 to 360 V, a reduction of 91%, whereas suppression is to 1780 V, a reduction of 55%, when using only a GDA.

Formation and acceleration of uniformly filled ellipsoidal electron bunches obtained via space-charge-driven expansion from a cesium-telluride photocathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piot, P.; Sun, Y.-E.; Maxwell, T. J.; Ruan, J.; Secchi, E.; Thangaraj, J. C. T.

2013-01-01

We report the experimental generation, acceleration, and characterization of a uniformly filled electron bunch obtained via space-charge-driven expansion (often referred to as “blow-out regime”) in an L-band (1.3-GHz) radiofrequency photoinjector. The beam is photoemitted from a cesium-telluride semiconductor photocathode using a short (<200fs) ultraviolet laser pulse. The produced electron bunches are characterized with conventional diagnostics and the signatures of their ellipsoidal character are observed. We especially demonstrate the production of ellipsoidal bunches with charges up to ˜0.5nC corresponding to a ˜20-fold increase compared to previous experiments with metallic photocathodes.

Selective CO2 reduction conjugated with H2O oxidation utilizing semiconductor/metal-complex hybrid photocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morikawa, T.; Sato, S.; Arai, T.; Uemura, K.; Yamanaka, K. I.; Suzuki, T. M.; Kajino, T.; Motohiro, T.

2013-12-01

We developed a new hybrid photocatalyst for CO2 reduction, which is composed of a semiconductor and a metal complex. In the hybrid photocatalyst, ΔG between the position of conduction band minimum (ECBM) of the semiconductor and the CO2 reduction potential of the complex is an essential factor for realizing fast electron transfer from the conduction band of semiconductor to metal complex leading to high photocatalytic activity. On the basis of this concept, the hybrid photocatalyst InP/Ru-complex, which functions in aqueous media, was developed. The photoreduction of CO2 to formate using water as an electron donor and a proton source was successfully achieved as a Z-scheme system by functionally conjugating the InP/Ru-complex photocatalyst for CO2 reduction with a TiO2 photocatalyst for water oxidation. The conversion efficiency from solar energy to chemical energy was ca. 0.04%, which approaches that for photosynthesis in a plant. Because this system can be applied to many other inorganic semiconductors and metal-complex catalysts, the efficiency and reaction selectivity can be enhanced by optimization of the electron transfer process including the energy-band configurations, conjugation conformations, and catalyst structures. This electrical-bias-free reaction is a huge leap forward for future practical applications of artificial photosynthesis under solar irradiation to produce organic species.

Penta-SiC5 monolayer: A novel quasi-planar indirect semiconductor with a tunable wide band gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naseri, Mosayeb

2018-03-01

In this paper, by using of the first principles calculations in the framework of the density functional theory, we systematically investigated the structure, stability, electronic and optical properties of a novel two-dimensional pentagonal monolayer semiconductors namely penta-SiC5 monolayer. Comparing elemental silicon, diamond, and previously reported 2D carbon allotropes, our calculation shows that the predicted penta-SiC5 monolayer has a metastable nature. The calculated results indicate that the predicted monolayer is an indirect semiconductor with a wide band gap of about 2.82 eV by using Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) hybrid functional level of theory which can be effectively tuned by external biaxial strains. The obtained exceptional electronic properties suggest penta-SiC5 monolayer as promising candidates for application in new electronic devices in nano scale.

Effects of radiation and temperature on gallium nitride (GaN) metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiamori, Heather C.; Angadi, Chetan; Suria, Ateeq; Shankar, Ashwin; Hou, Minmin; Bhattacharya, Sharmila; Senesky, Debbie G.

2014-06-01

The development of radiation-hardened, temperature-tolerant materials, sensors and electronics will enable lightweight space sub-systems (reduced packaging requirements) with increased operation lifetimes in extreme harsh environments such as those encountered during space exploration. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a ceramic, semiconductor material stable within high-radiation, high-temperature and chemically corrosive environments due to its wide bandgap (3.4 eV). These material properties can be leveraged for ultraviolet (UV) wavelength photodetection. In this paper, current results of GaN metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV photodetectors behavior after irradiation up to 50 krad and temperatures of 15°C to 150°C is presented. These initial results indicate that GaN-based sensors can provide robust operation within extreme harsh environments. Future directions for GaN-based photodetector technology for down-hole, automotive and space exploration applications are also discussed.

Exciton Absorption in Semiconductor Quantum Wells Driven by a Strong Intersubband Pump Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Ansheng; Ning, Cun-Zheng

1999-01-01

Optical interband excitonic absorption of semiconductor quantum wells (QW's) driven by a coherent pump field is investigated based on semiconductor Bloch equations. The pump field has a photon energy close to the intersubband spacing between the first two conduction subbands in the QW's. An external weak optical field probes the interband transition. The excitonic effects and pump-induced population redistribution within the conduction subbands in the QW system are included. When the density of the electron-hole pairs in the QW structure is low, the pump field induces an Autler-Townes splitting of the exciton absorption spectrum. The split size and the peak positions of the absorption doublet depend not only on the pump frequency and intensity but also on the carrier density. As the density of the electron-hole pairs is increased, the split contrast (the ratio between the maximum and minimum values) is decreased because the exciton effect is suppressed at higher densities due to the many-body screening.

Hydrogen Sensors Using Nitride-Based Semiconductor Diodes: The Role of Metal/Semiconductor Interfaces

PubMed Central

Irokawa, Yoshihiro

2011-01-01

In this paper, I review my recent results in investigating hydrogen sensors using nitride-based semiconductor diodes, focusing on the interaction mechanism of hydrogen with the devices. Firstly, effects of interfacial modification in the devices on hydrogen detection sensitivity are discussed. Surface defects of GaN under Schottky electrodes do not play a critical role in hydrogen sensing characteristics. However, dielectric layers inserted in metal/semiconductor interfaces are found to cause dramatic changes in hydrogen sensing performance, implying that chemical selectivity to hydrogen could be realized. The capacitance-voltage (C–V) characteristics reveal that the work function change in the Schottky metal is not responsible mechanism for hydrogen sensitivity. The interface between the metal and the semiconductor plays a critical role in the interaction of hydrogen with semiconductor devises. Secondly, low-frequency C–V characterization is employed to investigate the interaction mechanism of hydrogen with diodes. As a result, it is suggested that the formation of a metal/semiconductor interfacial polarization could be attributed to hydrogen-related dipoles. In addition, using low-frequency C–V characterization leads to clear detection of 100 ppm hydrogen even at room temperature where it is hard to detect hydrogen by using conventional current-voltage (I–V) characterization, suggesting that low-frequency C–V method would be effective in detecting very low hydrogen concentrations. PMID:22346597

Silicon metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector

DOEpatents

Brueck, Steven R. J.; Myers, David R.; Sharma, Ashwani K.

1997-01-01

Silicon MSM photodiodes sensitive to radiation in the visible to near infrared spectral range are produced by altering the absorption characteristics of crystalline Si by ion implantation. The implantation produces a defected region below the surface of the silicon with the highest concentration of defects at its base which acts to reduce the contribution of charge carriers formed below the defected layer. The charge carriers generated by the radiation in the upper regions of the defected layer are very quickly collected between biased Schottky barrier electrodes which form a metal-semiconductor-metal structure for the photodiode.

Silicon metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector

DOEpatents

Brueck, Steven R. J.; Myers, David R.; Sharma, Ashwani K.

1995-01-01

Silicon MSM photodiodes sensitive to radiation in the visible to near infrared spectral range are produced by altering the absorption characteristics of crystalline Si by ion implantation. The implantation produces a defected region below the surface of the silicon with the highest concentration of defects at its base which acts to reduce the contribution of charge carriers formed below the defected layer. The charge carriers generated by the radiation in the upper regions of the defected layer are very quickly collected between biased Schottky barrier electrodes which form a metal-semiconductor-metal structure for the photodiode.

Method of fabricating n-type and p-type microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material including band gap widening elements

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Ovshinsky, Stanford R.

1990-02-02

A method of fabricating doped microcrystalline semiconductor alloy material which includes a band gap widening element through a glow discharge deposition process by subjecting a precursor mixture which includes a diluent gas to an a.c. glow discharge in the absence of a magnetic field of sufficient strength to induce electron cyclotron resonance.

Diverse and tunable electronic structures of single-layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides for photocatalytic water splitting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jian; Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100084; College of Electrical and Information Engineering, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan 411105, Hunan

2014-02-07

The family of bulk metal phosphorus trichalcogenides (APX{sub 3}, A = M{sup II}, M{sub 0.5}{sup I}M{sub 0.5}{sup III}; X = S, Se; M{sup I}, M{sup II}, and M{sup III} represent Group-I, Group-II, and Group-III metals, respectively) has attracted great attentions because such materials not only own magnetic and ferroelectric properties, but also exhibit excellent properties in hydrogen storage and lithium battery because of the layered structures. Many layered materials have been exfoliated into two-dimensional (2D) materials, and they show distinct electronic properties compared with their bulks. Here we present a systematical study of single-layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides by density functionalmore » theory calculations. The results show that the single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides have very low formation energies, which indicates that the exfoliation of single layer APX{sub 3} should not be difficult. The family of single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides exhibits a large range of band gaps from 1.77 to 3.94 eV, and the electronic structures are greatly affected by the metal or the chalcogenide atoms. The calculated band edges of metal phosphorus trichalcogenides further reveal that single-layer ZnPSe{sub 3}, CdPSe{sub 3}, Ag{sub 0.5}Sc{sub 0.5}PSe{sub 3}, and Ag{sub 0.5}In{sub 0.5}PX{sub 3} (X = S and Se) have both suitable band gaps for visible-light driving and sufficient over-potentials for water splitting. More fascinatingly, single-layer Ag{sub 0.5}Sc{sub 0.5}PSe{sub 3} is a direct band gap semiconductor, and the calculated optical absorption further convinces that such materials own outstanding properties for light absorption. Such results demonstrate that the single layer metal phosphorus trichalcogenides own high stability, versatile electronic properties, and high optical absorption, thus such materials have great chances to be high efficient photocatalysts for water-splitting.« less

Hot-electron-induced hydrogen redistribution and defect generation in metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchanan, D. A.; Marwick, A. D.; Dimaria, D. J.; Dori, L.

1994-09-01

Redistribution of hydrogen caused by hot-electron injection has been studied by hydrogen depth profiling with N-15 nuclear reaction analysis and electrical methods. Internal photoemission and Fowler-Nordheim injection were used for electron injection into large Al-gate and polysilicon-gate capacitors, respectively. A hydrogen-rich layer (about 10(exp 15) atoms/sq cm) observed at the Al/SiO2 interface was found to serve as the source of hydrogen during the hot-electron stress. A small fraction of the hydrogen released from this layer was found to be retrapped near the Si/SiO2 interface for large electron fluences in the Al-gate samples. Within the limit of detectability, about 10(exp 14)/sq cm, no hydrogen was measured using nuclear reaction analysis in the polysilicon-gate samples. The buildup of hydrogen at the Si/SiO2 interface exhibits a threshold at about 1 MV/cm, consistent with the threshold for electron heating in SiO2. In the 'wet' SiO2 films with purposely introduced excess hydrogen, the rate of hydrogen buildup at the Si/SiO2 interface is found to be significantly greater than that found in the 'dry' films. During electron injection, hydrogen redistribution was also confirmed via the deactivation of boron dopant in the silicon substrate. The generation rates of interface states, neutral electron traps, and anomalous positive charge are found to increase with increasing hydrogen buildup in the substrate and the initial hydrogen concentration in the film. It is concluded that the generation of defects is preceded by the hot-electron-induced release and transport of atomic hydrogen and it is the chemical reaction of this species within the metal-oxide-semiconductor structure that generates the electrically active defects.

Nanoscale semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell heterostructures: facile synthesis and light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gong Ping; Chen, Rui; Guo, Dong Lai; Wong, Lai Mun; Wang, Shi Jie; Sun, Han Dong; Wu, Tom

2011-08-01

Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO2 and In2O3 are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications.Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO2 and In2O3 are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in

Thin Semiconductor/Metal Films For Infrared Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, James L.; Nagendra, Channamallappa L.

1995-01-01

Spectral responses of absorbers and reflectors tailored. Thin cermet films composites of metals and semiconductors undergoing development for use as broadband infrared reflectors and absorbers. Development extends concepts of semiconductor and dielectric films used as interference filters for infrared light and visible light. Composite films offer advantages over semiconductor films. Addition of metal particles contributes additional thermal conductivity, reducing thermal gradients and associated thermal stresses, with resultant enhancements of thermal stability. Because values of n in composite films made large, same optical effects achieved with lesser thicknesses. By decreasing thicknesses of films, one not only decreases weights but also contributes further to reductions of thermal stresses.

Metallic Junction Thermoelectric Device Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duzik, Adam J.; Choi, Sang H.

2017-01-01

Thermoelectric junctions made of semiconductors have existed in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) for deep space missions, but are currently being adapted for terrestrial energy harvesting. Unfortunately, these devices are inefficient, operating at only 7% efficiency. This low efficiency has driven efforts to make high-figure-of-merit thermoelectric devices, which require a high electrical conductivity but a low thermal conductivity, a combination that is difficult to achieve. Lowered thermal conductivity has increased efficiency, but at the cost of power output. An alternative setup is to use metallic junctions rather than semiconductors as thermoelectric devices. Metals have orders of magnitude more electrons and electronic conductivities higher than semiconductors, but thermal conductivity is higher as well. To evaluate the viability of metallic junction thermoelectrics, a two dimensional heat transfer MATLAB simulation was constructed to calculate efficiency and power output. High Seebeck coefficient alloys, Chromel (90%Ni-10%Cr) and Constantan (55%Cu-45%Ni), produced efficiencies of around 20-30%. Parameters such as the number of layers of junctions, lateral junction density, and junction sizes for both series- and parallel-connected junctions were explored.

Tunable Non-Thermal Distribution of Hot Electrons in a Semiconductor Injected from a Plasmonic Gold Nanostructure.

PubMed

Cushing, Scott Kevin; Chen, Chih-Jung; Dong, Chung Li; Kong, Xiang-Tian; Govorov, Alexander O; Liu, Ru-Shi; Wu, Nianqiang

2018-06-26

For semiconductors photosensitized with organic dyes or quantum dots, transferred electrons are usually considered thermalized at the conduction band edge. This study suggests that the electrons injected from a plasmonic metal into a thin semiconductor shell can be non-thermal with energy up to the plasmon frequency. In other words, the electrons injected into the semiconductor are still hot carriers. Photomodulated x-ray absorption measurements of the Ti L 2,3 edge are compared before and after excitation of the plasmon in Au@TiO 2 core shell nanoparticles. Comparison with theoretical predictions of the x-ray absorption, which include the heating and state-filling effects from injected hot carriers, suggest that the electrons transferred from the plasmon remain non-thermal in the ~10 nm TiO 2 shell, due in part to a slow trapping in defect states. By repeating the measurements for spherical, rod-like, and star-like metal nanoparticles, the magnitude of the non-thermal distribution, peak energy, and number of injected hot electrons are confirmed to be tuned by the plasmon frequency and the sharp corners of the plasmonic nanostructure. The results suggest that plasmonic photosensitizers can not only extend the sunlight absorption spectral range of semiconductor-based devices, but could also result in increased open circuit voltages and elevated thermodynamic driving forces for solar fuel generation in photoelectrochemical cells.

Metal Contacts in Semiconductors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-01

greater understanding of the role that imperfec- tions, defects etc. play in the formation of Schottk~y barriers and related devices. In section 1 of...these effects. In Section 2 of this report we consider the role of surface defects in the pinning of the Fermi level at free semiconductor surfaces and...in the adsorption and oxidation processes involved when these surfaces interact with gases and metals. The role of imperfections at metal

Ionic behavior of organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite based metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors.

PubMed

Wang, Yucheng; Zhang, Yuming; Pang, Tiqiang; Xu, Jie; Hu, Ziyang; Zhu, Yuejin; Tang, Xiaoyan; Luan, Suzhen; Jia, Renxu

2017-05-24

Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites are promising semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. Despite the achievements in device performance, the electrical properties of perovskites have stagnated. Ion migration is speculated to be the main contributing factor for the many unusual electrical phenomena in perovskite-based devices. Here, to understand the intrinsic electrical behavior of perovskites, we constructed metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors based on perovskite films and performed capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements of the capacitors. The results provide direct evidence for the mixed ionic-electronic transport behavior within perovskite films. In the dark, there is electrical hysteresis in both the C-V and I-V curves because the mobile negative ions take part in charge transport despite frequency modulation. However, under illumination, the large amount of photoexcited free carriers screens the influence of the mobile ions with a low concentration, which is responsible for the normal C-V properties. Validation of ion migration for the gate-control ability of MOS capacitors is also helpful for the investigation of perovskite MOS transistors and other gate-control photovoltaic devices.

New Concentric Electrode Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Towe, Elias

1996-01-01

A new metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector geometry is proposed. The new device has concentric metal electrodes which exhibit a high degree of symmetry and a design flexibility absent in the conventional MSM device. The concentric electrodes are biased to alternating potentials as in the conventional interdigitated device. Because of the high symmetry configuration, however, the new device also has a lower effective capacitance. This device and the conventional MSM structure are analyzed within a common theoretical framework which allows for the comparison of the important performance characteristics.

Semiconductor-to-metal transition in rutile TiO 2 induced by tensile strain

DOE PAGES

Benson, Eric E.; Miller, Elisa M.; Nanayakkara, Sanjini U.; ...

2017-02-10

Here, we report the first observation of a reversible, degenerate doping of titanium dioxide with strain, which is referred to as a semiconductor-to-metal transition. Application of tensile strain to a ~50 nm film of rutile TiO 2 thermally grown on a superelastic nitinol (NiTi intermetallic) substrate causes reversible degenerate doping as evidenced by electrochemistry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and conducting atomic force microscopy (CAFM). Cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements show behavior characteristic of a highly doped n-type semiconductor for unstrained TiO 2 transitioning to metallic behavior under tensile strain. The transition reverses when strain is removed. Valence band XPS spectramore » show that samples strained to 5% exhibit metallic-like intensity near the Fermi level. Strain also induces a distinct transition in CAFM current-voltage curves from rectifying (typical of an n-type semiconductor) to ohmic (metal-like) behavior. We propose that strain raises the energy distribution of oxygen vacancies ( n-type dopants) near the conduction band and causes an increase in carrier concentration. As the carrier concentration is increased, the width of the depletion region is reduced, which then permits electron tunneling through the space charge barrier resulting in the observed metallic behavior.« less

Magnetic engineering in InSe/black-phosphorus heterostructure by transition-metal-atom Sc-Zn doping in the van der Waals gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Yi-min; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Zhu, Yao-hui; Wu, Meng; Wang, Hui; Cen, Yu-lang; Guo, Wen-hui; Pan, Shu-hang

2018-07-01

Within the framework of the spin-polarized density-functional theory, we have studied the electronic and magnetic properties of InSe/black-phosphorus (BP) heterostructure doped with 3d transition-metal (TM) atoms from Sc to Zn. The calculated binding energies show that TM-atom doping in the van der Waals (vdW) gap of InSe/BP heterostructure is energetically favorable. Our results indicate that magnetic moments are induced in the Sc-, Ti-, V-, Cr-, Mn- and Co-doped InSe/BP heterostructures due to the existence of non-bonding 3d electrons. The Ni-, Cu- and Zn-doped InSe/BP heterostructures still show nonmagnetic semiconductor characteristics. Furthermore, in the Fe-doped InSe/BP heterostructure, the half-metal property is found and a high spin polarization of 100% at the Fermi level is achieved. The Cr-doped InSe/BP has the largest magnetic moment of 4.9 μB. The Sc-, Ti-, V-, Cr- and Mn-doped InSe/BP heterostructures exhibit antiferromagnetic ground state. Moreover, the Fe- and Co-doped systems display a weak ferromagnetic and paramagnetic coupling, respectively. Our studies demonstrate that the TM doping in the vdW gap of InSe/BP heterostructure is an effective way to modify its electronic and magnetic properties.

Helicon wave excitation to produce energetic electrons for manufacturing semiconductors

DOEpatents

Molvik, Arthur W.; Ellingboe, Albert R.

1998-01-01

A helicon plasma source is controlled by varying the axial magnetic field or rf power controlling the formation of the helicon wave. An energetic electron current is carried on the wave when the magnetic field is 90 G; but there is minimal energetic electron current when the magnetic field is 100 G in one particular plasma source. Similar performance can be expected from other helicon sources by properly adjusting the magnetic field and power to the particular geometry. This control for adjusting the production of energetic electrons can be used in the semiconductor and thin-film manufacture process. By applying energetic electrons to the insulator layer, such as silicon oxide, etching ions are attracted to the insulator layer and bombard the insulator layer at higher energy than areas that have not accumulated the energetic electrons. Thus, silicon and metal layers, which can neutralize the energetic electron currents will etch at a slower or non-existent rate. This procedure is especially advantageous in the multilayer semiconductor manufacturing because trenches can be formed that are in the range of 0.18-0.35 mm or less.

Helicon wave excitation to produce energetic electrons for manufacturing semiconductors

DOEpatents

Molvik, A.W.; Ellingboe, A.R.

1998-10-20

A helicon plasma source is controlled by varying the axial magnetic field or rf power controlling the formation of the helicon wave. An energetic electron current is carried on the wave when the magnetic field is 90 G; but there is minimal energetic electron current when the magnetic field is 100 G in one particular plasma source. Similar performance can be expected from other helicon sources by properly adjusting the magnetic field and power to the particular geometry. This control for adjusting the production of energetic electrons can be used in the semiconductor and thin-film manufacture process. By applying energetic electrons to the insulator layer, such as silicon oxide, etching ions are attracted to the insulator layer and bombard the insulator layer at higher energy than areas that have not accumulated the energetic electrons. Thus, silicon and metal layers, which can neutralize the energetic electron currents will etch at a slower or non-existent rate. This procedure is especially advantageous in the multilayer semiconductor manufacturing because trenches can be formed that are in the range of 0.18--0.35 mm or less. 16 figs.

The role of ultra-thin SiO2 layers in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photoelectrochemical devices (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Daniel V.

2015-08-01

Solid-state junctions based on a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) architecture are of great interest for a number of optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaics, photoelectrochemical cells, and photodetection. One major advantage of the MIS junction compared to the closely related metal-semiconductor junction, or Schottky junction, is that the thin insulating layer (1-3 nm thick) that separates the metal and semiconductor can significantly reduce the density of undesirable interfacial mid-gap states. The reduction in mid-gap states helps "un-pin" the junction, allowing for significantly higher built-in-voltages to be achieved. A second major advantage of the MIS junction is that the thin insulating layer can also protect the underlying semiconductor from corrosion in an electrochemical environment, making the MIS architecture well-suited for application in (photo)electrochemical applications. In this presentation, discontinuous Si-based MIS junctions immersed in electrolyte are explored for use as i.) photoelectrodes for solar-water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) and ii.) position-sensitive photodetectors. The development and optimization of MIS photoelectrodes for both of these applications relies heavily on understanding how processing of the thin SiO2 layer impacts the properties of nano- and micro-scale MIS junctions, as well as the interactions of the insulating layer with the electrolyte. In this work, we systematically explore the effects of insulator thickness, synthesis method, and chemical treatment on the photoelectrochemical and electrochemical properties of these MIS devices. It is shown that electrolyte-induced inversion plays a critical role in determining the charge carrier dynamics within the MIS photoelectrodes for both applications.

Current-voltage characteristics of the semiconductor nanowires under the metal-semiconductor-metal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jing; Zhang, Xitian; Gao, Hong; Wang, Mingjiao

2013-12-01

We present a method to calculate the I-V characteristics of semiconductor nanowires under the metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) structure. The carrier concentration as an important parameter is introduced into the expression of the current. The subband structure of the nanowire has been considered for associating it with the position of the Fermi level and circumventing the uncertainties of the contact areas in the contacts. The tunneling and thermionic emission currents in the two Schottky barriers at the two metal-semiconductor contacts are discussed. We find that the two barriers have different influences on the I-V characteristics of the MSM structure, one of which under the forward bias plays the role of threshold voltage if its barrier height is large and the applied voltage is small, and the other under the reverse bias controls the shapes of I-V curves. Our calculations show that the shapes of the I-V curves for the MSM structure are mainly determined by the barrier heights of the contacts and the carrier concentration. The nearly identical I-V characteristics can be obtained by using different values of the barrier heights and carrier concentration, which means that the contact type conversion can be ascribed not only to the changes of the barrier heights but also that of the carrier concentration. We also discuss the mechanisms of the ohmic-Schottky conversions and clarify the ambiguity in the literature. The possibility about the variation of the carrier concentration under the applied fields has been confirmed by experimental results.

The Interfacial Thermal Conductance of Epitaxial Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Ning

-silicon), interfaces with varying levels of disorder (epitaxial and non-epitaxial). The ITC values of silicides-silicon interfaces observed in this study are higher than those of other metallic interfaces to Si found in literature. Most surprisingly, it is experimentally found that ITC values are independent of interfacial quality and substrate orientation. Computationally, it is found that the non-equilibrium atomistic Green's Function technique (NEGF), which is specically designed to simulate coherent elastic phonon transport across interfaces, significantly underpredicts ITC values for CoSi2-Si interfaces, suggesting that energy transport does not occur purely by coherent transmission of phonons, even for epitaxial interfaces. In contrast, the Diffuse Mismatch Model closely mimics the experimentally observed ITC values for CoSi 2-Si, NiSi-Si and TiSi2-Si interfaces, and only slightly overestimating the same for PtSi-Si interfaces. Furthermore, the results also show that ITC is independent of degenerate doping up to doping levels of ≈1 x 1019 cm-3, indicating there is no significant direct electronic transport or transport effects which depend on long-range metal-semiconductor band alignment. Then, I study the effect of phonon band structure on ITC through measurements of epitaxial NiAl1-xGax-GaAs interfaces for varying levels of alloy composition, which independently tunes the mass of the metal's heavy atom without much affect on the lattice structure or interatomic force constants. The ITC values are found to linearly increase with increasing Ga content, consistent with the disappearance of a phonon band gap in NiAl 1-xGax films with increasing Ga content, which enhances the phonon transmission coefficients due to a better density of states overlap between the two (NiAl1-xGax, GaAs) materials. Finally, I study a unique subset of epitaxial rocksalt interfaces between the Group IV metal nitrides (TiN, ZrN, and HfN) to MgO substrates as well as ScN layers. Prior to the currrent

Engineering an Insulating Ferroelectric Superlattice with a Tunable Band Gap from Metallic Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Saurabh; Borisevich, Albina Y.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

2017-10-01

The recent discovery of "polar metals" with ferroelectriclike displacements offers the promise of designing ferroelectrics with tunable energy gaps by inducing controlled metal-insulator transitions. Here we employ first-principles calculations to design a metallic polar superlattice from nonpolar metal components and show that controlled intermixing can lead to a true insulating ferroelectric with a tunable band gap. We consider a 2 /2 superlattice made of two centrosymmetric metallic oxides, La0.75 Sr0.25 MnO3 and LaNiO3 , and show that ferroelectriclike displacements are induced. The ferroelectriclike distortion is found to be strongly dependent on the carrier concentration (Sr content). Further, we show that a metal-to-insulator (MI) transition is feasible in this system via disproportionation of the Ni sites. Such a disproportionation and, hence, a MI transition can be driven by intermixing of transition metal ions between Mn and Ni layers. As a result, the energy gap of the resulting ferroelectric can be tuned by varying the degree of intermixing in the experimental fabrication method.

Interface Schottky barrier engineering via strain in metal-semiconductor composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xiangchao; Dai, Ying; Yu, Lin; Huang, Baibiao

2016-01-01

The interfacial carrier transfer property, which is dominated by the interface Schottky barrier height (SBH), plays a crucial role in determining the performance of metal-semiconductor heterostructures in a variety of applications. Therefore, artificially controlling the interface SBH is of great importance for their industrial applications. As a model system, the Au/TiO2 (001) heterostructure is studied using first-principles calculations and the tight-binding method in the present study. Our investigation demonstrates that strain can be an effective way to decrease the interface SBH and that the n-type SBH can be more effectively decreased than the p-type SBH. Astonishingly, strain affects the interface SBH mainly by changing the intrinsic properties of Au and TiO2, whereas the interfacial potential alignment is almost independent of strain due to two opposite effects, which are induced by strain at the interfacial region. These observed trends can be understood on the basis of the general free-electron gas model of typical metals, the tight-binding theory and the crystal-field theory, which suggest that similar trends may be generalized for many other metal-semiconductor heterostructures. Given the commonness and tunability of strain in typical heterostructures, we anticipate that the tunability of the interface SBH with strain described here can provide an alternative effective way for realizing more efficient applications of relevant heterostructures.The interfacial carrier transfer property, which is dominated by the interface Schottky barrier height (SBH), plays a crucial role in determining the performance of metal-semiconductor heterostructures in a variety of applications. Therefore, artificially controlling the interface SBH is of great importance for their industrial applications. As a model system, the Au/TiO2 (001) heterostructure is studied using first-principles calculations and the tight-binding method in the present study. Our investigation

Stable surface passivation process for compound semiconductors

DOEpatents

Ashby, Carol I. H.

2001-01-01

A passivation process for a previously sulfided, selenided or tellurated III-V compound semiconductor surface. The concentration of undesired mid-gap surface states on a compound semiconductor surface is reduced by the formation of a near-monolayer of metal-(sulfur and/or selenium and/or tellurium)-semiconductor that is effective for long term passivation of the underlying semiconductor surface. Starting with the III-V compound semiconductor surface, any oxidation present thereon is substantially removed and the surface is then treated with sulfur, selenium or tellurium to form a near-monolayer of chalcogen-semiconductor of the surface in an oxygen-free atmosphere. This chalcogenated surface is then contacted with a solution of a metal that will form a low solubility chalcogenide to form a near-monolayer of metal-chalcogen-semiconductor. The resulting passivating layer provides long term protection for the underlying surface at or above the level achieved by a freshly chalcogenated compound semiconductor surface in an oxygen free atmosphere.

Heterogeneous semiconductor photocatalysts for hydrogen production from aqueous solutions of electron donors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlova, E. A.; Parmon, V. N.

2017-09-01

Current views on heterogeneous photocatalysts for visible- and near-UV-light-driven production of molecular hydrogen from water and aqueous solutions of inorganic and organic electron donors are analyzed and summarized. Main types of such photocatalysts and methods for their preparation are considered. Particular attention is paid to semiconductor photocatalysts based on sulfides that are known to be sensitive to visible light. The known methods for increasing the quantum efficiency of the target process are discussed, including design of the structure, composition and texture of semiconductor photocatalysts and variation of the medium pH and the substrate and photocatalyst concentrations. Some important aspects of the activation and deactivation of sulfide photocatalysts and the evolution of their properties in the course of hydrogen production processes in the presence of various types of electron donors are analyzed. The bibliography includes 276 references.

Optical conductivity calculation of a k.p model semiconductor GaAs incorporating first-order electron-hole vertex correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurhuda, Maryam; Aziz Majidi, Muhammad

2018-04-01

The role of excitons in semiconducting materials carries potential applications. Experimental results show that excitonic signals also appear in optical absorption spectra of semiconductor system with narrow gap, such as Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). While on the theoretical side, calculation of optical spectra based purely on Density Functional Theory (DFT) without taking electron-hole (e-h) interactions into account does not lead to the appearance of any excitonic signal. Meanwhile, existing DFT-based algorithms that include a full vertex correction through Bethe-Salpeter equation may reveal an excitonic signal, but the algorithm has not provided a way to analyze the excitonic signal further. Motivated to provide a way to isolate the excitonic effect in the optical response theoretically, we develop a method of calculation for the optical conductivity of a narrow band-gap semiconductor GaAs within the 8-band k.p model that includes electron-hole interactions through first-order electron-hole vertex correction. Our calculation confirms that the first-order e-h vertex correction reveals excitonic signal around 1.5 eV (the band gap edge), consistent with the experimental data.

Infrared rectification in a nanoantenna-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor tunnel diode.

PubMed

Davids, Paul S; Jarecki, Robert L; Starbuck, Andrew; Burckel, D Bruce; Kadlec, Emil A; Ribaudo, Troy; Shaner, Eric A; Peters, David W

2015-12-01

Direct rectification of electromagnetic radiation is a well-established method for wireless power conversion in the microwave region of the spectrum, for which conversion efficiencies in excess of 84% have been demonstrated. Scaling to the infrared or optical part of the spectrum requires ultrafast rectification that can only be obtained by direct tunnelling. Many research groups have looked to plasmonics to overcome antenna-scaling limits and to increase the confinement. Recently, surface plasmons on heavily doped Si surfaces were investigated as a way of extending surface-mode confinement to the thermal infrared region. Here we combine a nanostructured metallic surface with a heavily doped Si infrared-reflective ground plane designed to confine infrared radiation in an active electronic direct-conversion device. The interplay of strong infrared photon-phonon coupling and electromagnetic confinement in nanoscale devices is demonstrated to have a large impact on ultrafast electronic tunnelling in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. Infrared dispersion of SiO2 near a longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode gives large transverse-field confinement in a nanometre-scale oxide-tunnel gap as the wavelength-dependent permittivity changes from 1 to 0, which leads to enhanced electromagnetic fields at material interfaces and a rectified displacement current that provides a direct conversion of infrared radiation into electric current. The spectral and electrical signatures of the nanoantenna-coupled tunnel diodes are examined under broadband blackbody and quantum-cascade laser (QCL) illumination. In the region near the LO phonon resonance, we obtained a measured photoresponsivity of 2.7 mA W(-1) cm(-2) at -0.1 V.

Study of low dimensional SiGe island on Si for potential visible Metal-Semiconductor-Metal photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahim, Alhan Farhanah Abd; Zainal Badri, Nur'Amirah; Radzali, Rosfariza; Mahmood, Ainorkhilah

2017-11-01

In this paper, an investigation of design and simulation of silicon germanium (SiGe) islands on silicon (Si) was presented for potential visible metal semiconductor metal (MSM) photodetector. The characterization of the performances in term of the structural, optical and electrical properties of the structures was analyzed from the simulation results. The project involves simulation using SILVACO Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tools. The different structures of the silicon germanium (SiGe) island on silicon substrate were created, which were large SiGe, small SiGe, combination SiGe and bulk Ge. All the structures were tested for potential Metal Semiconductor Metal (MSM) photodetector. The extracted data such as current versus voltage characteristic, current gain and spectral response were obtained using ATLAS SILVACO tools. The performance of SiGe island structures and bulk Ge on Si substrate as (MSM) photodetector was evaluated by photo and dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. It was found that SiGe islands exhibited higher energy band gap compared to bulk Ge. The SiGe islands current-voltage characteristics showed improved current gain compared to bulk Ge. Specifically the enhancement of the islands gain was contributed by the enhanced photo currents and lower dark currents. The spectral responses of the SiGe islands showed peak response at 590 nm (yellow) which is at the visible wavelength. This shows the feasibility of the SiGe islands to be utilized for visible photodetections.

Novel photoinduced phase transitions in transition metal oxides and diluted magnetic semiconductors.

PubMed

Mizokawa, Takashi

2012-10-23

Some transition metal oxides have frustrated electronic states under multiphase competition due to strongly correlated d electrons with spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom and exhibit drastic responses to external stimuli such as optical excitation. Here, we present photoemission studies on Pr0.55(Ca1 - ySry)0.45MnO3 (y = 0.25), SrTiO3, and Ti1 - xCoxO2 (x = 0.05, 0.10) under laser illumination and discuss electronic structural changes induced by optical excitation in these strongly correlated oxides. We discuss the novel photoinduced phase transitions in these transition metal oxides and diluted magnetic semiconductors on the basis of polaronic pictures such as orbital, ferromagnetic, and ferroelectric polarons.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Quantum-Mechanical Study on Surrounding-Gate Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Guang-Xi; Wang, Ling-Li; Liu, Ran; Tang, Ting-Ao; Qiu, Zhi-Jun

2010-10-01

As the channel length of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) scales into the nanometer regime, quantum mechanical effects are becoming more and more significant. In this work, a model for the surrounding-gate (SG) nMOSFET is developed. The Schrödinger equation is solved analytically. Some of the solutions are verified via results obtained from simulations. It is found that the percentage of the electrons with lighter conductivity mass increases as the silicon body radius decreases, or as the gate voltage reduces, or as the temperature decreases. The centroid of inversion-layer is driven away from the silicon-oxide interface towards the silicon body, therefore the carriers will suffer less scattering from the interface and the electrons effective mobility of the SG nMOSFETs will be enhanced.

Newtype single-layer magnetic semiconductor in transition-metal dichalcogenides VX2 (X = S, Se and Te)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuh, Huei-Ru; Chang, Ching-Ray; Wang, Yin-Kuo; Evans, Richard F. L.; Chantrell, Roy W.; Jeng, Horng-Tay

2016-09-01

We present a newtype 2-dimensional (2D) magnetic semiconductor based on transition-metal dichalcogenides VX2 (X = S, Se and Te) via first-principles calculations. The obtained indirect band gaps of monolayer VS2, VSe2, and VTe2 given from the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) are respectively 0.05, 0.22, and 0.20 eV, all with integer magnetic moments of 1.0 μB. The GGA plus on-site Coulomb interaction U (GGA + U) enhances the exchange splittings and raises the energy gap up to 0.38~0.65 eV. By adopting the GW approximation, we obtain converged G0W0 gaps of 1.3, 1.2, and 0.7 eV for VS2, VSe2, and VTe2 monolayers, respectively. They agree very well with our calculated HSE gaps of 1.1, 1.2, and 0.6 eV, respectively. The gap sizes as well as the metal-insulator transitions are tunable by applying the in-plane strain and/or changing the number of stacking layers. The Monte Carlo simulations illustrate very high Curie-temperatures of 292, 472, and 553 K for VS2, VSe2, and VTe2 monolayers, respectively. They are nearly or well beyond the room temperature. Combining the semiconducting energy gap, the 100% spin polarized valence and conduction bands, the room temperature TC, and the in-plane magnetic anisotropy together in a single layer VX2, this newtype 2D magnetic semiconductor shows great potential in future spintronics.

Ab initio description of the diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs: Ferromagnetism, electronic structure, and optical response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craco, L.; Laad, M. S.; Müller-Hartmann, E.

2003-12-01

Motivated by a study of various experiments describing the electronic and magnetic properties of the diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, we investigate its physical response in detail using a combination of first-principles band structure with methods based on dynamical mean field theory to incorporate strong, dynamical correlations, and intrinsic as well as extrinsic disorder in one single theoretical picture. We show how ferromagnetism is driven by double exchange (DE), in agreement with very recent observations, along with a good quantitative description of the details of the electronic structure, as probed by scanning tunneling microscopy and optical conductivity. Our results show how ferromagnetism can be driven by DE even in diluted magnetic semiconductors with small carrier concentration.

Ionic-Electronic Ambipolar Transport in Metal Halide Perovskites: Can Electronic Conductivity Limit Ionic Diffusion?

PubMed

Kerner, Ross A; Rand, Barry P

2018-01-04

Ambipolar transport describes the nonequilibrium, coupled motion of positively and negatively charged particles to ensure that internal electric fields remain small. It is commonly invoked in the semiconductor community where the motion of excess electrons and holes drift and diffuse together. However, the concept of ambipolar transport is not limited to semiconductor physics. Materials scientists working on ion conducting ceramics understand ambipolar transport dictates the coupled diffusion of ions and the rate is limited by the ion with the lowest diffusion coefficient. In this Perspective, we review a third application of ambipolar transport relevant to mixed ionic-electronic conducting materials for which the motion of ions is expected to be coupled to electronic carriers. In this unique situation, the ambipolar diffusion model has been successful at explaining the photoenhanced diffusion of metal ions in chalcogenide glasses and other properties of materials. Recent examples of photoenhanced phenomena in metal halide perovskites are discussed and indicate that mixed ionic-electronic ambipolar transport is similarly important for a deep understanding of these emerging materials.

Environmentally sensitive theory of electronic and optical transitions in atomically thin semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Yeongsu; Berkelbach, Timothy C.

2018-01-01

We present an electrostatic theory of band-gap renormalization in atomically thin semiconductors that captures the strong sensitivity to the surrounding dielectric environment. In particular, our theory aims to correct known band gaps, such as that of the three-dimensional bulk crystal. Combining our quasiparticle band gaps with an effective-mass theory of excitons yields environmentally sensitive optical gaps as would be observed in absorption or photoluminescence. For an isolated monolayer of MoS2, the presented theory is in good agreement with ab initio results based on the G W approximation and the Bethe-Salpeter equation. We find that changes in the electronic band gap are almost exactly offset by changes in the exciton binding energy such that the energy of the first optical transition is nearly independent of the electrostatic environment, rationalizing experimental observations.

Graphene and thin-film semiconductor heterojunction transistors integrated on wafer scale for low-power electronics.

PubMed

Heo, Jinseong; Byun, Kyung-Eun; Lee, Jaeho; Chung, Hyun-Jong; Jeon, Sanghun; Park, Seongjun; Hwang, Sungwoo

2013-01-01

Graphene heterostructures in which graphene is combined with semiconductors or other layered 2D materials are of considerable interest, as a new class of electronic devices has been realized. Here we propose a technology platform based on graphene-thin-film-semiconductor-metal (GSM) junctions, which can be applied to large-scale and power-efficient electronics compatible with a variety of substrates. We demonstrate wafer-scale integration of vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs) based on graphene-In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO)-metal asymmetric junctions on a transparent 150 × 150 mm(2) glass. In this system, a triangular energy barrier between the graphene and metal is designed by selecting a metal with a proper work function. We obtain a maximum current on/off ratio (Ion/Ioff) up to 10(6) with an average of 3010 over 2000 devices under ambient conditions. For low-power logic applications, an inverter that combines complementary n-type (IGZO) and p-type (Ge) devices is demonstrated to operate at a bias of only 0.5 V.

Semiconductor sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gatos, Harry C. (Inventor); Lagowski, Jacek (Inventor)

1977-01-01

A semiconductor sensor adapted to detect with a high degree of sensitivity small magnitudes of a mechanical force, presence of traces of a gas or light. The sensor includes a high energy gap (i.e., .about. 1.0 electron volts) semiconductor wafer. Mechanical force is measured by employing a non-centrosymmetric material for the semiconductor. Distortion of the semiconductor by the force creates a contact potential difference (cpd) at the semiconductor surface, and this cpd is determined to give a measure of the force. When such a semiconductor is subjected to illumination with an energy less than the energy gap of the semiconductors, such illumination also creates a cpd at the surface. Detection of this cpd is employed to sense the illumination itself or, in a variation of the system, to detect a gas. When either a gas or light is to be detected and a crystal of a non-centrosymmetric material is employed, the presence of gas or light, in appropriate circumstances, results in a strain within the crystal which distorts the same and the distortion provides a mechanism for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the gas or the light, as the case may be.

Nonlinear Optical Interactions in Semiconductors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-10

Physique du Solide et Energie Solaire We had on-going interaction with Dr. Christian Verie on the growth of high quality narrow-gap semiconductor crystals...The band gap energy of the semiconductor decreases with increasing temperature. Consequently, the absorption of light in the energy region of the...gas and, more importantly, will modulate the electron energy at the difference frequency, wI - 02" Under ordinary circumstances such an energy (or

Nonlinear Optical Interactions in Semiconductors

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

TACAN Aerospace Corporation. 6 V. Coupling A. C.N.R.S., Physique du Solide et Energie Solaire We have an on-going interaction with Dr. Christian...optical fiber to the semiconductor sample and back to the analyzing electronics. The band-gap energy of the semiconductor decreases with increasing...temperature. Consequently, the absorption of light in the energy region of the band-gap changes with temperature. From the measured light absorption, the

Electronegativity estimation of electronic polarizabilities of semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Keyan; Xue, Dongfeng, E-mail: dfxue@chem.dlut.edu.cn

2010-03-15

On the basis of the viewpoint of structure-property relationship in solid state matters, we proposed some useful relations to quantitatively calculate the electronic polarizabilities of binary and ternary chalcopyrite semiconductors, by using electronegativity and principal quantum number. The calculated electronic polarizabilities are in good agreement with reported values in the literature. Both electronegativity and principal quantum number can effectively reflect the detailed chemical bonding behaviors of constituent atoms in these semiconductors, which determines the magnitude of their electronic polarizabilities. The present work provides a useful guide to compositionally design novel semiconductor materials, and further explore advanced electro-optic devices.

IR-Driven Ultrafast Transfer of Plasmonic Hot Electrons in Nonmetallic Branched Heterostructures for Enhanced H2 Generation.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhenyi; Jiang, Xiaoyi; Liu, Benkang; Guo, Lijiao; Lu, Na; Wang, Li; Huang, Jindou; Liu, Kuichao; Dong, Bin

2018-03-01

The ultrafast transfer of plasmon-induced hot electrons is considered an effective kinetics process to enhance the photoconversion efficiencies of semiconductors through strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of plasmonic nanostructures. Although this classical sensitization approach is widely used in noble-metal-semiconductor systems, it remains unclear in nonmetallic plasmonic heterostructures. Here, by combining ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy with theoretical simulations, IR-driven transfer of plasmon-induced hot electron in a nonmetallic branched heterostructure is demonstrated, which is fabricated through solvothermal growth of plasmonic W 18 O 49 nanowires (as branches) onto TiO 2 electrospun nanofibers (as backbones). The ultrafast transfer of hot electron from the W 18 O 49 branches to the TiO 2 backbones occurs within a timeframe on the order of 200 fs with very large rate constants ranging from 3.8 × 10 12 to 5.5 × 10 12 s -1 . Upon LSPR excitation by low-energy IR photons, the W 18 O 49 /TiO 2 branched heterostructure exhibits obviously enhanced catalytic H 2 generation from ammonia borane compared with that of W 18 O 49 nanowires. Further investigations by finely controlling experimental conditions unambiguously confirm that this plasmon-enhanced catalytic activity arises from the transfer of hot electron rather than from the photothermal effect. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultralow-power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor inverters constructed on Schottky barrier modified nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors.

PubMed

Ma, R M; Peng, R M; Wen, X N; Dai, L; Liu, C; Sun, T; Xu, W J; Qin, G G

2010-10-01

We show that the threshold voltages of both n- and p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) can be lowered to close to zero by adding extra Schottky contacts on top of nanowires (NWs). Novel complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are constructed on these Schottky barrier modified n- and p-channel NW MOSFETs. Based on the high performances of the modified n- and p-channel MOSFETs, especially the low threshold voltages, the as-fabricated CMOS inverters have low operating voltage, high voltage gain, and ultra-low static power dissipation.

Metal-semiconductor barrier modulation for high photoresponse in transition metal dichalcogenide field effect transistors.

PubMed

Li, Hua-Min; Lee, Dae-Yeong; Choi, Min Sup; Qu, Deshun; Liu, Xiaochi; Ra, Chang-Ho; Yoo, Won Jong

2014-02-10

A gate-controlled metal-semiconductor barrier modulation and its effect on carrier transport were investigated in two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) field effect transistors (FETs). A strong photoresponse was observed in both unipolar MoS2 and ambipolar WSe2 FETs (i) at the high drain voltage due to a high electric field along the channel for separating photo-excited charge carriers and (ii) at the certain gate voltage due to the optimized barriers for the collection of photo-excited charge carriers at metal contacts. The effective barrier height between Ti/Au and TMDCs was estimated by a low temperature measurement. An ohmic contact behavior and drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) were clearly observed in MoS2 FET. In contrast, a Schottky-to-ohmic contact transition was observed in WSe2 FET as the gate voltage increases, due to the change of majority carrier transport from holes to electrons. The gate-dependent barrier modulation effectively controls the carrier transport, demonstrating its great potential in 2D TMDCs for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Electron transport in erbium arsenide:indium gallium(aluminum)arsenide metal/semiconductor nanocomposites for thermoelectric power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahk, Je-Hyeong

Electron transport in thin film ErAs:InGa(Al)As metal/semiconductor nanocomposite materials grown by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated experimentally and theoretically for efficient thermoelectric power generation. Thermoelectric properties such as the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical conductivity, and the thermal conductivity are measured for the various compositions of the material up to 840 K. A special sample preparation method is proposed to protect the thin films from damage and/or decomposition, and prevent the parasitic substrate conduction effect during the high temperature measurements. The sample preparation method includes surface passivation, high temperature metallization with a diffusion barrier, and the covalent oxide bonding technique for substrate removal. The experimental results for the nanocomposite materials are analyzed using the Boltzmann transport equation under the relaxation time approximation. The scattering characteristics of free electrons in the InGa(Al)As is defined by four major scattering mechanisms such as the polar optical phonon scattering, the ionized impurity scattering, the alloy scattering, and the acoustic phonon deformation potential scattering. Combining these scattering mechanisms, the electron transport model successfully fits the temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties of Si-doped InGaAlAs materials, and predicts the figure of merits at various doping levels in various Al compositions. The nanoparticle-electron interaction is modeled as a momentum scattering for free electrons caused by the electrostatic potential perturbation around nanoparticles and the band offset at the interface. The ErAs nanoparticles are assumed to be semi-metals that can donate electrons to the matrix, and positively charged after the charge transfer to build up the screened coulomb potential outside them. The nanoparticle scattering rate is calculated for this potential profile using the partial wave method, and used to analyze

Electron Tunneling in Junctions Doped with Semiconductors and Metals.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Lloyd Douglas, II

In this study, tunnel junctions incorporating thin layers of semiconductors and metals have been analyzed. Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) was employed to yield high-resolution vibrational spectra of surface species deposited at the oxide-M_2 interface of M_1-M_1O _{rm x}-M _2 tunneling samples. Analysis was also performed on the elastic component of the tunneling current, yielding information on the tunnel barrier shape. The samples in this research exhibit a wide range of behavior. The IETS for Si, SiO_2, and Ge doped samples show direct evidence of SiH _{rm x} and GeH_ {rm x} formation. The particular species formed is shown to depend on the form of the evaporated dopant. Samples were also made with organic dopants deposited over the evaporated dopants. Many such samples show marked effects of the evaporated dopants on the inelastic peak intensities of the organic dopants. These alterations are correlated with the changed reactivity of the oxide surface coupled with a change in the OH dipole layer density on the oxide. Thicker organic dopant layers cause large changes in the elastic tunneling barrier due to OH layer alterations or the low barrier attributes of the evaporated dopant. In the cases of the thicker layers an extra current-carrying mechanism is shown to be contributing. Electron ejection from charge traps is proposed as an explanation for this extra current. The trend of barrier shape with dopant thickness is examined. Many of these dopants also produce a voltage-induced shift in the barrier shape which is stable at low temperature but relaxes at high temperature. This effect is similar to that produced by certain organic dopants and is explained by metastable bond formation between the surface OH and dopant. Other dopants, such as Al, Mg, and Fe, produce different effects. These dopants cause large I-V nonlinearity at low voltages. This nonlinearity is modeled as a giant zero-bias anomaly (ZBA) and fits are presented which show good

Selective CO{sub 2} reduction conjugated with H{sub 2}O oxidation utilizing semiconductor/metal-complex hybrid photocatalysts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morikawa, T., E-mail: morikawa@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Sato, S., E-mail: morikawa@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Arai, T., E-mail: morikawa@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp

2013-12-10

We developed a new hybrid photocatalyst for CO{sub 2} reduction, which is composed of a semiconductor and a metal complex. In the hybrid photocatalyst, ΔG between the position of conduction band minimum (E{sub CBM}) of the semiconductor and the CO{sub 2} reduction potential of the complex is an essential factor for realizing fast electron transfer from the conduction band of semiconductor to metal complex leading to high photocatalytic activity. On the basis of this concept, the hybrid photocatalyst InP/Ru-complex, which functions in aqueous media, was developed. The photoreduction of CO{sub 2} to formate using water as an electron donor andmore » a proton source was successfully achieved as a Z-scheme system by functionally conjugating the InP/Ru-complex photocatalyst for CO{sub 2} reduction with a TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst for water oxidation. The conversion efficiency from solar energy to chemical energy was ca. 0.04%, which approaches that for photosynthesis in a plant. Because this system can be applied to many other inorganic semiconductors and metal-complex catalysts, the efficiency and reaction selectivity can be enhanced by optimization of the electron transfer process including the energy-band configurations, conjugation conformations, and catalyst structures. This electrical-bias-free reaction is a huge leap forward for future practical applications of artificial photosynthesis under solar irradiation to produce organic species.« less

Improved Stability and Performance of Visible Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting on Solution-Processed Organic Semiconductor Thin Films by Ultrathin Metal Oxide Passivation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lei; Yan, Danhua; Shaffer, David W.

Solution-processable organic semiconductors have potentials as visible photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting photoelectrodes due to their tunable small band gap and electronic energy levels, but they are typically limited by poor stability and photocatalytic activity. In this study, we demonstrate the direct visible PEC water oxidation on solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films with improved stability and performance by ultrathin metal oxide passivation layers. N-type fullerene-derivative thin films passivated by sub-2 nm ZnO via atomic layer deposition enabled the visible PEC water oxidation at wavelengths longer than 600 nm in harsh alkaline electrolyte environments with up to 30 μA/cm 2 photocurrents atmore » the thermodynamic water-oxidation equilibrium potential and the photoanode half-lifetime extended to ~1000 s. The systematic investigation reveals the enhanced water oxidation catalytic activity afforded by ZnO passivation and the charge tunneling governing the hole transfer through passivation layers. Further enhanced PEC performances were realized by improving the bottom ohmic contact to the organic semiconductor, achieving ~60 μA/cm 2 water oxidation photocurrent at the equilibrium potential, the highest values reported for organic semiconductor thin films to our knowledge. The improved stability and performance of passivated organic photoelectrodes and discovered design rationales provide useful guidelines for realizing the stable visible solar PEC water splitting based on organic semiconductor thin films.« less

Improved Stability and Performance of Visible Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting on Solution-Processed Organic Semiconductor Thin Films by Ultrathin Metal Oxide Passivation

DOE PAGES

Wang, Lei; Yan, Danhua; Shaffer, David W.; ...

2017-12-27

Solution-processable organic semiconductors have potentials as visible photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting photoelectrodes due to their tunable small band gap and electronic energy levels, but they are typically limited by poor stability and photocatalytic activity. In this study, we demonstrate the direct visible PEC water oxidation on solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films with improved stability and performance by ultrathin metal oxide passivation layers. N-type fullerene-derivative thin films passivated by sub-2 nm ZnO via atomic layer deposition enabled the visible PEC water oxidation at wavelengths longer than 600 nm in harsh alkaline electrolyte environments with up to 30 μA/cm 2 photocurrents atmore » the thermodynamic water-oxidation equilibrium potential and the photoanode half-lifetime extended to ~1000 s. The systematic investigation reveals the enhanced water oxidation catalytic activity afforded by ZnO passivation and the charge tunneling governing the hole transfer through passivation layers. Further enhanced PEC performances were realized by improving the bottom ohmic contact to the organic semiconductor, achieving ~60 μA/cm 2 water oxidation photocurrent at the equilibrium potential, the highest values reported for organic semiconductor thin films to our knowledge. The improved stability and performance of passivated organic photoelectrodes and discovered design rationales provide useful guidelines for realizing the stable visible solar PEC water splitting based on organic semiconductor thin films.« less

Near-edge band structures and band gaps of Cu-based semiconductors predicted by the modified Becke-Johnson potential plus an on-site Coulomb U

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yubo; Zhang, Jiawei; Wang, Youwei

Diamond-like Cu-based multinary semiconductors are a rich family of materials that hold promise in a wide range of applications. Unfortunately, accurate theoretical understanding of the electronic properties of these materials is hindered by the involvement of Cu d electrons. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations using the local density approximation or generalized gradient approximation often give qualitative wrong electronic properties of these materials, especially for narrow-gap systems. The modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) method has been shown to be a promising alternative to more elaborate theory such as the GW approximation for fast materials screening and predictions. However, straightforward applications of themore » mBJ method to these materials still encounter significant difficulties because of the insufficient treatment of the localized d electrons. We show that combining the promise of mBJ potential and the spirit of the well-established DFT + U method leads to a much improved description of the electronic structures, including the most challenging narrow-gap systems. A survey of the band gaps of about 20 Cu-based semiconductors calculated using the mBJ + U method shows that the results agree with reliable values to within ±0.2 eV.« less

Nonlinear Optical Interactions in Semiconductors

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-16

aU internal audits for TACAN Corporation. 7 V. Coupling A, C. N. R. S., Physique du Solide et Energie Solaire We have an ongoing interaction with Dr...fiber to the semiconductor sample and back to the analyzing electronics. The band gap energy of the semiconductor decreases with increasing tem- perature...Consequently, the absorption of light in the energy region of the band gap changes with temperature. From the measured light absorp- tion, the

Imaging the motion of electrons across semiconductor heterojunctions.

PubMed

Man, Michael K L; Margiolakis, Athanasios; Deckoff-Jones, Skylar; Harada, Takaaki; Wong, E Laine; Krishna, M Bala Murali; Madéo, Julien; Winchester, Andrew; Lei, Sidong; Vajtai, Robert; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Dani, Keshav M

2017-01-01

Technological progress since the late twentieth century has centred on semiconductor devices, such as transistors, diodes and solar cells. At the heart of these devices is the internal motion of electrons through semiconductor materials due to applied electric fields or by the excitation of photocarriers. Imaging the motion of these electrons would provide unprecedented insight into this important phenomenon, but requires high spatial and temporal resolution. Current studies of electron dynamics in semiconductors are generally limited by the spatial resolution of optical probes, or by the temporal resolution of electronic probes. Here, by combining femtosecond pump-probe techniques with spectroscopic photoemission electron microscopy, we imaged the motion of photoexcited electrons from high-energy to low-energy states in a type-II 2D InSe/GaAs heterostructure. At the instant of photoexcitation, energy-resolved photoelectron images revealed a highly non-equilibrium distribution of photocarriers in space and energy. Thereafter, in response to the out-of-equilibrium photocarriers, we observed the spatial redistribution of charges, thus forming internal electric fields, bending the semiconductor bands, and finally impeding further charge transfer. By assembling images taken at different time-delays, we produced a movie lasting a few trillionths of a second of the electron-transfer process in the photoexcited type-II heterostructure-a fundamental phenomenon in semiconductor devices such as solar cells. Quantitative analysis and theoretical modelling of spatial variations in the movie provide insight into future solar cells, 2D materials and other semiconductor devices.

Imaging the motion of electrons across semiconductor heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Man, Michael K. L.; Margiolakis, Athanasios; Deckoff-Jones, Skylar; Harada, Takaaki; Wong, E. Laine; Krishna, M. Bala Murali; Madéo, Julien; Winchester, Andrew; Lei, Sidong; Vajtai, Robert; Ajayan, Pulickel M.; Dani, Keshav M.

2017-01-01

Technological progress since the late twentieth century has centred on semiconductor devices, such as transistors, diodes and solar cells. At the heart of these devices is the internal motion of electrons through semiconductor materials due to applied electric fields or by the excitation of photocarriers. Imaging the motion of these electrons would provide unprecedented insight into this important phenomenon, but requires high spatial and temporal resolution. Current studies of electron dynamics in semiconductors are generally limited by the spatial resolution of optical probes, or by the temporal resolution of electronic probes. Here, by combining femtosecond pump-probe techniques with spectroscopic photoemission electron microscopy, we imaged the motion of photoexcited electrons from high-energy to low-energy states in a type-II 2D InSe/GaAs heterostructure. At the instant of photoexcitation, energy-resolved photoelectron images revealed a highly non-equilibrium distribution of photocarriers in space and energy. Thereafter, in response to the out-of-equilibrium photocarriers, we observed the spatial redistribution of charges, thus forming internal electric fields, bending the semiconductor bands, and finally impeding further charge transfer. By assembling images taken at different time-delays, we produced a movie lasting a few trillionths of a second of the electron-transfer process in the photoexcited type-II heterostructure—a fundamental phenomenon in semiconductor devices such as solar cells. Quantitative analysis and theoretical modelling of spatial variations in the movie provide insight into future solar cells, 2D materials and other semiconductor devices.

2 Gbit/s 0.5 μm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor optical transceiver with event-driven dynamic power-on capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xingle; Kiamilev, Fouad; Gui, Ping; Wang, Xiaoqing; Ekman, Jeremy; Zuo, Yongrong; Blankenberg, Jason; Haney, Michael

2006-06-01

A 2 Gb/s0.5 μm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor optical transceiver designed for board- or backplane level power-efficient interconnections is presented. The transceiver supports optical wake-on-link (OWL), an event-driven dynamic power-on technique. Depending on external events, the transceiver resides in either the active mode or the sleep mode and switches accordingly. The active-to-sleep transition shuts off the normal, gigabit link and turns on dedicated circuits to establish a low-power (~1.8 mW), low data rate (less than 100 Mbits/s) link. In contrast the normal, gigabit link consumes over 100 mW. Similarly the sleep-to-active transition shuts off the low-power link and turns on the normal, gigabit link. The low-power link, sharing the same optical channel with the normal, gigabit link, is used to achieve transmitter/receiver pair power-on synchronization and greatly reduces the power consumption of the transceiver. A free-space optical platform was built to evaluate the transceiver performance. The experiment successfully demonstrated the event-driven dynamic power-on operation. To our knowledge, this is the first time a dynamic power-on scheme has been implemented for optical interconnects. The areas of the circuits that implement the low-power link are approximately one-tenth of the areas of the gigabit link circuits.

Effect of point defects on the electronic density states of SnC nanosheets: First-principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Soleyman; Achour, Amine; Rai, D. P.; Nayebi, Payman; Solaymani, Shahram; Beryani Nezafat, Negin; Elahi, Seyed Mohammad

In this work, we investigated the electronic and structural properties of various defects including single Sn and C vacancies, double vacancy of the Sn and C atoms, anti-sites, position exchange and the Stone-Wales (SW) defects in SnC nanosheets by using density-functional theory (DFT). We found that various vacancy defects in the SnC monolayer can change the electronic and structural properties. Our results show that the SnC is an indirect band gap compound, with the band gap of 2.10 eV. The system turns into metal for both structure of the single Sn and C vacancies. However, for the double vacancy contained Sn and C atoms, the structure remains semiconductor with the direct band gap of 0.37 eV at the G point. We also found that for anti-site defects, the structure remains semiconductor and for the exchange defect, the structure becomes indirect semiconductor with the K-G point and the band gap of 0.74 eV. Finally, the structure of SW defect remains semiconductor with the direct band gap at K point with band gap of 0.54 eV.

Nanoscale On-Silico Electron Transport via Ferritins.

PubMed

Bera, Sudipta; Kolay, Jayeeta; Banerjee, Siddhartha; Mukhopadhyay, Rupa

2017-02-28

Silicon is a solid-state semiconducting material that has long been recognized as a technologically useful one, especially in electronics industry. However, its application in the next-generation metalloprotein-based electronics approaches has been limited. In this work, the applicability of silicon as a solid support for anchoring the iron-storage protein ferritin, which has a semiconducting iron nanocore, and probing electron transport via the ferritin molecules trapped between silicon substrate and a conductive scanning probe has been investigated. Ferritin protein is an attractive bioelectronic material because its size (X-ray crystallographic diameter ∼12 nm) should allow it to fit well in the larger tunnel gaps (>5 nm), fabrication of which is relatively more established, than the smaller ones. The electron transport events occurring through the ferritin molecules that are covalently anchored onto the MPTMS-modified silicon surface could be detected at the molecular level by current-sensing atomic force spectroscopy (CSAFS). Importantly, the distinct electronic signatures of the metal types (i.e., Fe, Mn, Ni, and Au) within the ferritin nanocore could be distinguished from each other using the transport band gap analyses. The CSAFS measurements on holoferritin, apoferritin, and the metal core reconstituted ferritins reveal that some of these ferritins behave like n-type semiconductors, while the others behave as p-type semiconductors. The band gaps for the different ferritins are found to be within 0.8 to 2.6 eV, a range that is valid for the standard semiconductor technology (e.g., diodes based on p-n junction). The present work indicates effective on-silico integration of the ferritin protein, as it remains functionally viable after silicon binding and its electron transport activities can be detected. Potential use of the ferritin-silicon nanohybrids may therefore be envisaged in applications other than bioelectronics, too, as ferritin is a versatile

Engineering an Insulating Ferroelectric Superlattice with a Tunable Band Gap from Metallic Components

DOE PAGES

Ghosh, Saurabh; Borisevich, Albina Y.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

2017-10-25

The recent discovery of “polar metals” with ferroelectriclike displacements offers the promise of designing ferroelectrics with tunable energy gaps by inducing controlled metal-insulator transitions. Here in this work, we employ first-principles calculations to design a metallic polar superlattice from nonpolar metal components and show that controlled intermixing can lead to a true insulating ferroelectric with a tunable band gap. We consider a 2/2 superlattice made of two centrosymmetric metallic oxides, La 0.75Sr 0.25MnO 3 and LaNiO 3, and show that ferroelectriclike displacements are induced. The ferroelectriclike distortion is found to be strongly dependent on the carrier concentration (Sr content). Further,more » we show that a metal-to-insulator (MI) transition is feasible in this system via disproportionation of the Ni sites. Such a disproportionation and, hence, a MI transition can be driven by intermixing of transition metal ions between Mn and Ni layers. Finally, as a result, the energy gap of the resulting ferroelectric can be tuned by varying the degree of intermixing in the experimental fabrication method.« less

Engineering an Insulating Ferroelectric Superlattice with a Tunable Band Gap from Metallic Components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghosh, Saurabh; Borisevich, Albina Y.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

The recent discovery of “polar metals” with ferroelectriclike displacements offers the promise of designing ferroelectrics with tunable energy gaps by inducing controlled metal-insulator transitions. Here in this work, we employ first-principles calculations to design a metallic polar superlattice from nonpolar metal components and show that controlled intermixing can lead to a true insulating ferroelectric with a tunable band gap. We consider a 2/2 superlattice made of two centrosymmetric metallic oxides, La 0.75Sr 0.25MnO 3 and LaNiO 3, and show that ferroelectriclike displacements are induced. The ferroelectriclike distortion is found to be strongly dependent on the carrier concentration (Sr content). Further,more » we show that a metal-to-insulator (MI) transition is feasible in this system via disproportionation of the Ni sites. Such a disproportionation and, hence, a MI transition can be driven by intermixing of transition metal ions between Mn and Ni layers. Finally, as a result, the energy gap of the resulting ferroelectric can be tuned by varying the degree of intermixing in the experimental fabrication method.« less

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Nanowire Network Solar Cells.

PubMed

Oener, Sebastian Z; van de Groep, Jorik; Macco, Bart; Bronsveld, Paula C P; Kessels, W M M; Polman, Albert; Garnett, Erik C

2016-06-08

Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) junctions provide the charge separating properties of Schottky junctions while circumventing the direct and detrimental contact of the metal with the semiconductor. A passivating and tunnel dielectric is used as a separation layer to reduce carrier recombination and remove Fermi level pinning. When applied to solar cells, these junctions result in two main advantages over traditional p-n-junction solar cells: a highly simplified fabrication process and excellent passivation properties and hence high open-circuit voltages. However, one major drawback of metal-insulator-semiconductor solar cells is that a continuous metal layer is needed to form a junction at the surface of the silicon, which decreases the optical transmittance and hence short-circuit current density. The decrease of transmittance with increasing metal coverage, however, can be overcome by nanoscale structures. Nanowire networks exhibit precisely the properties that are required for MIS solar cells: closely spaced and conductive metal wires to induce an inversion layer for homogeneous charge carrier extraction and simultaneously a high optical transparency. We experimentally demonstrate the nanowire MIS concept by using it to make silicon solar cells with a measured energy conversion efficiency of 7% (∼11% after correction), an effective open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 560 mV and estimated short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 33 mA/cm(2). Furthermore, we show that the metal nanowire network can serve additionally as an etch mask to pattern inverted nanopyramids, decreasing the reflectivity substantially from 36% to ∼4%. Our extensive analysis points out a path toward nanowire based MIS solar cells that exhibit both high Voc and Jsc values.

Large Lateral Photovoltaic Effect in Metal-(Oxide-) Semiconductor Structures

PubMed Central

Yu, Chongqi; Wang, Hui

2010-01-01

The lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) can be used in position-sensitive detectors to detect very small displacements due to its output of lateral photovoltage changing linearly with light spot position. In this review, we will summarize some of our recent works regarding LPE in metal-semiconductor and metal-oxide-semiconductor structures, and give a theoretical model of LPE in these two structures. PMID:22163463

Insulator charging limits direct current across tunneling metal-insulator-semiconductor junctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vilan, Ayelet

Molecular electronics studies how the molecular nature affects the probability of charge carriers to tunnel through the molecules. Nevertheless, transport is also critically affected by the contacts to the molecules, an aspect that is often overlooked. Specifically, the limited ability of non-metallic contacts to maintain the required charge balance across the fairly insulating molecule often have dramatic effects. This paper shows that in the case of lead/organic monolayer-silicon junctions, a charge balance is responsible for an unusual current scaling, with the junction diameter (perimeter), rather than its area. This is attributed to the balance between the 2D charging at themore » metal/insulator interface and the 3D charging of the semiconductor space-charge region. A derivative method is developed to quantify transport across tunneling metal-insulator-semiconductor junctions; this enables separating the tunneling barrier from the space-charge barrier for a given current-voltage curve, without complementary measurements. The paper provides practical tools to analyze specific molecular junctions compatible with existing silicon technology, and demonstrates the importance of contacts' physics in modeling charge transport across molecular junctions.« less

Thiazole-based organic semiconductors for organic electronics.

PubMed

Lin, Yuze; Fan, Haijun; Li, Yongfang; Zhan, Xiaowei

2012-06-19

Over the past two decades, organic semiconductors have been the subject of intensive academic and commercial interests. Thiazole is a common electron-accepting heterocycle due to electron-withdrawing nitrogen of imine (C=N), several moieties based on thiazole have been widely introduced into organic semiconductors, and yielded high performance in organic electronic devices. This article reviews recent developments in the area of thiazole-based organic semiconductors, particularly thiazole, bithiazole, thiazolothiazole and benzobisthiazole-based small molecules and polymers, for applications in organic field-effect transistors, solar cells and light-emitting diodes. The remaining problems and challenges, and the key research direction in near future are discussed. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Improved linearity in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors with nonlinear polarization dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Tao; Xu, Ruimin; Kong, Yuechan; Zhou, Jianjun; Kong, Cen; Dong, Xun; Chen, Tangsheng

2015-06-01

We demonstrate highly improved linearity in a nonlinear ferroelectric of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)-gated AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistor (MIS-HEMT). Distinct double-hump feature in the transconductance-gate voltage (gm-Vg) curve is observed, yielding remarkable enhancement in gate voltage swing as compared to MIS-HEMT with conventional linear gate dielectric. By incorporating the ferroelectric polarization into a self-consistent calculation, it is disclosed that in addition to the common hump corresponding to the onset of electron accumulation, the second hump at high current level is originated from the nonlinear polar nature of ferroelectric, which enhances the gate capacitance by increasing equivalent dielectric constant nonlinearly. This work paves a way for design of high linearity GaN MIS-HEMT by exploiting the nonlinear properties of dielectric.

Nanoscale semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell heterostructures: facile synthesis and light emission.

PubMed

Li, Gong Ping; Chen, Rui; Guo, Dong Lai; Wong, Lai Mun; Wang, Shi Jie; Sun, Han Dong; Wu, Tom

2011-08-01

Controllably constructing hierarchical nanostructures with distinct components and designed architectures is an important theme of research in nanoscience, entailing novel but reliable approaches of bottom-up synthesis. Here, we report a facile method to reproducibly create semiconductor-insulator-metal core/shell nanostructures, which involves first coating uniform MgO shells onto metal oxide nanostructures in solution and then decorating them with Au nanoparticles. The semiconductor nanowire core can be almost any material and, herein, ZnO, SnO(2) and In(2)O(3) are used as examples. We also show that linear chains of short ZnO nanorods embedded in MgO nanotubes and porous MgO nanotubes can be obtained by taking advantage of the reduced thermal stability of the ZnO core. Furthermore, after MgO shell-coating and the appropriate annealing treatment, the intensity of the ZnO near-band-edge UV emission becomes much stronger, showing a 25-fold enhancement. The intensity ratio of the UV/visible emission can be increased further by decorating the surface of the ZnO/MgO nanowires with high-density plasmonic Au nanoparticles. These heterostructured semiconductor-insulator-metal nanowires with tailored morphologies and enhanced functionalities have great potential for use as nanoscale building blocks in photonic and electronic applications. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Electrons and Phonons in Semiconductor Multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridley, B. K.

1996-11-01

This book provides a detailed description of the quantum confinement of electrons and phonons in semiconductor wells, superlattices and quantum wires, and shows how this affects their mutual interactions. It discusses the transition from microscopic to continuum models, emphasizing the use of quasi-continuum theory to describe the confinement of optical phonons and electrons. The hybridization of optical phonons and their interactions with electrons are treated, as are other electron scattering mechanisms. The book concludes with an account of the electron distribution function in three-, two- and one-dimensional systems, in the presence of electrical or optical excitation. This text will be of great use to graduate students and researchers investigating low-dimensional semiconductor structures, as well as to those developing new devices based on these systems.

Quantum spin liquids and the metal-insulator transition in doped semiconductors.

PubMed

Potter, Andrew C; Barkeshli, Maissam; McGreevy, John; Senthil, T

2012-08-17

We describe a new possible route to the metal-insulator transition in doped semiconductors such as Si:P or Si:B. We explore the possibility that the loss of metallic transport occurs through Mott localization of electrons into a quantum spin liquid state with diffusive charge neutral "spinon" excitations. Such a quantum spin liquid state can appear as an intermediate phase between the metal and the Anderson-Mott insulator. An immediate testable consequence is the presence of metallic thermal conductivity at low temperature in the electrical insulator near the metal-insulator transition. Further, we show that though the transition is second order, the zero temperature residual electrical conductivity will jump as the transition is approached from the metallic side. However, the electrical conductivity will have a nonmonotonic temperature dependence that may complicate the extrapolation to zero temperature. Signatures in other experiments and some comparisons with existing data are made.

Multilevel metallization method for fabricating a metal oxide semiconductor device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollis, B. R., Jr.; Feltner, W. R.; Bouldin, D. L.; Routh, D. E. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

An improved method is described of constructing a metal oxide semiconductor device having multiple layers of metal deposited by dc magnetron sputtering at low dc voltages and low substrate temperatures. The method provides multilevel interconnections and cross over between individual circuit elements in integrated circuits without significantly reducing the reliability or seriously affecting the yield.

Microbially-mediated method for synthesis of non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phelps, Tommy J.; Lauf, Robert J.; Moon, Ji-Won

The invention is directed to a method for producing non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, the method comprising: (a) subjecting a combination of reaction components to conditions conducive to microbially-mediated formation of non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, wherein said combination of reaction components comprises i) anaerobic microbes, ii) a culture medium suitable for sustaining said anaerobic microbes, iii) a metal component comprising at least one type of metal ion, iv) a non-metal component comprising at least one non-metal selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, and As, and v) one or more electron donors that provide donatable electrons to said anaerobic microbes duringmore » consumption of the electron donor by said anaerobic microbes; and (b) isolating said non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, which contain at least one of said metal ions and at least one of said non-metals. The invention is also directed to non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticle compositions produced as above and having distinctive properties.« less

Microbially-mediated method for synthesis of non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles

DOEpatents

Phelps, Tommy J.; Lauf, Robert J.; Moon, Ji Won; Rondinone, Adam J.; Love, Lonnie J.; Duty, Chad Edward; Madden, Andrew Stephen; Li, Yiliang; Ivanov, Ilia N.; Rawn, Claudia Jeanette

2014-06-24

The invention is directed to a method for producing non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, the method comprising: (a) subjecting a combination of reaction components to conditions conducive to microbially-mediated formation of non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, wherein said combination of reaction components comprises i) anaerobic microbes, ii) a culture medium suitable for sustaining said anaerobic microbes, iii) a metal component comprising at least one type of metal ion, iv) a non-metal component containing at least one non-metal selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, and As, and v) one or more electron donors that provide donatable electrons to said anaerobic microbes during consumption of the electron donor by said anaerobic microbes; and (b) isolating said non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticles, which contain at least one of said metal ions and at least one of said non-metals. The invention is also directed to non-oxide semiconductor nanoparticle compositions produced as above and having distinctive properties.

Room-temperature ductile inorganic semiconductor.

PubMed

Shi, Xun; Chen, Hongyi; Hao, Feng; Liu, Ruiheng; Wang, Tuo; Qiu, Pengfei; Burkhardt, Ulrich; Grin, Yuri; Chen, Lidong

2018-05-01

Ductility is common in metals and metal-based alloys, but is rarely observed in inorganic semiconductors and ceramic insulators. In particular, room-temperature ductile inorganic semiconductors were not known until now. Here, we report an inorganic α-Ag 2 S semiconductor that exhibits extraordinary metal-like ductility with high plastic deformation strains at room temperature. Analysis of the chemical bonding reveals systems of planes with relatively weak atomic interactions in the crystal structure. In combination with irregularly distributed silver-silver and sulfur-silver bonds due to the silver diffusion, they suppress the cleavage of the material, and thus result in unprecedented ductility. This work opens up the possibility of searching for ductile inorganic semiconductors/ceramics for flexible electronic devices.

Room-temperature ductile inorganic semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xun; Chen, Hongyi; Hao, Feng; Liu, Ruiheng; Wang, Tuo; Qiu, Pengfei; Burkhardt, Ulrich; Grin, Yuri; Chen, Lidong

2018-05-01

Ductility is common in metals and metal-based alloys, but is rarely observed in inorganic semiconductors and ceramic insulators. In particular, room-temperature ductile inorganic semiconductors were not known until now. Here, we report an inorganic α-Ag2S semiconductor that exhibits extraordinary metal-like ductility with high plastic deformation strains at room temperature. Analysis of the chemical bonding reveals systems of planes with relatively weak atomic interactions in the crystal structure. In combination with irregularly distributed silver-silver and sulfur-silver bonds due to the silver diffusion, they suppress the cleavage of the material, and thus result in unprecedented ductility. This work opens up the possibility of searching for ductile inorganic semiconductors/ceramics for flexible electronic devices.

Effect of charging on silicene with alkali metal atom adsorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Manman; Li, Zhongyao; Gong, Shi-Jing

2018-02-01

Based on first-principles calculations, we studied the effects of charging on the structure, binding energy and electronic properties of silicene with alkali metal (AM) atom (Li, Na or K) adsorption. In AMSi2, electron doping enlarges the lattice constant of silicene, while the influence of hole doping is non-monotonic. In AMSi8, the lattice constant increases/decreases almost linearly with the increase in electron/hole doping. In addition, the AM-Si vertical distance can be greatly enlarged by excessive hole doping in both AMSi2 and AMSi8 systems. When the hole doping is as large as  +e per unit cell, both AMSi2 and AMSi8 can be transformed from metal to semiconductor. However, the binding energy would be negative in the AM+ Si2 semiconductor. It suggests AM+ Si2 is unstable in this case. In addition, the electron doping and the AM-Si vertical distance would greatly influence the band gap of silicene in LiSi8 and NaSi8, while the band gap in KSi8 is relatively stable. Therefore, KSi8 may be a more practicable material in nanotechnology.

A class of monolayer metal halogenides MX{sub 2}: Electronic structures and band alignments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Feng; Wang, Weichao; Luo, Xiaoguang

2016-03-28

With systematic first principles calculations, a class of monolayer metal halogenides MX{sub 2} (M = Mg, Ca, Zn, Cd, Ge, Pb; M = Cl, Br, I) has been proposed. Our study indicates that these monolayer materials are semiconductors with the band gaps ranging from 2.03 eV of ZnI{sub 2} to 6.08 eV of MgCl{sub 2}. Overall, the band gap increases with the increase of the electronegativity of the X atom or the atomic number of the metal M. Meanwhile, the band gaps of monolayer MgX{sub 2} (X = Cl, Br) are direct while those of other monolayers are indirect. Based on the band edge curvatures, the derived electronmore » (m{sub e}) and hole (m{sub h}) effective masses of MX{sub 2} monolayers are close to their corresponding bulk values except that the m{sub e} of CdI{sub 2} is three times larger and the m{sub h} for PbI{sub 2} is twice larger. Finally, the band alignments of all the studied MX{sub 2} monolayers are provided using the vacuum level as energy reference. These theoretical results may not only introduce the monolayer metal halogenides family MX{sub 2} into the emerging two-dimensional materials, but also provide insights into the applications of MX{sub 2} in future electronic, visible and ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.« less

Electronic, Optical, and Thermal Properties of Reduced-Dimensional Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shouting

Reduced-dimensional materials have attracted tremendous attention because of their new physics and exotic properties, which are of great interests for fundamental science. More importantly, the manipulation and engineering of matter on an atomic scale yield promising applications for many fields including nanoelectronics, nanobiotechnology, environments, and renewable energy. Because of the unusual quantum confinement and enhanced surface effect of reduced-dimensional materials, traditional empirical models suffer from necessary but unreliable parameters extracted from previously-studied bulk materials. In this sense, quantitative, parameter-free approaches are highly useful for understanding properties of reduced-dimensional materials and, furthermore, predicting their novel applications. The first-principles density functional theory (DFT) is proven to be a reliable and convenient tool. In particular, recent progress in many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) makes it possible to calculate excited-state properties, e.g., quasiparticle (QP) band gap and optical excitations, by the first-principles approach based on DFT. Therefore, during my PhD study, I employed first-principles calculations based on DFT and MBPT to systematically study fundamental properties of typical reduced-dimensional semiconductors, i.e., the electronic structure, phonons, and optical excitations of core-shell nanowires (NWs) and graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) structures of current interests. First, I present first-principles studies on how to engineer band alignments of nano-sized radial heterojunctions, Si/Ge core-shell NWs. Our calculation reveals that band offsets in these one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures can be tailored by applying axial strain or varying core-shell sizes. In particular, the valence band offset can be efficiently tuned across a wide range and even be diminished via applied strain. Two mechanisms contribute to this tuning of band offsets. Furthermore, varying the

Electronic structure and quantum transport properties of metallic and semiconducting nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

Spin injection and transport in semiconductor and metal nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lei

In this thesis we investigate spin injection and transport in semiconductor and metal nanostructures. To overcome the limitation imposed by the low efficiency of spin injection and extraction and strict requirements for retention of spin polarization within the semiconductor, novel device structures with additional logic functionality and optimized device performance have been developed. Weak localization/antilocalization measurements and analysis are used to assess the influence of surface treatments on elastic, inelastic and spin-orbit scatterings during the electron transport within the two-dimensional electron layer at the InAs surface. Furthermore, we have used spin-valve and scanned probe microscopy measurements to investigate the influence of sulfur-based surface treatments and electrically insulating barrier layers on spin injection into, and spin transport within, the two-dimensional electron layer at the surface of p-type InAs. We also demonstrate and analyze a three-terminal, all-electrical spintronic switching device, combining charge current cancellation by appropriate device biasing and ballistic electron transport. The device yields a robust, electrically amplified spin-dependent current signal despite modest efficiency in electrical injection of spin-polarized electrons. Detailed analyses provide insight into the advantages of ballistic, as opposed to diffusive, transport in device operation, as well as scalability to smaller dimensions, and allow us to eliminate the possibility of phenomena unrelated to spin transport contributing to the observed device functionality. The influence of the device geometry on magnetoresistance of nanoscale spin-valve structures is also demonstrated and discussed. Shortcomings of the simplified one-dimensional spin diffusion model for spin valve are elucidated, with comparison of the thickness and the spin diffusion length in the nonmagnetic channel as the criterion for validity of the 1D model. Our work contributes

First principles investigation of half-metallicity and spin gapless semiconductor in CH3NH3Cr x Pb1- x I3 mixed perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H. M.; Zhu, Z. W.; Zhang, C. K.; He, Z. D.; Luo, S. J.

2018-04-01

The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid mixed perovskites CH3NH3Cr x Pb1- x I3 ( x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00) in cubic, tetragonal and orthorhombic phases have been investigated by first-principles calculation. The results indicate that the tetragonal CH3NH3Cr0.75Pb0.25I3 is a spin gapless semiconductor with Curie temperature of 663 K estimated using mean field approximation. All other CH3NH3Cr x Pb1- x I3 mixed perovskites are half-metallic ferromagnets together with 100% spin polarization, and their total magnetic moment are 4.00, 8.00, 12.00 and 16.00 µB per unit cell for x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00, respectively. The effect of <100>, <110> and <111> orientation of organic cation CH3NH3 + on the electronic properties of CH3NH3Cr0.50Pb0.50I3 was investigated. The results show that the CH3NH3 + in different orientations have a slight effect on the lattice constants, the energy gap in minority-spin states, half-metallic gap, local magnetic moment, and Curie temperature.

Electrically driven deep ultraviolet MgZnO lasers at room temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suja, Mohammad; Bashar, Sunayna Binte; Debnath, Bishwajit

Semiconductor lasers in the deep ultraviolet (UV) range have numerous potential applications ranging from water purification and medical diagnosis to high-density data storage and flexible displays. Nevertheless, very little success was achieved in the realization of electrically driven deep UV semiconductor lasers to date. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers. These lasers are operated with continuous current mode at room temperature and the shortest wavelength reaches 284 nm. The wide bandgap MgZnO thin films with various Mg mole fractions were grown on c-sapphire substrate using radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM)more » random laser devices were fabricated using lithography and metallization processes. Besides the demonstration of scalable emission wavelength, very low threshold current densities of 29-33 A/cm 2 are achieved. Furthermore, numerical modeling reveals that impact ionization process is responsible for the generation of hole carriers in the MgZnO MSM devices. The interaction of electrons and holes leads to radiative excitonic recombination and subsequent coherent random lasing.« less

Electrically driven deep ultraviolet MgZnO lasers at room temperature

DOE PAGES

Suja, Mohammad; Bashar, Sunayna Binte; Debnath, Bishwajit; ...

2017-06-01

Semiconductor lasers in the deep ultraviolet (UV) range have numerous potential applications ranging from water purification and medical diagnosis to high-density data storage and flexible displays. Nevertheless, very little success was achieved in the realization of electrically driven deep UV semiconductor lasers to date. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of deep UV MgZnO semiconductor lasers. These lasers are operated with continuous current mode at room temperature and the shortest wavelength reaches 284 nm. The wide bandgap MgZnO thin films with various Mg mole fractions were grown on c-sapphire substrate using radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM)more » random laser devices were fabricated using lithography and metallization processes. Besides the demonstration of scalable emission wavelength, very low threshold current densities of 29-33 A/cm 2 are achieved. Furthermore, numerical modeling reveals that impact ionization process is responsible for the generation of hole carriers in the MgZnO MSM devices. The interaction of electrons and holes leads to radiative excitonic recombination and subsequent coherent random lasing.« less

Metallization of Self-Assembled DNA Templates for Electronic Circuit Fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uprety, Bibek

This work examines the deposition of metallic and semiconductor elements onto self-assembled DNA templates for the fabrication of nanodevices. Biological molecules like DNA self-assemble into a variety of 2- and 3-D architectures without the need for patterning tools. The templates can also be designed to controllably place functional nanomaterials with molecular precision. These characteristics make DNA an attractive template for fabricating electronic circuits. However, electrically conductive structures are needed for electronic applications. While metallized DNA nanostructures have been demonstrated, the ability to make thin, continuous wires that are electrically conductive still represents a formidable challenge. DNA-templated wires have generally been granular in appearance with a resistivity approximately two to three orders of magnitude higher than that of the bulk material. An improved method for the metallization of DNA origami is examined in this work that addresses these challenges of size, morphology and conductivity of the metallized structure. Specifically, we demonstrated a metallization process that uses gold nanorod seeds followed by anisotropic electroless (autocatalytic) plating to provide improved morphology and greater control of the final metallized width of conducting metal lines. Growth during electroless deposition occurs preferentially in the length direction at a rate that is approximately four times the growth rate in the width direction, which enables fabrication of narrow, continuous wires. The electrical properties of 49 nanowires with widths ranging from 13 nm to 29 nm were characterized, and resistivity values as low as 8.9 x 10-7 -m were measured, which represent some of the smallest nanowires and the lowest resistivity values reported in the literature. The metallization procedure developed on smaller templates was also successfully applied to metallize bigger DNA templates of tens of micrometers in length. In addition, a

Improved linearity in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors with nonlinear polarization dielectric

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Tao; Science and Technology on Monolithic Integrated Circuits and Modules Laboratory, Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute, Nanjing 210016; Xu, Ruimin

2015-06-15

We demonstrate highly improved linearity in a nonlinear ferroelectric of Pb(Zr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48})-gated AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistor (MIS-HEMT). Distinct double-hump feature in the transconductance-gate voltage (g{sub m}-V{sub g}) curve is observed, yielding remarkable enhancement in gate voltage swing as compared to MIS-HEMT with conventional linear gate dielectric. By incorporating the ferroelectric polarization into a self-consistent calculation, it is disclosed that in addition to the common hump corresponding to the onset of electron accumulation, the second hump at high current level is originated from the nonlinear polar nature of ferroelectric, which enhances the gate capacitance by increasing equivalent dielectricmore » constant nonlinearly. This work paves a way for design of high linearity GaN MIS-HEMT by exploiting the nonlinear properties of dielectric.« less

Phonon-induced ultrafast band gap control in LaTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Mingqiang; Rondinelli, James M.

We propose a route for ultrafast band gap engineering in correlated transition metal oxides by using optically driven phonons. We show that the ∖Gamma-point electron band energies can be deterministically tuned in the nonequilibrium state. Taking the Mott insulator LaTiO3 as an example, we show that such phonon-assisted processes dynamically induce an indirect-to-direct band gap transition or even a metal-to-insulator transition, depending on the electron correlation strength. We explain the origin of the dynamical band structure control and also establish its generality by examining related oxides. Lastly, we describe experimental routes to realize the band structure control with impulsive stimulated Raman scattering.

Promotion of atomic hydrogen recombination as an alternative to electron trapping for the role of metals in the photocatalytic production of H2.

PubMed

Joo, Ji Bong; Dillon, Robert; Lee, Ilkeun; Yin, Yadong; Bardeen, Christopher J; Zaera, Francisco

2014-06-03

The production of hydrogen from water with semiconductor photocatalysts can be promoted by adding small amounts of metals to their surfaces. The resulting enhancement in photocatalytic activity is commonly attributed to a fast transfer of the excited electrons generated by photon absorption from the semiconductor to the metal, a step that prevents deexcitation back to the ground electronic state. Here we provide experimental evidence that suggests an alternative pathway that does not involve electron transfer to the metal but requires it to act as a catalyst for the recombination of the hydrogen atoms made via the reduction of protons on the surface of the semiconductor instead.

Promotion of atomic hydrogen recombination as an alternative to electron trapping for the role of metals in the photocatalytic production of H2

PubMed Central

Joo, Ji Bong; Dillon, Robert; Lee, Ilkeun; Yin, Yadong; Bardeen, Christopher J.; Zaera, Francisco

2014-01-01

The production of hydrogen from water with semiconductor photocatalysts can be promoted by adding small amounts of metals to their surfaces. The resulting enhancement in photocatalytic activity is commonly attributed to a fast transfer of the excited electrons generated by photon absorption from the semiconductor to the metal, a step that prevents deexcitation back to the ground electronic state. Here we provide experimental evidence that suggests an alternative pathway that does not involve electron transfer to the metal but requires it to act as a catalyst for the recombination of the hydrogen atoms made via the reduction of protons on the surface of the semiconductor instead. PMID:24843154

Communication: Fragment-based Hamiltonian model of electronic charge-excitation gaps and gap closure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valone, Steven Michael; Pilania, Ghanshyam; Liu, Xiang-Yang

Capturing key electronic properties such as charge excitation gaps within models at or above the atomic scale presents an ongoing challenge to understanding molecular, nanoscale, and condensed phase systems. One strategy is to describe the system in terms of properties of interacting material fragments, but it is unclear how to accomplish this for charge-excitation and charge-transfer phenomena. Hamiltonian models such as the Hubbard model provide formal frameworks for analyzing gap properties but are couched purely in terms of states of electrons, rather than the states of the fragments at the scale of interest. The recently introduced Fragment Hamiltonian (FH) modelmore » uses fragments in different charge states as its building blocks, enabling a uniform, quantum-mechanical treatment that captures the charge-excitation gap. These gaps are preserved in terms of inter-fragment charge-transferhopping integrals T and on-fragment parameters U (FH). The FH model generalizes the standard Hubbard model (a single intra-band hopping integral t and on-site repulsion U) from quantum states for electrons to quantum states for fragments. In this paper, we demonstrate that even for simple two-fragment and multi-fragment systems, gap closure is enabled once T exceeds the threshold set by U (FH), thus providing new insight into the nature of metal-insulator transitions. Finally, this result is in contrast to the standard Hubbard model for 1d rings, for which Lieb and Wu proved that gap closure was impossible, regardless of the choices for t and U.« less

Communication: Fragment-based Hamiltonian model of electronic charge-excitation gaps and gap closure

DOE PAGES

Valone, Steven Michael; Pilania, Ghanshyam; Liu, Xiang-Yang; ...

2015-11-13

Capturing key electronic properties such as charge excitation gaps within models at or above the atomic scale presents an ongoing challenge to understanding molecular, nanoscale, and condensed phase systems. One strategy is to describe the system in terms of properties of interacting material fragments, but it is unclear how to accomplish this for charge-excitation and charge-transfer phenomena. Hamiltonian models such as the Hubbard model provide formal frameworks for analyzing gap properties but are couched purely in terms of states of electrons, rather than the states of the fragments at the scale of interest. The recently introduced Fragment Hamiltonian (FH) modelmore » uses fragments in different charge states as its building blocks, enabling a uniform, quantum-mechanical treatment that captures the charge-excitation gap. These gaps are preserved in terms of inter-fragment charge-transferhopping integrals T and on-fragment parameters U (FH). The FH model generalizes the standard Hubbard model (a single intra-band hopping integral t and on-site repulsion U) from quantum states for electrons to quantum states for fragments. In this paper, we demonstrate that even for simple two-fragment and multi-fragment systems, gap closure is enabled once T exceeds the threshold set by U (FH), thus providing new insight into the nature of metal-insulator transitions. Finally, this result is in contrast to the standard Hubbard model for 1d rings, for which Lieb and Wu proved that gap closure was impossible, regardless of the choices for t and U.« less

Communication: Fragment-based Hamiltonian model of electronic charge-excitation gaps and gap closure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valone, S. M.; Pilania, G.; Liu, X. Y.

2015-11-14

Capturing key electronic properties such as charge excitation gaps within models at or above the atomic scale presents an ongoing challenge to understanding molecular, nanoscale, and condensed phase systems. One strategy is to describe the system in terms of properties of interacting material fragments, but it is unclear how to accomplish this for charge-excitation and charge-transfer phenomena. Hamiltonian models such as the Hubbard model provide formal frameworks for analyzing gap properties but are couched purely in terms of states of electrons, rather than the states of the fragments at the scale of interest. The recently introduced Fragment Hamiltonian (FH) modelmore » uses fragments in different charge states as its building blocks, enabling a uniform, quantum-mechanical treatment that captures the charge-excitation gap. These gaps are preserved in terms of inter-fragment charge-transfer hopping integrals T and on-fragment parameters U{sup (FH)}. The FH model generalizes the standard Hubbard model (a single intra-band hopping integral t and on-site repulsion U) from quantum states for electrons to quantum states for fragments. We demonstrate that even for simple two-fragment and multi-fragment systems, gap closure is enabled once T exceeds the threshold set by U{sup (FH)}, thus providing new insight into the nature of metal-insulator transitions. This result is in contrast to the standard Hubbard model for 1d rings, for which Lieb and Wu proved that gap closure was impossible, regardless of the choices for t and U.« less

Silver decorated polymer supported semiconductor thin films by UV aided metalized laser printing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halbur, Jonathan C.; Padbury, Richard P.; Jur, Jesse S., E-mail: jsjur@ncsu.edu

2016-05-15

A facile ultraviolet assisted metalized laser printing technique is demonstrated through the ability to control selective photodeposition of silver on flexible substrates after atomic layer deposition pretreatment with zinc oxide and titania. The photodeposition of noble metals such as silver onto high surface area, polymer supported semiconductor metal oxides exhibits a new route for nanoparticle surface modification of photoactive enhanced substrates. Photodeposited silver is subsequently characterized using low voltage secondary electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. At the nanoscale, the formation of specific morphologies, flake and particle, is highlighted after silver is photodeposited onmore » zinc oxide and titania coated substrates, respectively. The results indicate that the morphology and composition of the silver after photodeposition has a strong dependency on the morphology, crystallinity, and impurity content of the underlying semiconductor oxide. At the macroscale, this work demonstrates how the nanoscale features rapidly coalesce into a printed pattern through the use of masks or an X-Y gantry stage with virtually unlimited design control.« less

An environment-dependent semi-empirical tight binding model suitable for electron transport in bulk metals, metal alloys, metallic interfaces, and metallic nanostructures. I. Model and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hegde, Ganesh; Povolotskyi, Michael; Kubis, Tillmann; Boykin, Timothy; Klimeck, Gerhard

2014-03-01

Semi-empirical Tight Binding (TB) is known to be a scalable and accurate atomistic representation for electron transport for realistically extended nano-scaled semiconductor devices that might contain millions of atoms. In this paper, an environment-aware and transferable TB model suitable for electronic structure and transport simulations in technologically relevant metals, metallic alloys, metal nanostructures, and metallic interface systems are described. Part I of this paper describes the development and validation of the new TB model. The new model incorporates intra-atomic diagonal and off-diagonal elements for implicit self-consistency and greater transferability across bonding environments. The dependence of the on-site energies on strain has been obtained by appealing to the Moments Theorem that links closed electron paths in the system to energy moments of angular momentum resolved local density of states obtained ab initio. The model matches self-consistent density functional theory electronic structure results for bulk face centered cubic metals with and without strain, metallic alloys, metallic interfaces, and metallic nanostructures with high accuracy and can be used in predictive electronic structure and transport problems in metallic systems at realistically extended length scales.

Band-engineering of TiO2 as a wide-band gap semiconductor using organic chromophore dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuningsih, S.; Kartini, I.; Ramelan, A. H.; Saputri, L. N. M. Z.; Munawaroh, H.

2017-07-01

Bond-engineering as applied to semiconductor materials refers to the manipulation of the energy bands in order to control charge transfer processes in a device. When the device in question is a photoelectrochemical cell, the charges affected by drift become the focus of the study. The ideal band gap of semiconductors for enhancement of photocatalyst activity can be lowered to match with visible light absorption and the location of conduction Band (CB) should be raised to meet the reducing capacity. Otherwise, by the addition of the chromofor organic dyes, the wide-band gab can be influences by interacation resulting between TiO2 surface and the dyes. We have done the impruvisation wide-band gap of TiO2 by the addition of organic chromophore dye, and the addition of transition metal dopand. The TiO2 morphology influence the light absorption as well as the surface modification. The organic chromophore dye was syntesized by formation complexes compound of Co(PAR)(SiPA)(PAR)= 4-(2-piridylazoresorcinol), SiPA = Silyl propil amine). The result showed that the chromophore groups adsorbed onto TiO2 surface can increase the visible light absorption of wide-band gab semiconductor. Initial absorption of a chromophore will affect light penetration into the material surfaces. The use of photonic material as a solar cell shows this phenomenon clearly from the IPCE (incident photon to current conversion efficiency) measurement data. Organic chromophore dyes of Co(PAR)(SiPA) exhibited the long wavelength absorption character compared to the N719 dye (from Dyesol).

Superabsorbing, Artificial Metal Films Constructed from Semiconductor Nanoantennas.

PubMed

Kim, Soo Jin; Park, Junghyun; Esfandyarpour, Majid; Pecora, Emanuele F; Kik, Pieter G; Brongersma, Mark L

2016-06-08

In 1934, Wilhelm Woltersdorff demonstrated that the absorption of light in an ultrathin, freestanding film is fundamentally limited to 50%. He concluded that reaching this limit would require a film with a real-valued sheet resistance that is exactly equal to R = η/2 ≈ 188.5Ω/□, where [Formula: see text] is the impedance of free space. This condition can be closely approximated over a wide frequency range in metals that feature a large imaginary relative permittivity εr″, that is, a real-valued conductivity σ = ε0εr″ω. A thin, continuous sheet of semiconductor material does not facilitate such strong absorption as its complex-valued permittivity with both large real and imaginary components preclude effective impedance matching. In this work, we show how a semiconductor metafilm constructed from optically resonant semiconductor nanostructures can be created whose optical response mimics that of a metallic sheet. For this reason, the fundamental absorption limit mentioned above can also be reached with semiconductor materials, opening up new opportunities for the design of ultrathin optoelectronic and light harvesting devices.

Single layer of MX3(M = Ti, Zr; X = S, Se, Te): a new platform for nano-electronics and optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yingdi; Li, Xingxing; Yang, Jinlong

A serial of two dimensional titanium and zirconium trichalcogenides nanosheets MX3 (M=Ti, Zr; X=S, Se, Te) are investigated based on first-principles calculations. The evaluated low cleavage energy indicates that stable two dimensional monolayers can be exfoliated from their bulk crystals in experiment. Electronic studies reveal very rich electronic properties in these monolayers, including metallic TiTe3 and ZrTe3, direct band gap semiconductor TiS3 and indirect band gap semiconductors TiSe3, ZrS3 and ZrSe3. The band gaps of all the semiconductors are between 0.57~1.90 eV, which implies their potential applications in nano-electronics. And the calculated effective masses demonstrate highly anisotropic conduction properties for all the semiconductors. Optically, TiS3 and TiSe3 monolayers exhibit good light absorption in the visible and near-infrared region respectively, indicating their potential applications in optical devices. In particular, the highly anisotropic optical absorption of TiS3 monolayer suggests it could be used in designing nano optical waveguide polarizers.

Control of electronic properties of 2D carbides (MXenes) by manipulating their transition metal layers

DOE PAGES

Anasori, Babak; Shi, Chenyang; Moon, Eun Ju; ...

2016-02-24

In this paper, a transition from metallic to semiconducting-like behavior has been demonstrated in two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides by replacing titanium with molybdenum in the outer transition metal (M) layers of M 3C 2 and M 4C 3 MXenes. The MXene structure consists of n + 1 layers of near-close packed M layers with C or N occupying the octahedral site between them in an [MX] nM arrangement. Recently, two new families of ordered 2D double transition metal carbides MXenes were discovered, M' 2M"C 2 and M' 2M" 2C 3 – where M' and M" are two different earlymore » transition metals, such as Mo, Cr, Ta, Nb, V, and Ti. The M' atoms only occupy the outer layers and the M" atoms fill the middle layers. In other words, M' atomic layers sandwich the middle M"–C layers. Using X-ray atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis on Mo 2TiC 2 and Mo 2Ti 2C 3 MXenes, we present the first quantitative analysis of structures of these novel materials and experimentally confirm that Mo atoms are in the outer layers of the [MC] nM structures. The electronic properties of these Mo-containing MXenes are compared with their Ti 3C 2 counterparts, and are found to be no longer metallic-like conductors; instead the resistance increases mildly with decreasing temperatures. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that OH terminated Mo–Ti MXenes are semiconductors with narrow band gaps. Measurements of the temperature dependencies of conductivities and magnetoresistances have confirmed that Mo 2TiC 2T x exhibits semiconductor-like transport behavior, while Ti 3C 2T x is a metal. Finally, this finding opens new avenues for the control of the electronic and optical applications of MXenes and for exploring new applications, in which semiconducting properties are required.« less

Electronic Characterization of Au/DNA/ITO Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Diode and Its Application as a Radiation Sensor.

PubMed

Al-Ta'ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Periasamy, Vengadesh; Amin, Yusoff Mohd

2016-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA molecules expressed as double-stranded (DSS) negatively charged polymer plays a significant role in electronic states of metal/silicon semiconductor structures. Electrical parameters of an Au/DNA/ITO device prepared using self-assembly method was studied by using current-voltage (I-V) characteristic measurements under alpha bombardment at room temperature. The results were analyzed using conventional thermionic emission model, Cheung and Cheung's method and Norde's technique to estimate the barrier height, ideality factor, series resistance and Richardson constant of the Au/DNA/ITO structure. Besides demonstrating a strongly rectifying (diode) characteristic, it was also observed that orderly fluctuations occur in various electrical parameters of the Schottky structure. Increasing alpha radiation effectively influences the series resistance, while the barrier height, ideality factor and interface state density parameters respond linearly. Barrier height determined from I-V measurements were calculated at 0.7284 eV for non-radiated, increasing to about 0.7883 eV in 0.036 Gy showing an increase for all doses. We also demonstrate the hypersensitivity phenomena effect by studying the relationship between the series resistance for the three methods, the ideality factor and low-dose radiation. Based on the results, sensitive alpha particle detectors can be realized using Au/DNA/ITO Schottky junction sensor.

Electronic Characterization of Au/DNA/ITO Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Diode and Its Application as a Radiation Sensor

PubMed Central

Al-Ta’ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Periasamy, Vengadesh; Amin, Yusoff Mohd

2016-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA molecules expressed as double-stranded (DSS) negatively charged polymer plays a significant role in electronic states of metal/silicon semiconductor structures. Electrical parameters of an Au/DNA/ITO device prepared using self-assembly method was studied by using current–voltage (I-V) characteristic measurements under alpha bombardment at room temperature. The results were analyzed using conventional thermionic emission model, Cheung and Cheung’s method and Norde’s technique to estimate the barrier height, ideality factor, series resistance and Richardson constant of the Au/DNA/ITO structure. Besides demonstrating a strongly rectifying (diode) characteristic, it was also observed that orderly fluctuations occur in various electrical parameters of the Schottky structure. Increasing alpha radiation effectively influences the series resistance, while the barrier height, ideality factor and interface state density parameters respond linearly. Barrier height determined from I–V measurements were calculated at 0.7284 eV for non-radiated, increasing to about 0.7883 eV in 0.036 Gy showing an increase for all doses. We also demonstrate the hypersensitivity phenomena effect by studying the relationship between the series resistance for the three methods, the ideality factor and low-dose radiation. Based on the results, sensitive alpha particle detectors can be realized using Au/DNA/ITO Schottky junction sensor. PMID:26799703

Comparison of the optical responses of O-poor and O-rich thermochromic VOX films during semiconductor-to-metal transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Zhenfei; Wu, Zhiming; Wang, Tao; Xu, Xiangdong; Li, Weizhi; Li, Wei; Jiang, Yadong

2012-09-01

O-poor and O-rich thermochromic vanadium oxide (VOX) nanostructured thin films were prepared by applying reactive direct current magnetron sputtering and post-annealing in oxygen ambient. UV-visible spectrophotometer and spectroscopic ellipsometry were used to investigate the optical properties of films. It was found that, when the O-poor VOX thin film underwent semiconductor-to-metal transition, the values of optical conductivity and extinction coefficient in the visible region increased due to the existence of occupied band-gap states. This noticeable feature, however, was not observed for the O-rich film, which showed a similar optical behavior with the stoichiometric crystalline VO2 films reported in the literatures. Moreover, the O-poor VOX film exhibits consistent variations of transmission values in the visible/near-infrared region when it undergoes semiconductor-to-metal transition.

Thermally Strained Band Gap Engineering of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Bilayers with Enhanced Light-Matter Interaction toward Excellent Photodetectors.

PubMed

Wang, Sheng-Wen; Medina, Henry; Hong, Kuo-Bin; Wu, Chun-Chia; Qu, Yindong; Manikandan, Arumugam; Su, Teng-Yu; Lee, Po-Tsung; Huang, Zhi-Quan; Wang, Zhiming; Chuang, Feng-Chuan; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Chueh, Yu-Lun

2017-09-26

Integration of strain engineering of two-dimensional (2D) materials in order to enhance device performance is still a challenge. Here, we successfully demonstrated the thermally strained band gap engineering of transition-metal dichalcogenide bilayers by different thermal expansion coefficients between 2D materials and patterned sapphire structures, where MoS 2 bilayers were chosen as the demonstrated materials. In particular, a blue shift in the band gap of the MoS 2 bilayers can be tunable, displaying an extraordinary capability to drive electrons toward the electrode under the smaller driven bias, and the results were confirmed by simulation. A model to explain the thermal strain in the MoS 2 bilayers during the synthesis was proposed, which enables us to precisely predict the band gap-shifted behaviors on patterned sapphire structures with different angles. Furthermore, photodetectors with enhancement of 286% and 897% based on the strained MoS 2 on cone- and pyramid-patterned sapphire substrates were demonstrated, respectively.

Optoelectronic properties analysis of Ti-substituted GaP.

PubMed

Tablero, C

2005-11-08

A study using first principles of the electronic and optical properties of materials derived from a GaP host semiconductor where one Ti atom is substituted for one of the eight P atoms is presented. This material has a metallic intermediate band sandwiched between the valence and conduction bands of the host semiconductor for 0 < or = U < or = 8 eV where U is the Hubbard parameter. The potential of these materials is that when they are used as an absorber of photons in solar cells, the efficiency is increased significantly with respect to that of the host semiconductor. The results show that the main contribution to the intermediate band is the Ti atom and that this material can absorb photons of lower energy than that of the host semiconductor. The efficiency is increased with respect to that of the host semiconductor mainly because of the absorption from the intermediate to conduction band. As U increases, the contribution of the Ti-d orbitals to the intermediate band varies, increasing the d(z2) character at the bottom of the intermediate band.

Organic semiconductor density of states controls the energy level alignment at electrode interfaces

PubMed Central

Oehzelt, Martin; Koch, Norbert; Heimel, Georg

2014-01-01

Minimizing charge carrier injection barriers and extraction losses at interfaces between organic semiconductors and metallic electrodes is critical for optimizing the performance of organic (opto-) electronic devices. Here, we implement a detailed electrostatic model, capable of reproducing the alignment between the electrode Fermi energy and the transport states in the organic semiconductor both qualitatively and quantitatively. Covering the full phenomenological range of interfacial energy level alignment regimes within a single, consistent framework and continuously connecting the limiting cases described by previously proposed models allows us to resolve conflicting views in the literature. Our results highlight the density of states in the organic semiconductor as a key factor. Its shape and, in particular, the energy distribution of electronic states tailing into the fundamental gap is found to determine both the minimum value of practically achievable injection barriers as well as their spatial profile, ranging from abrupt interface dipoles to extended band-bending regions. PMID:24938867

Nuclear-driven electron spin rotations in a coupled silicon quantum dot and single donor system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey-Collard, Patrick; Jacobson, Noah Tobias; Rudolph, Martin; Ten Eyck, Gregory A.; Wendt, Joel R.; Pluym, Tammy; Lilly, Michael P.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel; Carroll, Malcolm S.

Single donors in silicon are very good qubits. However, a central challenge is to couple them to one another. To achieve this, many proposals rely on using a nearby quantum dot (QD) to mediate an interaction. In this work, we demonstrate the coherent coupling of electron spins between a single 31P donor and an enriched 28Si metal-oxide-semiconductor few-electron QD. We show that the electron-nuclear spin interaction can drive coherent rotations between singlet and triplet electron spin states. Moreover, we are able to tune electrically the exchange interaction between the QD and donor electrons. The combination of single-nucleus-driven rotations and voltage-tunable exchange provides all elements for future all-electrical control of a spin qubit, and requires only a single dot and no additional magnetic field gradients. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Determination of the density of surface states at the semiconductor-insulator interface in a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gulyamov, G., E-mail: Gulyamov1949@rambler.ru; Sharibaev, N. U.

2011-02-15

The temporal dependence of thermal generation of electrons from occupied surface states at the semiconductor-insulator interface in a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure is studied. It is established that, at low temperatures, the derivative of the probability of depopulation of occupied surface states with respect to energy is represented by the Dirac {delta} function. It is shown that the density of states of a finite number of discrete energy levels under high-temperature measurements manifests itself as a continuous spectrum, whereas this spectrum appears discrete at low temperatures. A method for processing the continuous spectrum of the density of surface states is suggested thatmore » method makes it possible to determine the discrete energy spectrum. The obtained results may be conducive to an increase in resolution of the method of non-stationary spectroscopy of surface states.« less

Highly-Sensitive Thin Film THz Detector Based on Edge Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Junction.

PubMed

Jeon, Youngeun; Jung, Sungchul; Jin, Hanbyul; Mo, Kyuhyung; Kim, Kyung Rok; Park, Wook-Ki; Han, Seong-Tae; Park, Kibog

2017-12-04

Terahertz (THz) detectors have been extensively studied for various applications such as security, wireless communication, and medical imaging. In case of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel junction THz detector, a small junction area is desirable because the detector response time can be shortened by reducing it. An edge metal-semiconductor-metal (EMSM) junction has been developed with a small junction area controlled precisely by the thicknesses of metal and semiconductor films. The voltage response of the EMSM THz detector shows the clear dependence on the polarization angle of incident THz wave and the responsivity is found to be very high (~2,169 V/W) at 0.4 THz without any antenna and signal amplifier. The EMSM junction structure can be a new and efficient way of fabricating the nonlinear device THz detector with high cut-off frequency relying on extremely small junction area.

Nonlocal kinetic energy functional from the jellium-with-gap model: Applications to orbital-free density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constantin, Lucian A.; Fabiano, Eduardo; Della Sala, Fabio

2018-05-01

Orbital-free density functional theory (OF-DFT) promises to describe the electronic structure of very large quantum systems, being its computational cost linear with the system size. However, the OF-DFT accuracy strongly depends on the approximation made for the kinetic energy (KE) functional. To date, the most accurate KE functionals are nonlocal functionals based on the linear-response kernel of the homogeneous electron gas, i.e., the jellium model. Here, we use the linear-response kernel of the jellium-with-gap model to construct a simple nonlocal KE functional (named KGAP) which depends on the band-gap energy. In the limit of vanishing energy gap (i.e., in the case of metals), the KGAP is equivalent to the Smargiassi-Madden (SM) functional, which is accurate for metals. For a series of semiconductors (with different energy gaps), the KGAP performs much better than SM, and results are close to the state-of-the-art functionals with sophisticated density-dependent kernels.

SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY Development of spin-on-glass process for triple metal interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Peng; Wenbin, Zhao; Guozhang, Wang; Zongguang, Yu

2010-12-01

Spin-on-glass (SOG), an interlayer dielectric material applied in liquid form to fill narrow gaps in the sub-dielectric surface and thus conducive to planarization, is an alternative to silicon dioxide (SiO2) deposited using PECVD processes. However, its inability to adhere to metal and problems such as cracking prevent the easy application of SOG technology to provide an interlayer dielectric in multilevel metal interconnect circuits, particularly in university processing labs. This paper will show that a thin layer of CVD SiO2 and a curing temperature below the sintering temperature of the metal interconnect layer will promote adhesion, reduce gaps, and prevent cracking. Electron scanning microscope analysis has been used to demonstrate the success of the improved technique. This optimized process has been used in batches of double-poly, triple-metal CMOS wafer fabrication to date.

Electronic Structures of Free-Standing Nanowires made from Indirect Bandgap Semiconductor Gallium Phosphide

PubMed Central

Liao, Gaohua; Luo, Ning; Chen, Ke-Qiu; Xu, H. Q.

2016-01-01

We present a theoretical study of the electronic structures of freestanding nanowires made from gallium phosphide (GaP)—a III-V semiconductor with an indirect bulk bandgap. We consider [001]-oriented GaP nanowires with square and rectangular cross sections, and [111]-oriented GaP nanowires with hexagonal cross sections. Based on tight binding models, both the band structures and wave functions of the nanowires are calculated. For the [001]-oriented GaP nanowires, the bands show anti-crossing structures, while the bands of the [111]-oriented nanowires display crossing structures. Two minima are observed in the conduction bands, while the maximum of the valence bands is always at the Γ-point. Using double group theory, we analyze the symmetry properties of the lowest conduction band states and highest valence band states of GaP nanowires with different sizes and directions. The band state wave functions of the lowest conduction bands and the highest valence bands of the nanowires are evaluated by spatial probability distributions. For practical use, we fit the confinement energies of the electrons and holes in the nanowires to obtain an empirical formula. PMID:27307081

Enhancement mode GaN-based multiple-submicron channel array gate-recessed fin metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ching-Ting; Wang, Chun-Chi

2018-04-01

To study the function of channel width in multiple-submicron channel array, we fabricated the enhancement mode GaN-based gate-recessed fin metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron mobility transistors (MOS-HEMTs) with a channel width of 450 nm and 195 nm, respectively. In view of the enhanced gate controllability in a narrower fin-channel structure, the transconductance was improved from 115 mS/mm to 151 mS/mm, the unit gain cutoff frequency was improved from 6.2 GHz to 6.8 GHz, and the maximum oscillation frequency was improved from 12.1 GHz to 13.1 GHz of the devices with a channel width of 195 nm, compared with the devices with a channel width of 450 nm.

Inter-band optoelectronic properties in quantum dot structure of low band gap III-V semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Anup; Maiti, Biswajit; Chanda Sarkar, Debasree

2014-04-01

A generalized theory is developed to study inter-band optical absorption coefficient (IOAC) and material gain (MG) in quantum dot structures of narrow gap III-V compound semiconductor considering the wave-vector (k→) dependence of the optical transition matrix element. The band structures of these low band gap semiconducting materials with sufficiently separated split-off valance band are frequently described by the three energy band model of Kane. This has been adopted for analysis of the IOAC and MG taking InAs, InSb, Hg1-xCdxTe, and In1-xGaxAsyP1-y lattice matched to InP, as example of III-V compound semiconductors, having varied split-off energy band compared to their bulk band gap energy. It has been found that magnitude of the IOAC for quantum dots increases with increasing incident photon energy and the lines of absorption are more closely spaced in the three band model of Kane than those with parabolic energy band approximations reflecting the direct the influence of energy band parameters. The results show a significant deviation to the MG spectrum of narrow-gap materials having band nonparabolicity compared to the parabolic band model approximations. The results reflect the important role of valence band split-off energies in these narrow gap semiconductors.

Theory of Thermal Relaxation of Electrons in Semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sadasivam, Sridhar; Chan, Maria K. Y.; Darancet, Pierre

2017-09-01

We compute the transient dynamics of phonons in contact with high energy ``hot'' charge carriers in 12 polar and non-polar semiconductors, using a first-principles Boltzmann transport framework. For most materials, we find that the decay in electronic temperature departs significantly from a single-exponential model at times ranging from 1 ps to 15 ps after electronic excitation, a phenomenon concomitant with the appearance of non-thermal vibrational modes. We demonstrate that these effects result from the slow thermalization within the phonon subsystem, caused by the large heterogeneity in the timescales of electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions in these materials. We propose a generalizedmore » 2-temperature model accounting for the phonon thermalization as a limiting step of electron-phonon thermalization, which captures the full thermal relaxation of hot electrons and holes in semiconductors. A direct consequence of our findings is that, for semiconductors, information about the spectral distribution of electron-phonon and phonon-phonon coupling can be extracted from the multi-exponential behavior of the electronic temperature.« less

Model for determination of mid-gap states in amorphous metal oxides from thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bubel, S.; Chabinyc, M. L.

2013-06-01

The electronic density of states in metal oxide semiconductors like amorphous zinc oxide (a-ZnO) and its ternary and quaternary oxide alloys with indium, gallium, tin, or aluminum are different from amorphous silicon, or disordered materials such as pentacene, or P3HT. Many ZnO based semiconductors exhibit a steep decaying density of acceptor tail states (trap DOS) and a Fermi level (EF) close to the conduction band energy (EC). Considering thin film transistor (TFT) operation in accumulation mode, the quasi Fermi level for electrons (Eq) moves even closer to EC. Classic analytic TFT simulations use the simplification EC-EF> `several'kT and cannot reproduce exponential tail states with a characteristic energy smaller than 1/2 kT. We demonstrate an analytic model for tail and deep acceptor states, valid for all amorphous metal oxides and include the effect of trap assisted hopping instead of simpler percolation or mobility edge models, to account for the observed field dependent mobility.

Rapid Three-Dimensional Printing in Water Using Semiconductor-Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles as Photoinitiators.

PubMed

Pawar, Amol Ashok; Halivni, Shira; Waiskopf, Nir; Ben-Shahar, Yuval; Soreni-Harari, Michal; Bergbreiter, Sarah; Banin, Uri; Magdassi, Shlomo

2017-07-12

Additive manufacturing processes enable fabrication of complex and functional three-dimensional (3D) objects ranging from engine parts to artificial organs. Photopolymerization, which is the most versatile technology enabling such processes through 3D printing, utilizes photoinitiators that break into radicals upon light absorption. We report on a new family of photoinitiators for 3D printing based on hybrid semiconductor-metal nanoparticles. Unlike conventional photoinitiators that are consumed upon irradiation, these particles form radicals through a photocatalytic process. Light absorption by the semiconductor nanorod is followed by charge separation and electron transfer to the metal tip, enabling redox reactions to form radicals in aerobic conditions. In particular, we demonstrate their use in 3D printing in water, where they simultaneously form hydroxyl radicals for the polymerization and consume dissolved oxygen that is a known inhibitor. We also demonstrate their potential for two-photon polymerization due to their giant two-photon absorption cross section.

Designing Selectivity in Metal-Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization, and Self-Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlopoulos, Nicholas George

in the CdSe core, whereas NR length had a profound effect. This work indicated that longer NRs resulted in poor exciton localization efficiencies owing to ultrafast trapping of photoexcited excitons generated in the CdS NR. The third chapter describes the synthesis of Au-tipped CdSe NRs and studies of the effects of selective metal nanoparticle deposition on the band edge energetics of these model photocatalytic systems. Previous studies had demonstrated ultrafast localization of photoexcited electrons in Au nanoparticles (AuNP) (and PtNP) deposited at the termini of CdSe and CdSe CdS NR constructs. Also, for similar systems, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) had been studied, for which it was found that noble metal nanoparticle tips were necessary to extract photoexcited electrons from the NR constructs and drive catalytic reactions. However, in these studies, energetic trap states, generally ascribed to surface defects on the NC surface, are often cited as contributing to loss of catalytic efficiency. Through a combination of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and waveguide based spectroelectrochemistry on films of 40 nm long CdSe NRs before and after AuNP functionalization, we found that metal deposition resulted in the formation of mid-gap energy states, which were assigned as metal-semiconductor interface states. The fourth chapter transitions from NR constructs to highly absorbing CdSe CdS TP materials, for which a single zincblende (ZB) CdSe NC is used to seed the growth of four identical CdS arms. These arms act as highly efficient light absorbers, resulting in absorption cross sections an order of magnitude greater than for comparable NR systems. In the past, many studies have been published on the striking properties of TP nanocrystals, such as dual wavelength fluorescence, multiple exciton generation, and inherent self-assembly owing to their unique geometry. Nonetheless, these materials have not been exploited for photocatalysis, primarily owing

Development of epitaxial Al xSc 1-xN for artificially structured metal/semiconductor superlattice metamaterials

DOE PAGES

Sands, Timothy D.; Stach, Eric A.; Saha, Bivas; ...

2015-02-01

Epitaxial nitride rocksalt metal/semiconductor superlattices are emerging as a novel class of artificially structured materials that have generated significant interest in recent years for their potential application in plasmonic and thermoelectric devices. Though most nitride metals are rocksalt, nitride semiconductors in general have hexagonal crystal structure. We report rocksalt aluminum scandium nitride (Al,Sc)N alloys as the semiconducting component in epitaxial rocksalt metal/semiconductor superlattices. The Al xSc 1-xN alloys when deposited directly on MgO substrates are stabilized in a homogeneous rocksalt (single) phase when x < 0.51. Employing 20 nm TiN as a seed layer on MgO substrates, the homogeneity rangemore » for stabilizing the rocksalt phase has been extended to x < 0.82 for a 120 nm film. The rocksalt Al xSc 1-xN alloys show moderate direct bandgap bowing with a bowing parameter, B = 1.41 ± 0.19 eV. The direct bandgap of metastable rocksalt AlN is extrapolated to be 4.70 ± 0.20 eV. The tunable lattice parameter, bandgap, dielectric permittivity, and electronic properties of rocksalt Al xSc 1-xN alloys enable high quality epitaxial rocksalt metal/Al xSc 1-xN superlattices with a wide range of accessible metamaterials properties.« less

Absorption of light dark matter in semiconductors

DOE PAGES

Hochberg, Yonit; Lin, Tongyan; Zurek, Kathryn M.

2017-01-01

Semiconductors are by now well-established targets for direct detection of MeV to GeV dark matter via scattering off electrons. We show that semiconductor targets can also detect significantly lighter dark matter via an absorption process. When the dark matter mass is above the band gap of the semiconductor (around an eV), absorption proceeds by excitation of an electron into the conduction band. Below the band gap, multiphonon excitations enable absorption of dark matter in the 0.01 eV to eV mass range. Energetic dark matter particles emitted from the sun can also be probed for masses below an eV. We derivemore » the reach for absorption of a relic kinetically mixed dark photon or pseudoscalar in germanium and silicon, and show that existing direct detection results already probe new parameter space. Finally, with only a moderate exposure, low-threshold semiconductor target experiments can exceed current astrophysical and terrestrial constraints on sub-keV bosonic dark matter.« less

On Practical Charge Injection at the Metal/Organic Semiconductor Interface

PubMed Central

Kumatani, Akichika; Li, Yun; Darmawan, Peter; Minari, Takeo; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito

2013-01-01

We have revealed practical charge injection at metal and organic semiconductor interface in organic field effect transistor configurations. We have developed a facile interface structure that consisted of double-layer electrodes in order to investigate the efficiency through contact metal dependence. The metal interlayer with few nanometers thickness between electrode and organic semiconductor drastically reduces the contact resistance at the interface. The improvement has clearly obtained when the interlayer is a metal with lower standard electrode potential of contact metals than large work function of the contact metals. The electrode potential also implies that the most dominant effect on the mechanism at the contact interface is induced by charge transfer. This mechanism represents a step forward towards understanding the fundamental physics of intrinsic charge injection in all organic devices. PMID:23293741

Early Stages of Interface Formation at Compound Semiconductor Surfaces Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

classical image potential in an ideal creasing gap separation, that is specific to the form of the metal- insulator -semiconductor (MIS) junction...with which one can precisely adjust s, and hence continuously vary the vacvuum barrier, is a potentially valuable tool for investigating this effect- By... insulator -semiconductor (MIS) junction similar to that shown in Fig. I diverge at the semiconductor-vacuum and vacuum-metal interfaces [7,81. These

Atomically thin transition metal layers: Atomic layer stabilization and metal-semiconductor transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jeongwoon; Oh, Young Jun; Kim, Jiyoung; Sung, Myung Mo; Cho, Kyeongjae

2018-04-01

We have performed first-principle calculations to explore the possibility of synthesizing atomically thin transition metal (TM) layers. Buckled structures as well as planar structures of elemental 2D TM layers result in significantly higher formation energies compared with sp-bonded elemental 2D materials with similar structures, such as silicene and phosphorene. It is shown that the TM layers can be stabilized by surface passivation with HS, C6H5S2, or O, and O passivation is most effective. The surface oxygen passivation can improve stability leading to thermodynamically stable TM monolayers except Au, which is the most non-reactive metal element. Such stabilized TM monolayers also show an electronic structure transition from metallic state of free-standing TM layer to semiconducting O-passivated Mo and W monolayers with band gaps of 0.20-1.38 eV.

Adjustable metal-semiconductor transition of FeS thin films by thermal annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Ganhua; Polity, Angelika; Volbers, Niklas; Meyer, Bruno K.; Mogwitz, Boris; Janek, Jürgen

2006-12-01

FeS polycrystalline thin films were prepared on float glass at 500°C by radio-frequency reactive sputtering. The influence of vacuum annealing on the metal-semiconductor transition of FeS films was investigated. It has been found that with the increase of the annealing temperature from 360to600°C, the metal-semiconductor transition temperature of FeS films first decreases and then increases, associated with first a reduction and then an enhancement of hysteresis width. The thermal stress is considered to give rise to the abnormal change of the metal-semiconductor transition of the FeS film during annealing.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the electronic band structure of metal-organic frameworks of HKUST-1 type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Zhi-Gang; Heinke, Lars; Wöll, Christof; Neumann, Tobias; Wenzel, Wolfgang; Li, Qiang; Fink, Karin; Gordan, Ovidiu D.; Zahn, Dietrich R. T.

2015-11-01

The electronic properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly attracting the attention due to potential applications in sensor techniques and (micro-) electronic engineering, for instance, as low-k-dielectric in semiconductor technology. Here, the band gap and the band structure of MOFs of type HKUST-1 are studied in detail by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry applied to thin surface-mounted MOF films and by means of quantum chemical calculations. The analysis of the density of states, the band structure, and the excitation spectrum reveal the importance of the empty Cu-3d orbitals for the electronic properties of HKUST-1. This study shows that, in contrast to common belief, even in the case of this fairly "simple" MOF, the excitation spectra cannot be explained by a superposition of "intra-unit" excitations within the individual building blocks. Instead, "inter-unit" excitations also have to be considered.

Interlayer electron-hole pair multiplication by hot carriers in atomic layer semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barati, Fatemeh; Grossnickle, Max; Su, Shanshan; Lake, Roger; Aji, Vivek; Gabor, Nathaniel

Two-dimensional heterostructures composed of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides provide the opportunity to design novel devices for the study of electron-hole pair multiplication. We report on highly efficient multiplication of interlayer electron-hole pairs at the interface of a tungsten diselenide / molybdenum diselenide heterostructure. Electronic transport measurements of the interlayer current-voltage characteristics indicate that layer-indirect electron-hole pairs are generated by hot electron impact excitation. Our findings, which demonstrate an efficient energy relaxation pathway that competes with electron thermalization losses, make 2D semiconductor heterostructures viable for a new class of hot-carrier energy harvesting devices that exploit layer-indirect electron-hole excitations. SHINES, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Electronic modification of Cu-based chalcopyrite semiconductors induced by lattice deformation and composition alchemy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, F. D.; Feng, J. Y.

2008-02-01

Using first principles calculation, we systematically investigate the electronic modification of Cu-based chalcopyrite semiconductors induced by lattice deformation and composition alchemy. It is shown that the optical band gap Eg is remarkably sensitive to the anion displacement μ, resulting from the opposite shifts of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum. Meanwhile, the dependence of structural parameters of alloyed compounds on alloy composition x is demonstrated for both cation and anion alloying. The d orbitals of group-III cations are found to be of great importance in the calculation. Abnormal changes in the optical band gap Eg induced by anion alloying are addressed.

Plasmon-Mediated Solar Energy Conversion via Photocatalysis in Noble Metal/Semiconductor Composites.

PubMed

Wang, Mengye; Ye, Meidan; Iocozzia, James; Lin, Changjian; Lin, Zhiqun

2016-06-01

Plasmonics has remained a prominent and growing field over the past several decades. The coupling of various chemical and photo phenomenon has sparked considerable interest in plasmon-mediated photocatalysis. Given plasmonic photocatalysis has only been developed for a relatively short period, considerable progress has been made in improving the absorption across the full solar spectrum and the efficiency of photo-generated charge carrier separation. With recent advances in fundamental (i.e., mechanisms) and experimental studies (i.e., the influence of size, geometry, surrounding dielectric field, etc.) on plasmon-mediated photocatalysis, the rational design and synthesis of metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructure photocatalysts has been realized. This review seeks to highlight the recent impressive developments in plasmon-mediated photocatalytic mechanisms (i.e., Schottky junction, direct electron transfer, enhanced local electric field, plasmon resonant energy transfer, and scattering and heating effects), summarize a set of factors (i.e., size, geometry, dielectric environment, loading amount and composition of plasmonic metal, and nanostructure and properties of semiconductors) that largely affect plasmonic photocatalysis, and finally conclude with a perspective on future directions within this rich field of research.

FOREWORD: Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Yoshihiko

2008-12-01

Since the discovery of superconductivity in diamond, much attention has been given to the issue of superconductivity in semiconductors. Because diamond has a large band gap of 5.5 eV, it is called a wide-gap semiconductor. Upon heavy boron doping over 3×1020 cm-3, diamond becomes metallic and demonstrates superconductivity at temperatures below 11.4 K. This discovery implies that a semiconductor can become a superconductor upon carrier doping. Recently, superconductivity was also discovered in boron-doped silicon and SiC semiconductors. The number of superconducting semiconductors has increased. In 2008 an Fe-based superconductor was discovered in a research project on carrier doping in a LaCuSeO wide-gap semiconductor. This discovery enhanced research activities in the field of superconductivity, where many scientists place particular importance on superconductivity in semiconductors. This focus issue features a variety of topics on superconductivity in semiconductors selected from the 2nd International Workshop on Superconductivity in Diamond and Related Materials (IWSDRM2008), which was held at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan in July 2008. The 1st workshop was held in 2005 and was published as a special issue in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM) in 2006 (Takano 2006 Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 7 S1). The selection of papers describe many important experimental and theoretical studies on superconductivity in semiconductors. Topics on boron-doped diamond include isotope effects (Ekimov et al) and the detailed structure of boron sites, and the relation between superconductivity and disorder induced by boron doping. Regarding other semiconductors, the superconducting properties of silicon and SiC (Kriener et al, Muranaka et al and Yanase et al) are discussed, and In2O3 (Makise et al) is presented as a new superconducting semiconductor. Iron-based superconductors are presented as a new series of high

Effects of excitation frequency on high-order terahertz sideband generation in semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xiao-Tao; Zhu, Bang-Fen; Liu, Ren-Bao

2013-10-01

We theoretically investigate the effects of the excitation frequency on the plateau of high-order terahertz sideband generation (HSG) in semiconductors driven by intense terahertz (THz) fields. We find that the plateau of the sideband spectrum strongly depends on the detuning between the near-infrared laser field and the band gap. We use the quantum trajectory theory (three-step model) to understand the HSG. In the three-step model, an electron-hole pair is first excited by a weak laser, then driven by the strong THz field, and finally recombined to emit a photon with energy gain. When the laser is tuned below the band gap (negative detuning), the electron-hole generation is a virtual process that requires quantum tunneling to occur. When the energy gained by the electron-hole pair from the THz field is less than 3.17 times the ponderomotive energy (Up), the electron and the hole can be driven to the same position and recombined without quantum tunneling, so that the HSG will have large probability amplitude. This leads to a plateau feature of the HSG spectrum with a high-frequency cutoff at about 3.17Up above the band gap. Such a plateau feature is similar to the case of high-order harmonics generation in atoms where electrons have to overcome the binding energy to escape the atomic core. A particularly interesting excitation condition in HSG is that the laser can be tuned above the band gap (positive detuning), corresponding to the unphysical ‘negative’ binding energy in atoms for high-order harmonic generation. Now the electron-hole pair is generated by real excitation, but the recombination process can be real or virtual depending on the energy gained from the THz field, which determines the plateau feature in HSG. Both the numerical calculation and the quantum trajectory analysis reveal that for positive detuning, the HSG plateau cutoff depends on the frequency of the excitation laser. In particular, when the laser is tuned more than 3.17Up above the band

Silicon carbide, a semiconductor for space power electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, J. Anthony; Matus, Lawrence G.

1991-01-01

After many years of promise as a high temperature semiconductor, silicon carbide (SiC) is finally emerging as a useful electronic material. Recent significant progress that has led to this emergence has been in the areas of crystal growth and device fabrication technology. High quality single-crystal SiC wafers, up to 25 mm in diameter, can now be produced routinely from boules grown by a high temperature (2700 K) sublimation process. Device fabrication processes, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), in situ doping during CVD, reactive ion etching, oxidation, metallization, etc. have been used to fabricate p-n junction diodes and MOSFETs. The diode was operated to 870 K and the MOSFET to 770 K.

Colossal change in thermopower with temperature-driven p-n-type conduction switching in La x Sr2-x TiFeO6 double perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Pinku; Maiti, Tanmoy

2018-02-01

Double perovskite materials have been studied in detail by many researchers, as their magnetic and electronic properties can be controlled by the substitution of alkaline earth metals or lanthanides in the A site and transition metals in the B site. Here we report the temperature-driven, p-n-type conduction switching assisted, large change in thermopower in La3+-doped Sr2TiFeO6-based double perovskites. Stoichiometric compositions of La x Sr2-x TiFeO6 (LSTF) with 0  ⩽  x  ⩽  0.25 were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. Rietveld refinement of room-temperature XRD data confirmed a single-phase solid solution with cubic crystal structure and Pm\\bar{3}m space group. From temperature-dependent electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient (S) studies it is evident that all the compositions underwent an intermediate semiconductor-to-metal transition before the semiconductor phase reappeared at higher temperature. In the process of semiconductor-metal-semiconductor transition, LSTF compositions demonstrated temperature-driven p-n-type conduction switching behavior. The electronic restructuring which occurs due to the intermediate metallic phase between semiconductor phases leads to the colossal change in S for LSTF oxides. The maximum drop in thermopower (ΔS ~ 2516 µV K-1) was observed for LSTF with x  =  0.1 composition. Owing to their enormous change in thermopower of the order of millivolts per kelvin, integrated with p-n-type resistance switching, these double perovskites can be used for various high-temperature multifunctional device applications such as diodes, sensors, switches, thermistors, thyristors, thermal runaway monitors etc. Furthermore, the conduction mechanisms of these oxides were explained by the small polaron hopping model.

Radiation hardening of metal-oxide semi-conductor (MOS) devices by boron

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danchenko, V.

1974-01-01

Technique using boron effectively protects metal-oxide semiconductor devices from ionizing radiation without using shielding materials. Boron is introduced into insulating gate oxide layer at semiconductor-insulator interface.

Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor Gas Sensors in Environmental Monitoring

PubMed Central

Fine, George F.; Cavanagh, Leon M.; Afonja, Ayo; Binions, Russell

2010-01-01

Metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors are utilised in a variety of different roles and industries. They are relatively inexpensive compared to other sensing technologies, robust, lightweight, long lasting and benefit from high material sensitivity and quick response times. They have been used extensively to measure and monitor trace amounts of environmentally important gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. In this review the nature of the gas response and how it is fundamentally linked to surface structure is explored. Synthetic routes to metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors are also discussed and related to their affect on surface structure. An overview of important contributions and recent advances are discussed for the use of metal oxide semiconductor sensors for the detection of a variety of gases—CO, NOx, NH3 and the particularly challenging case of CO2. Finally a description of recent advances in work completed at University College London is presented including the use of selective zeolites layers, new perovskite type materials and an innovative chemical vapour deposition approach to film deposition. PMID:22219672

Fabrication of metal/semiconductor nanocomposites by selective laser nano-welding.

PubMed

Yu, Huiwu; Li, Xiangyou; Hao, Zhongqi; Xiong, Wei; Guo, Lianbo; Lu, Yongfeng; Yi, Rongxing; Li, Jiaming; Yang, Xinyan; Zeng, Xiaoyan

2017-06-01

A green and simple method to prepare metal/semiconductor nanocomposites by selective laser nano-welding metal and semiconductor nanoparticles was presented, in which the sizes, phases, and morphologies of the components can be maintained. Many types of nanocomposites (such as Ag/TiO 2 , Ag/SnO 2 , Ag/ZnO 2 , Pt/TiO 2 , Pt/SnO 2 , and Pt/ZnO) can be prepared by this method and their corresponding performances were enhanced.

Anomalous threshold voltage change by 2 MeV electron irradiation at 100 °C in deep submicron metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayama, K.; Ohyama, H.; Simoen, E.; Rafí, J. M.; Mercha, A.; Claeys, C.

2004-04-01

The degradation of the electrical properties of deep submicron metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) by 2 MeV electron irradiation at high temperatures was studied. The irradiation temperatures were 30, 100, 150 and 200 °C, and the fluence was fixed at 1015e/cm2. For most experimental conditions, the threshold voltage (VT) is observed to reduce in absolute value both for n- and p-MOSFETs. This reduction is most pronounced at 100 °C, as at this irradiation temperature, the radiation-induced density of interface traps is highest. It is proposed that hydrogen neutralization of the dopants in the substrate plays a key role, whereby the hydrogen is released from the gate by the 2 MeV electrons.

Imaging the motion of electrons in 2D semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dani, Keshav

Technological progress since the late 20th century has centered on semiconductor devices, such as transistors, diodes, and solar cells. At the heart of these devices, is the internal motion of electrons through semiconductor materials due to applied electric fields or by the excitation of photocarriers. Imaging the motion of these electrons would provide unprecedented insight into this important phenomenon, but requires high spatial and temporal resolution. Current studies of electron dynamics in semiconductors are generally limited by the spatial resolution of optical probes, or by the temporal resolution of electronic probes. In this talk, we combine femtosecond pump-probe techniques with spectroscopic photoemission electron microscopy to image the motion of photoexcited electrons from high-energy to low-energy states in a 2D InSe/GaAs heterostructure exhibiting a type-II band alignment. At the instant of photoexcitation, energy-resolved photoelectron images reveal a highly non-equilibrium distribution of photocarriers in space and energy. Thereafter, in response to the out-of-equilibrium photocarriers, we observe the spatial redistribution of charges, thus forming internal electric fields, bending the semiconductor bands, and finally impeding further charge transfer. By assembling images taken at different time-delays, we make a movie lasting a few tens of picoseconds of the electron transfer process in the photoexcited type-II heterostructure - a fundamental phenomenon in semiconductor devices like solar cells. Quantitative analysis and theoretical modeling of spatial variations in the video provide insight into future solar cells, electron dynamics in 2D materials, and other semiconductor devices.

Characterization and Modeling Analysis for Metal-Semiconductor-Metal GaAs Diodes with Pd/SiO2 Mixture Electrode

PubMed Central

Tan, Shih-Wei; Lai, Shih-Wen

2012-01-01

Characterization and modeling of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) GaAs diodes using to evaporate SiO2 and Pd simultaneously as a mixture electrode (called M-MSM diodes) compared with similar to evaporate Pd as the electrode (called Pd-MSM diodes) were reported. The barrier height (φ b) and the Richardson constant (A*) were carried out for the thermionic-emission process to describe well the current transport for Pd-MSM diodes in the consideration of the carrier over the metal-semiconductor barrier. In addition, in the consideration of the carrier over both the metal-semiconductor barrier and the insulator-semiconductor barrier simultaneously, thus the thermionic-emission process can be used to describe well the current transport for M-MSM diodes. Furthermore, in the higher applied voltage, the carrier recombination will be taken into discussion. Besides, a composite-current (CC) model is developed to evidence the concepts. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. PMID:23226352

Transport gap of organic semiconductors in organic modified Schottky contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahn, Dietrich R. T.; Kampen, Thorsten U.; Méndez, Henry

2003-05-01

Two different organic molecules with similar structure, 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and N, N'-dimethyl-3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (DiMe-PTCDI), were used for the modification of Ag Schottky contacts on sulphur passivated GaAs(1 0 0) (S-GaAs). Such diodes were investigated recording in situ current-voltage ( I- V) characteristics. As a function of the PTCDA thickness the effective barrier height of Ag/PTCDA/S-GaAs contacts initially increases from 0.59±0.01 to 0.72±0.01 eV, and then decreases to 0.54±0.01 eV, while only a decrease in barrier height from 0.54±0.01 to 0.45±0.01 eV is observed for DiMe-PTCDI interlayers. The initial increase and decrease in effective barrier height for PTCDA and DiMe-PTCDI respectively, is correlated with the energy level alignment of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) with respect to the conduction band minimum (CBM) of S-GaAs at the organic/inorganic semiconductor interface. Whilst there is an additional barrier for electrons at the PTCDA/S-GaAs interface of about 150 meV, i.e. the LUMO lies above CBM, the LUMO is aligned or below CBM in the DiMe-PTCDI case. The results also shine light on the important issue of the transport gap in organic semiconductors for which an estimation can be obtained.

Reactive tunnel junctions in electrically driven plasmonic nanorod metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pan; Krasavin, Alexey V.; Nasir, Mazhar E.; Dickson, Wayne; Zayats, Anatoly V.

2018-02-01

Non-equilibrium hot carriers formed near the interfaces of semiconductors or metals play a crucial role in chemical catalysis and optoelectronic processes. In addition to optical illumination, an efficient way to generate hot carriers is by excitation with tunnelling electrons. Here, we show that the generation of hot electrons makes the nanoscale tunnel junctions highly reactive and facilitates strongly confined chemical reactions that can, in turn, modulate the tunnelling processes. We designed a device containing an array of electrically driven plasmonic nanorods with up to 1011 tunnel junctions per square centimetre, which demonstrates hot-electron activation of oxidation and reduction reactions in the junctions, induced by the presence of O2 and H2 molecules, respectively. The kinetics of the reactions can be monitored in situ following the radiative decay of tunnelling-induced surface plasmons. This electrically driven plasmonic nanorod metamaterial platform can be useful for the development of nanoscale chemical and optoelectronic devices based on electron tunnelling.

Schottky Barrier Height Engineering for Electrical Contacts of Multilayered MoS2 Transistors with Reduction of Metal-Induced Gap States.

PubMed

Kim, Gwang-Sik; Kim, Seung-Hwan; Park, June; Han, Kyu Hyun; Kim, Jiyoung; Yu, Hyun-Yong

2018-06-06

The difficulty in Schottky barrier height (SBH) control arising from Fermi-level pinning (FLP) at electrical contacts is a bottleneck in designing high-performance nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ). For electrical contacts of multilayered MoS 2 , the Fermi level on the metal side is strongly pinned near the conduction-band edge of MoS 2 , which makes most MoS 2 -channel field-effect transistors (MoS 2 FETs) exhibit n-type transfer characteristics regardless of their source/drain (S/D) contact metals. In this work, SBH engineering is conducted to control the SBH of electrical top contacts of multilayered MoS 2 by introducing a metal-interlayer-semiconductor (MIS) structure which induces the Fermi-level unpinning by a reduction of metal-induced gap states (MIGS). An ultrathin titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) interlayer is inserted between the metal contact and the multilayered MoS 2 to alleviate FLP and tune the SBH at the S/D contacts of multilayered MoS 2 FETs. A significant alleviation of FLP is demonstrated as MIS structures with 1 nm thick TiO 2 interlayers are introduced into the S/D contacts. Consequently, the pinning factor ( S) increases from 0.02 for metal-semiconductor (MS) contacts to 0.24 for MIS contacts, and the controllable SBH range is widened from 37 meV (50-87 meV) to 344 meV (107-451 meV). Furthermore, the Fermi-level unpinning effect is reinforced as the interlayer becomes thicker. This work widens the scope for modifying electrical characteristics of contacts by providing a platform to control the SBH through a simple process as well as understanding of the FLP at the electrical top contacts of multilayered MoS 2 .

Tunable chiral metal organic frameworks toward visible light–driven asymmetric catalysis

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yin; Guo, Jun; Shi, Lin; Zhu, Yanfei; Hou, Ke; Zheng, Yonglong; Tang, Zhiyong

2017-01-01

A simple and effective strategy is developed to realize visible light–driven heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis. A chiral organic molecule, which only has very weak catalytic activity in asymmetric α-alkylation of aldehydes under visible light, is utilized as the ligand to coordinate with different types of metal ions, including Zn2+, Zr4+, and Ti4+, for construction of crystalline metal organic frameworks (MOFs). Impressively, when used as heterogeneous catalysts, all of the synthesized MOFs exhibit markedly enhanced activity. Furthermore, the asymmetric catalytic performance of these MOFs could be easily altered by selecting different metal ions, owing to the tunable electron transfer property between metal ions and chiral ligands. This work will provide a new approach for fabrication of heterogeneous catalysts and trigger more enthusiasm to conduct the asymmetric catalysis driven by visible light. PMID:28835929

Electronic and magnetic properties of SnS2 monolayer doped with 4d transition metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Wen-Zhi; Xiao, Gang; Rong, Qing-Yan; Chen, Qiao; Wang, Ling-Ling

2017-09-01

We investigate the electronic structures and magnetic properties of SnS2 monolayers substitutionally doped with 4-d transition-metal through systematic first principles calculations. The doped complexes exhibit interesting electronic and magnetic behaviors, depending on the interplay between crystal field splitting, Hund's rule, and 4d levels. The system doped with Y is nonmagnetic metal. Both the Zr- and Pd-doped systems remain nonmagnetic semiconductors. Doping results in half-metallic states for Nb-, Ru-, Rh-, Ag, and Cd doped cases, and magnetic semiconductors for systems with Mo and Tc dopants. In particular, the Nb- and Mo-doped systems display long-ranged ferromagnetic ordering with Curie temperature above room temperature, which are primarily attributable to the double-exchange mechanism, and the p-d/p-p hybridizations, respectively. Moreover, The Mo-doped system has excellent energetic stability and flexible mechanical stability, and also possesses remarkable dynamic and thermal (500 K) stability. Our studies demonstrate that Nb- and Mo-doped SnS2 monolayers are promising candidates for preparing 2D diluted magnetic semiconductors, and hence will be a helpful clue for experimentalists.

Direct optical band gap measurement in polycrystalline semiconductors: A critical look at the Tauc method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dolgonos, Alex; Mason, Thomas O.; Poeppelmeier, Kenneth R., E-mail: krp@northwestern.edu

2016-08-15

The direct optical band gap of semiconductors is traditionally measured by extrapolating the linear region of the square of the absorption curve to the x-axis, and a variation of this method, developed by Tauc, has also been widely used. The application of the Tauc method to crystalline materials is rooted in misconception–and traditional linear extrapolation methods are inappropriate for use on degenerate semiconductors, where the occupation of conduction band energy states cannot be ignored. A new method is proposed for extracting a direct optical band gap from absorption spectra of degenerately-doped bulk semiconductors. This method was applied to pseudo-absorption spectramore » of Sn-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (ITO)—converted from diffuse-reflectance measurements on bulk specimens. The results of this analysis were corroborated by room-temperature photoluminescence excitation measurements, which yielded values of optical band gap and Burstein–Moss shift that are consistent with previous studies on In{sub 2}O{sub 3} single crystals and thin films. - Highlights: • The Tauc method of band gap measurement is re-evaluated for crystalline materials. • Graphical method proposed for extracting optical band gaps from absorption spectra. • The proposed method incorporates an energy broadening term for energy transitions. • Values for ITO were self-consistent between two different measurement methods.« less

Electronic, magnetic and transport properties of transition metal-doped holely C2N-h2D nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Jing-Jing; Guo, Yan-Dong; Yan, Xiao-Hong; Zeng, Hong-Li

2018-01-01

A novel layered two-dimensional graphene-like material C2N-h2D with evenly distributed holes and nitrogen atoms has been synthesized via a bottom-up wet-chemical reaction [Nat. Commun. 6, 6486 (2015)]. The presence of holes provides a ground for further functionalization by doping. By performing a first-principles study, we have doped transition metals at the center of the holes of C2N-h2D nanoribbons and explored their doping effects on electronic, magnetic and transport properties. It is found that the doping can essentially regulate the electronic properties of C2N-h2D nanoribbons. The metallic zigzag ribbon is tuned into a semiconductor for Mn, Fe and Co-doped cases, but half-metal for Ni-doping. This transition is derived from the peculiar band morphology which has a big band gap between the edge state and the higher band, so when the energy of the edge state is reduced by the impurity state, the band gap falls too and crosses the Fermi level. In contrast, the pristine semiconducting armchair C2N-h2D nanoribbon is changed into metallic. Different from the zigzag case, its physical mechanism originates from the hybridization of 3 d orbitals of transition metal atoms and the p orbitals of carbon and nitrogen atoms which introduces several resonant peaks at the Fermi level in the density of states. Furthermore, the magnetic moments of all doped materials are enhanced compared to the pristine structures but decrease as the atomic number of the transition metal atom increases. And the spin polarization of armchair C2N-h2D nanoribbon is increased, while that of the zigzag structure is decreased except the Ni-doped one which is completely spin-polarized suggesting great prospects in the future of spintronics and nanoelectronics.

Size-dependent single electron transfer and semi-metal-to-insulator transitions in molecular metal oxide electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balliou, Angelika; Bouroushian, Mirtat; Douvas, Antonios M.; Skoulatakis, George; Kennou, Stella; Glezos, Nikos

2018-07-01

All-inorganic self-arranged molecular transition metal oxide hyperstructures based on polyoxometalate molecules (POMs) are fabricated and tested as electronically tunable components in emerging electronic devices. POM hyperstructures reveal great potential as charging nodes of tunable charging level for molecular memories and as enhancers of interfacial electron/hole injection for photovoltaic stacks. STM, UPS, UV–vis spectroscopy and AFM measurements show that this functionality stems from the films’ ability to structurally tune their HOMO–LUMO levels and electron localization length at room temperature. By adapting POM nanocluster size in solution, self-doping and current modulation of four orders of magnitude is monitored on a single nanocluster on SiO2 at voltages as low as 3 Volt. Structurally driven insulator-to-semi-metal transitions and size-dependent current regulation through single electron tunneling are demonstrated and examined with respect to the stereochemical and electronic structure of the molecular entities. This extends the value of self-assembly as a tool for correlation length and electronic properties tuning and demonstrate POM hyperstructures’ plausibility for on-chip molecular electronics operative at room temperature.

Size-dependent single electron transfer and semi-metal-to-insulator transitions in molecular metal oxide electronics.

PubMed

Balliou, Angelika; Bouroushian, Mirtat; Douvas, Antonios M; Skoulatakis, George; Kennou, Stella; Glezos, Nikos

2018-07-06

All-inorganic self-arranged molecular transition metal oxide hyperstructures based on polyoxometalate molecules (POMs) are fabricated and tested as electronically tunable components in emerging electronic devices. POM hyperstructures reveal great potential as charging nodes of tunable charging level for molecular memories and as enhancers of interfacial electron/hole injection for photovoltaic stacks. STM, UPS, UV-vis spectroscopy and AFM measurements show that this functionality stems from the films' ability to structurally tune their HOMO-LUMO levels and electron localization length at room temperature. By adapting POM nanocluster size in solution, self-doping and current modulation of four orders of magnitude is monitored on a single nanocluster on SiO 2 at voltages as low as 3 Volt. Structurally driven insulator-to-semi-metal transitions and size-dependent current regulation through single electron tunneling are demonstrated and examined with respect to the stereochemical and electronic structure of the molecular entities. This extends the value of self-assembly as a tool for correlation length and electronic properties tuning and demonstrate POM hyperstructures' plausibility for on-chip molecular electronics operative at room temperature.

Electromagnetic pulse-driven spin-dependent currents in semiconductor quantum rings.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhen-Gang; Berakdar, Jamal

2009-04-08

We investigate the non-equilibrium charge and spin-dependent currents in a quantum ring with a Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) driven by two asymmetric picosecond electromagnetic pulses. The equilibrium persistent charge and persistent spin-dependent currents are investigated as well. It is shown that the dynamical charge and the dynamical spin-dependent currents vary smoothly with a static external magnetic flux and the SOI provides a SU(2) effective flux that changes the phases of the dynamic charge and the dynamic spin-dependent currents. The period of the oscillation of the total charge current with the delay time between the pulses is larger in a quantum ring with a larger radius. The parameters of the pulse fields control to a certain extent the total charge and the total spin-dependent currents. The calculations are applicable to nanometre rings fabricated in heterojunctions of III-V and II-VI semiconductors containing several hundreds of electrons.

Nanometals for Solar-to-Chemical Energy Conversion: From Semiconductor-Based Photocatalysis to Plasmon-Mediated Photocatalysis and Photo-Thermocatalysis.

PubMed

Meng, Xianguang; Liu, Lequan; Ouyang, Shuxin; Xu, Hua; Wang, Defa; Zhao, Naiqin; Ye, Jinhua

2016-08-01

Nanometal materials play very important roles in solar-to-chemical energy conversion due to their unique catalytic and optical characteristics. They have found wide applications from semiconductor photocatalysis to rapidly growing surface plasmon-mediated heterogeneous catalysis. The recent research achievements of nanometals are reviewed here, with regard to applications in semiconductor photocatalysis, plasmonic photocatalysis, and plasmonic photo-thermocatalysis. As the first important topic discussed here, the latest progress in the design of nanometal cocatalysts and their applications in semiconductor photocatalysis are introduced. Then, plasmonic photocatalysis and plasmonic photo-thermocatalysis are discussed. A better understanding of electron-driven and temperature-driven catalytic behaviors over plasmonic nanometals is helpful to bridge the present gap between the communities of photocatalysis and conventional catalysis controlled by temperature. The objective here is to provide instructive information on how to take the advantages of the unique functions of nanometals in different types of catalytic processes to improve the efficiency of solar-energy utilization for more practical artificial photosynthesis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Synthesis of a Nano-Silver Metal Ink for Use in Thick Conductive Film Fabrication Applied on a Semiconductor Package

PubMed Central

Yung, Lai Chin; Fei, Cheong Choke; Mandeep, JS; Binti Abdullah, Huda; Wee, Lai Khin

2014-01-01

The success of printing technology in the electronics industry primarily depends on the availability of metal printing ink. Various types of commercially available metal ink are widely used in different industries such as the solar cell, radio frequency identification (RFID) and light emitting diode (LED) industries, with limited usage in semiconductor packaging. The use of printed ink in semiconductor IC packaging is limited by several factors such as poor electrical performance and mechanical strength. Poor adhesion of the printed metal track to the epoxy molding compound is another critical factor that has caused a decline in interest in the application of printing technology to the semiconductor industry. In this study, two different groups of adhesion promoters, based on metal and polymer groups, were used to promote adhesion between the printed ink and the epoxy molding substrate. The experimental data show that silver ink with a metal oxide adhesion promoter adheres better than silver ink with a polymer adhesion promoter. This result can be explained by the hydroxyl bonding between the metal oxide promoter and the silane grouping agent on the epoxy substrate, which contributes a greater adhesion strength compared to the polymer adhesion promoter. Hypotheses of the physical and chemical functions of both adhesion promoters are described in detail. PMID:24830317

Synthesis of a nano-silver metal ink for use in thick conductive film fabrication applied on a semiconductor package.

PubMed

Yung, Lai Chin; Fei, Cheong Choke; Mandeep, Js; Binti Abdullah, Huda; Wee, Lai Khin

2014-01-01

The success of printing technology in the electronics industry primarily depends on the availability of metal printing ink. Various types of commercially available metal ink are widely used in different industries such as the solar cell, radio frequency identification (RFID) and light emitting diode (LED) industries, with limited usage in semiconductor packaging. The use of printed ink in semiconductor IC packaging is limited by several factors such as poor electrical performance and mechanical strength. Poor adhesion of the printed metal track to the epoxy molding compound is another critical factor that has caused a decline in interest in the application of printing technology to the semiconductor industry. In this study, two different groups of adhesion promoters, based on metal and polymer groups, were used to promote adhesion between the printed ink and the epoxy molding substrate. The experimental data show that silver ink with a metal oxide adhesion promoter adheres better than silver ink with a polymer adhesion promoter. This result can be explained by the hydroxyl bonding between the metal oxide promoter and the silane grouping agent on the epoxy substrate, which contributes a greater adhesion strength compared to the polymer adhesion promoter. Hypotheses of the physical and chemical functions of both adhesion promoters are described in detail.

Twisted bilayer blue phosphorene: A direct band gap semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ospina, D. A.; Duque, C. A.; Correa, J. D.; Suárez Morell, Eric

2016-09-01

We report that two rotated layers of blue phosphorene behave as a direct band gap semiconductor. The optical spectrum shows absorption peaks in the visible region of the spectrum and in addition the energy of these peaks can be tuned with the rotational angle. These findings makes twisted bilayer blue phosphorene a strong candidate as a solar cell or photodetection device. Our results are based on ab initio calculations of several rotated blue phosphorene layers.

Curvature effects on the electronic and transport properties of semiconductor films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batista, F. F.; Chaves, Andrey; da Costa, D. R.; Farias, G. A.

2018-05-01

Within the effective mass approximation, we study the curvature effects on the electronic and transport properties of semiconductor films. We investigate how the geometry-induced potential resulting exclusively from periodic ripples in the film induces electronic confinement and a superlattice band structure. For fixed curvature parameters, such a confinement can be easily tuned by an external electric field, hence features of the superlattice band structure such as its energy gaps and band curvature can be controlled by an external parameter. We also show that, for some values of curvature and electric field, it is possible to obtain massless Dirac bands for a smooth curved structure. Moreover, we use a wave packet propagation method to demonstrate that the ripples are responsible for a significant inter-sub-band transition, specially for moderate values of the ripple height.

Semiconductor Metal-Organic Frameworks: Future Low-Bandgap Materials.

PubMed

Usman, Muhammad; Mendiratta, Shruti; Lu, Kuang-Lieh

2017-02-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with low density, high porosity, and easy tunability of functionality and structural properties, represent potential candidates for use as semiconductor materials. The rapid development of the semiconductor industry and the continuous miniaturization of feature sizes of integrated circuits toward the nanometer (nm) scale require novel semiconductor materials instead of traditional materials like silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide etc. MOFs with advantageous properties of both the inorganic and the organic components promise to serve as the next generation of semiconductor materials for the microelectronics industry with the potential to be extremely stable, cheap, and mechanically flexible. Here, a perspective of recent research is provided, regarding the semiconducting properties of MOFs, bandgap studies, and their potential in microelectronic devices. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors for organic electronics: Application to inverted OLEDs

PubMed Central

Hosono, Hideo; Toda, Yoshitake; Kamiya, Toshio; Watanabe, Satoru

2017-01-01

Efficient electron transfer between a cathode and an active organic layer is one key to realizing high-performance organic devices, which require electron injection/transport materials with very low work functions. We developed two wide-bandgap amorphous (a-) oxide semiconductors, a-calcium aluminate electride (a-C12A7:e) and a-zinc silicate (a-ZSO). A-ZSO exhibits a low work function of 3.5 eV and high electron mobility of 1 cm2/(V · s); furthermore, it also forms an ohmic contact with not only conventional cathode materials but also anode materials. A-C12A7:e has an exceptionally low work function of 3.0 eV and is used to enhance the electron injection property from a-ZSO to an emission layer. The inverted electron-only and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices fabricated with these two materials exhibit excellent performance compared with the normal type with LiF/Al. This approach provides a solution to the problem of fabricating oxide thin-film transistor-driven OLEDs with both large size and high stability. PMID:28028243

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the electronic band structure of metal-organic frameworks of HKUST-1 type

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gu, Zhi-Gang; State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 350002 Fuzhou; Heinke, Lars, E-mail: Lars.Heinke@KIT.edu

The electronic properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly attracting the attention due to potential applications in sensor techniques and (micro-) electronic engineering, for instance, as low-k-dielectric in semiconductor technology. Here, the band gap and the band structure of MOFs of type HKUST-1 are studied in detail by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry applied to thin surface-mounted MOF films and by means of quantum chemical calculations. The analysis of the density of states, the band structure, and the excitation spectrum reveal the importance of the empty Cu-3d orbitals for the electronic properties of HKUST-1. This study shows that, in contrast tomore » common belief, even in the case of this fairly “simple” MOF, the excitation spectra cannot be explained by a superposition of “intra-unit” excitations within the individual building blocks. Instead, “inter-unit” excitations also have to be considered.« less

Exploration of Gas Discharges with GaAs, GaP and ZnSe Electrodes Under Atmospheric Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurt, H. Hilal

2018-03-01

This work reports on the electrical and optical characterization of the atmospheric pressure glow discharge regimes for different semiconductor electrodes made of GaAs, GaP and ZnSe. The discharge cell is driven by DC feeding voltages at a wide pressure range of 0.66-120 kPa in argon and air media for different interelectrode gaps. The discharge phenomena including different stages of discharges such as glow and Townsend breakdown have been examined. In addition, the infrared sensitivities of the semiconducting materials are evaluated in the micro-discharge cell and discharge light emission measurements have been performed. The qualities of the semiconducting electrode samples can be determined by seeking the homogeneity of the discharge light emission for the optoelectronic device applications. Operation of optical devices under atmospheric pressures gives certain advantages for manufacturing of the devices including the material processing and surface treatment procedures. Besides, finite element analyses of the overall experimental system have been performed for the abovementioned semiconductors. The electron densities and potential patterns have been determined on the discharge cell plane between the electrodes. The findings have proven that the electron densities along the plasma cell depend on both the semiconductor type and plasma parameters.

Pressure-induced structural and semiconductor-semiconductor transitions in C o0.5M g0.5C r2O4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, S.; Saqib, Hajra; Zhang, Jinbo; Errandonea, D.; Menéndez, C.; Cazorla, C.; Samanta, Sudeshna; Li, Xiaodong; Lu, Junling; Wang, Lin

2018-05-01

The effect of pressure on the structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of Mg-doped Cr bearing spinel C o0.5M g0.5C r2O4 was studied up to 55 GPa at room-temperature using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, electrical transport measurements, and ab initio calculations. We found that the ambient-pressure phase is cubic (spinel-type, F d 3 ¯m ) and underwent a pressure-induced structural transition to a tetragonal phase (space group I 4 ¯m 2 ) above 28 GPa. The ab initio calculation confirmed this first-order phase transition. The resistivity of the sample decreased at low pressures with the existence of a low-pressure (LP) phase and started to increase with the emergence of a high-pressure (HP) phase. The temperature dependent resistivity experiments at different pressures illustrated the wide band gap semiconducting nature of both the LP and HP phases with different activation energies, suggesting a semiconductor-semiconductor transition at HP. No evidence of chemical decomposition or a semiconductor-metal transition was observed in our studies.

Measurement of laser activated electron tunneling from semiconductor zinc oxide to adsorbed organic molecules by a matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometer.

PubMed

Zhong, Hongying; Fu, Jieying; Wang, Xiaoli; Zheng, Shi

2012-06-04

Measurement of light induced heterogeneous electron transfer is important for understanding of fundamental processes involved in chemistry, physics and biology, which is still challenging by current techniques. Laser activated electron tunneling (LAET) from semiconductor metal oxides was observed and characterized by a MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization) mass spectrometer in this work. Nanoparticles of ZnO were placed on a MALDI sample plate. Free fatty acids and derivatives were used as models of organic compounds and directly deposited on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. Irradiation of UV laser (λ=355 nm) with energy more than the band gap of ZnO produces ions that can be detected in negative mode. When TiO(2) nanoparticles with similar band gap but much lower electron mobility were used, these ions were not observed unless the voltage on the sample plate was increased. The experimental results indicate that laser induced electron tunneling is dependent on the electron mobility and the strength of the electric field. Capture of low energy electrons by charge-deficient atoms of adsorbed organic molecules causes unpaired electron-directed cleavages of chemical bonds in a nonergodic pathway. In positive detection mode, electron tunneling cannot be observed due to the reverse moving direction of electrons. It should be able to expect that laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry is a new technique capable of probing the dynamics of electron tunneling. LAET offers advantages as a new ionization dissociation method for mass spectrometry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Half-Metallic Ferromagnetism and Stability of Transition Metal Pnictides and Chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bang-Gui

It is highly desirable to explore robust half-metallic ferromagnetic materials compatible with important semiconductors for spintronic applications. A state-of-the-art full potential augmented plane wave method within the densityfunctional theory is reliable enough for this purpose. In this chapter we review theoretical research on half-metallic ferromagnetism and structural stability of transition metal pnictides and chalcogenides. We show that some zincblende transition metal pnictides are half-metallic and the half-metallic gap can be fairly wide, which is consistent with experiment. Systematic calculations reveal that zincblende phases of CrTe, CrSe, and VTe are excellent half-metallic ferromagnets. These three materials have wide half-metallic gaps, are low in total energy with respect to the corresponding ground-state phases, and, importantly, are structurally stable. Halfmetallic ferromagnetism is also found in wurtzite transition metal pnictides and chalcogenides and in transition-metal doped semiconductors as well as deformed structures. Some of these half-metallic materials could be grown epitaxially in the form of ultrathin .lms or layers suitable for real spintronic applications.

Sustained hole inversion layer in a wide-bandgap metal-oxide semiconductor with enhanced tunnel current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoute, Gem; Afshar, Amir; Muneshwar, Triratna; Cadien, Kenneth; Barlage, Douglas

2016-02-01

Wide-bandgap, metal-oxide thin-film transistors have been limited to low-power, n-type electronic applications because of the unipolar nature of these devices. Variations from the n-type field-effect transistor architecture have not been widely investigated as a result of the lack of available p-type wide-bandgap inorganic semiconductors. Here, we present a wide-bandgap metal-oxide n-type semiconductor that is able to sustain a strong p-type inversion layer using a high-dielectric-constant barrier dielectric when sourced with a heterogeneous p-type material. A demonstration of the utility of the inversion layer was also investigated and utilized as the controlling element in a unique tunnelling junction transistor. The resulting electrical performance of this prototype device exhibited among the highest reported current, power and transconductance densities. Further utilization of the p-type inversion layer is critical to unlocking the previously unexplored capability of metal-oxide thin-film transistors, such applications with next-generation display switches, sensors, radio frequency circuits and power converters.

Sustained hole inversion layer in a wide-bandgap metal-oxide semiconductor with enhanced tunnel current

PubMed Central

Shoute, Gem; Afshar, Amir; Muneshwar, Triratna; Cadien, Kenneth; Barlage, Douglas

2016-01-01

Wide-bandgap, metal-oxide thin-film transistors have been limited to low-power, n-type electronic applications because of the unipolar nature of these devices. Variations from the n-type field-effect transistor architecture have not been widely investigated as a result of the lack of available p-type wide-bandgap inorganic semiconductors. Here, we present a wide-bandgap metal-oxide n-type semiconductor that is able to sustain a strong p-type inversion layer using a high-dielectric-constant barrier dielectric when sourced with a heterogeneous p-type material. A demonstration of the utility of the inversion layer was also investigated and utilized as the controlling element in a unique tunnelling junction transistor. The resulting electrical performance of this prototype device exhibited among the highest reported current, power and transconductance densities. Further utilization of the p-type inversion layer is critical to unlocking the previously unexplored capability of metal-oxide thin-film transistors, such applications with next-generation display switches, sensors, radio frequency circuits and power converters. PMID:26842997

Optoelectronics of supported and suspended 2D semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolotin, Kirill

2014-03-01

Two-dimensional semiconductors, materials such monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) are characterized by strong spin-orbit and electron-electron interactions. However, both electronic and optoelectronic properties of these materials are dominated by disorder-related scattering. In this talk, we investigate approaches to reduce scattering and explore physical phenomena arising in intrinsic 2D semiconductors. First, we discuss fabrication of pristine suspended monolayer MoS2 and use photocurrent spectroscopy measurements to study excitons in this material. We observe band-edge and van Hove singularity excitons and estimate their binding energies. Furthermore, we study dissociation of these excitons and uncover the mechanism of their contribution to photoresponse of MoS2. Second, we study strain-induced modification of bandstructures of 2D semiconductors. With increasing strain, we find large and controllable band gap reduction of both single- and bi-layer MoS2. We also detect experimental signatures consistent with strain-induced transition from direct to indirect band gap in monolayer MoS2. Finally, we fabricate heterostructures of dissimilar 2D semiconductors and study their photoresponse. For closely spaced 2D semiconductors we detect charge transfer, while for separation larger than 10nm we observe Forster-like energy transfer between excitations in different layers.

Electrically excited hot-electron dominated fluorescent emitters using individual Ga-doped ZnO microwires via metal quasiparticle film decoration.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Jiang, Mingming; Zhang, Zhenzhong; Li, Binghui; Zhao, Haifeng; Shan, Chongxin; Shen, Dezhen

2018-03-28

The generation of hot electrons from metal nanostructures through plasmon decay provided a direct interfacial charge transfer mechanism, which no longer suffers from the barrier height restrictions observed for metal/semiconductor interfaces. Metal plasmon-mediated energy conversion with higher efficiency has been proposed as a promising alternative to construct novel optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors, photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices, etc. However, the realization of the electrically-driven generation of hot electrons, and the application in light-emitting devices remain big challenges. Here, hybrid architectures comprising individual Ga-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga) microwires via metal quasiparticle film decoration were fabricated. The hottest spots could be formed towards the center of the wires, and the quasiparticle films were converted into physically isolated nanoparticles by applying a bias onto the wires. Thus, the hot electrons became spatially localized towards the hottest regions, leading to a release of energy in the form of emitting photons. By adjusting the sputtering times and appropriate alloys, such as Au and Ag, wavelength-tunable emissions could be achieved. To exploit the EL emission characteristics, metal plasmons could be used as active elements to mediate the generation of hot electrons from metal nanostructures, which are located in the light-emitting regions, followed by injection into ZnO:Ga microwire-channels; thus, the production of plasmon decay-induced hot-electrons could function as an efficient approach to dominate emission wavelengths. Therefore, by introducing metal nanostructure decoration, individual ZnO:Ga microwires can be used to construct wavelength-tunable fluorescent emitters. The hybrid architectures of metal-ZnO micro/nanostructures offer a fantastic candidate to broaden the potential applications of semiconducting optoelectronic devices, such as photovoltaic devices, photodetectors, optoelectronic sensors, etc.

Estimation of carrier mobility and charge behaviors of organic semiconductor films in metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes consisting of high-k oxide/organic semiconductor double layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chosei, Naoya; Itoh, Eiji

2018-02-01

We have comparatively studied the charge behaviors of organic semiconductor films based on charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage in a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) diode structure (MIS-CELIV) and by classical capacitance-voltage measurement. The MIS-CELIV technique allows the selective measurement of electron and hole mobilities of n- and p-type organic films with thicknesses representative of those of actual devices. We used an anodic oxidized sputtered Ta or Hf electrode as a high-k layer, and it effectively blocked holes at the insulator/semiconductor interface. We estimated the hole mobilities of the polythiophene derivatives regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(3,3‧‧‧-didodecylquarterthiophene) (PQT-12) before and after heat treatment in the ITO/high-k/(thin polymer insulator)/semiconductor/MoO3/Ag device structure. The hole mobility of PQT-12 was improved from 1.1 × 10-5 to 2.1 × 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1 by the heat treatment of the device at 100 °C for 30 min. An almost two orders of magnitude higher mobility was obtained in MIS diodes with P3HT as the p-type layer. We also determined the capacitance from the displacement current in MIS diodes at a relatively low-voltage sweep, and it corresponded well to the classical capacitance-voltage and frequency measurement results.

A comprehensive study of g-factors, elastic, structural and electronic properties of III-V semiconductors using hybrid-density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, Carlos M. O.; Sabino, Fernando P.; Sipahi, Guilherme M.; Da Silva, Juarez L. F.

2018-02-01

Despite the large number of theoretical III-V semiconductor studies reported every year, our atomistic understanding is still limited. The limitations of the theoretical approaches to yield accurate structural and electronic properties on an equal footing, is due to the unphysical self-interaction problem that mainly affects the band gap and spin-orbit splitting (SOC) in semiconductors and, in particular, III-V systems with similar magnitude of the band gap and SOC. In this work, we report a consistent study of the structural and electronic properties of the III-V semiconductors by using the screening hybrid-density functional theory framework, by fitting the α parameters for 12 different III-V compounds, namely, AlN, AlP, AlAs, AlSb, GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InN, InP, InAs, and InSb, to minimize the deviation between the theoretical and experimental values of the band gap and SOC. Structural relaxation effects were also included. Except for AlP, whose α = 0.127, we obtained α values that ranged from 0.209 to 0.343, which deviate by less than 0.1 from the universal value of 0.25. Our results for the lattice parameter and elastic constants indicate that the fitting of α does not affect those structural parameters when compared with the HSE06 functional, where α = 0.25. Our analysis of the band structure based on the k ṡ p method shows that the effective masses are in agreement with the experimental values, which can be attributed to the simultaneous fitting of the band gap and SOC. Also, we estimate the values of g-factors, extracted directly from the band structure, which are close to experimental results, which indicate that the obtained band structure produced a realistic set of k ṡ p parameters.

Role of order and disorder on the electronic performances of oxide semiconductor thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, R.; Barquinha, P.; Ferreira, I.; Pereira, L.; Gonçalves, G.; Fortunato, E.

2007-02-01

The role of order and disorder on the electronic performances of n-type ionic oxides such as zinc oxide, gallium zinc oxide, and indium zinc oxide used as active (channel) or passive (drain/source) layers in thin film transistors (TFTs) processed at room temperature are discussed, taking as reference the known behavior observed in conventional covalent semiconductors such as silicon. The work performed shows that while in the oxide semiconductors the Fermi level can be pinned up within the conduction band, independent of the state of order, the same does not happen with silicon. Besides, in the oxide semiconductors the carrier mobility is not bandtail limited and so disorder does not affect so strongly the mobility as it happens in covalent semiconductors. The electrical properties of the oxide films (resistivity, carrier concentration, and mobility) are highly dependent on the oxygen vacancies (source of free carriers), which can be controlled by changing the oxygen partial pressure during the deposition process and/or by adding other metal ions to the matrix. In this case, we make the oxide matrix less sensitive to the presence of oxygen, widening the range of oxygen partial pressures that can be used and thus improving the process control of the film resistivity. The results obtained in fully transparent TFT using polycrystalline ZnO or amorphous indium zinc oxide (IZO) as channel layers and highly conductive poly/nanocrystalline ZGO films or amorphous IZO as drain/source layers show that both devices work in the enhancement mode, but the TFT with the highest electronic saturation mobility and on/off ratio 49.9cm2/Vs and 4.3×108, respectively, are the ones in which the active and passive layers are amorphous. The ZnO TFT whose channel is based on polycrystalline ZnO, the mobility and on/off ratio are, respectively, 26cm2/Vs and 3×106. This behavior is attributed to the fact that the electronic transport is governed by the s-like metal cation conduction bands

Band gap modulation of graphene by metal substrate: A first principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Mihir Ranjan; Sahu, Sivabrata; Kushwaha, Anoop Kumar; Nayak, S. K.

2018-04-01

Due to high in-plane charge carrier mobility with high electron velocity and long spin diffusion length, graphene guarantees as a completely unique material for devices with various applications. Unaffected 2pz orbitals of carbon atoms in graphene can be highly influenced by substrates and leads to tuning in electronic properties. We report here a density functional calculation of graphene monolayer based on metallic substrate like nickel surfaces. Band-gap of graphene near K points opens due to interactions between 2pz and d-orbitals of nickel atoms and the gap modulation can be done with the increasing number of layers of substrates.

Linear electro-optic effect in semiconductors: Ab initio description of the electronic contribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prussel, Lucie; Véniard, Valérie

2018-05-01

We propose an ab initio framework to derive the electronic part of the second-order susceptibility tensor for the electro-optic effect in bulk semiconductors. We find a general expression for χ(2 ) evaluated within time-dependent density-functional theory, including explicitly the band-gap corrections at the level of the scissors approximation. Excitonic effects are accounted for, on the basis of a simple scalar approximation. We apply our formalism to the computation of the electro-optic susceptibilities for several semiconductors, such as GaAs, GaN, and SiC. Taking into account the ionic contribution according to the Faust-Henry coefficient, we obtain a good agreement with experimental results. Finally, using different types of strain to break centrosymmetry, we show that high electro-optic coefficients can be obtained in bulk silicon for a large range of frequencies.

A metallic metal oxide (Ti5O9)-metal oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite as the heterojunction to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L. H.; Deng, Z. X.; Xiao, J. X.; Yang, G. W.

2015-06-01

Coupling titanium dioxide (TiO2) with other semiconductors is a popular method to extend the optical response range of TiO2 and improve its photon quantum efficiency, as coupled semiconductors can increase the separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers in photocatalysts. Differing from normal semiconductors, metallic oxides have no energy gap separating occupied and unoccupied levels, but they can excite electrons between bands to create a high carrier mobility to facilitate kinetic charge separation. Here, we propose the first metallic metal oxide-metal oxide (Ti5O9-TiO2) nanocomposite as a heterojunction for enhancing the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles and we demonstrate that this hybridized TiO2-Ti5O9 nanostructure possesses an excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance in the process of photodegrading dyes. The TiO2-Ti5O9 nanocomposites are synthesized in one step using laser ablation in liquid under ambient conditions. The as-synthesized nanocomposites show strong visible-light absorption in the range of 300-800 nm and high visible-light photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of rhodamine B. They also exhibit excellent cycling stability in the photodegrading process. A working mechanism for the metallic metal oxide-metal oxide nanocomposite in the visible-light photocatalytic process is proposed based on first-principle calculations of Ti5O9. This study suggests that metallic metal oxides can be regarded as partners for metal oxide photocatalysts in the construction of heterojunctions to improve photocatalytic activity.

A metallic metal oxide (Ti5O9)-metal oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite as the heterojunction to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity.

PubMed

Li, L H; Deng, Z X; Xiao, J X; Yang, G W

2015-01-26

Coupling titanium dioxide (TiO2) with other semiconductors is a popular method to extend the optical response range of TiO2 and improve its photon quantum efficiency, as coupled semiconductors can increase the separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers in photocatalysts. Differing from normal semiconductors, metallic oxides have no energy gap separating occupied and unoccupied levels, but they can excite electrons between bands to create a high carrier mobility to facilitate kinetic charge separation. Here, we propose the first metallic metal oxide-metal oxide (Ti5O9-TiO2) nanocomposite as a heterojunction for enhancing the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles and we demonstrate that this hybridized TiO2-Ti5O9 nanostructure possesses an excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance in the process of photodegrading dyes. The TiO2-Ti5O9 nanocomposites are synthesized in one step using laser ablation in liquid under ambient conditions. The as-synthesized nanocomposites show strong visible-light absorption in the range of 300-800 nm and high visible-light photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of rhodamine B. They also exhibit excellent cycling stability in the photodegrading process. A working mechanism for the metallic metal oxide-metal oxide nanocomposite in the visible-light photocatalytic process is proposed based on first-principle calculations of Ti5O9. This study suggests that metallic metal oxides can be regarded as partners for metal oxide photocatalysts in the construction of heterojunctions to improve photocatalytic activity.

Dynamic quadrupole interactions in semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Thien Thanh; Schell, Juliana; Lupascu, Doru C.; Vianden, Reiner

2018-04-01

The time differential perturbed angular correlation, TDPAC, technique has been used for several decades to study electric quadrupole hyperfine interactions in semiconductors such as dynamic quadrupole interactions (DQI) resulting from after-effects of the nuclear decay as well as static quadrupole interactions originating from static defects around the probe nuclei such as interstitial ions, stresses in the crystalline structure, and impurities. Nowadays, the quality of the available semiconductor materials is much better, allowing us to study purely dynamic interactions. We present TDPAC measurements on pure Si, Ge, GaAs, and InP as a function of temperature between 12 K and 110 K. The probe 111In (111Cd) was used. Implantation damage was recovered by thermal annealing. Si experienced the strongest DQI with lifetime, τg, increasing with rising temperature, followed by Ge. In contrast, InP and GaAs, which have larger band gaps and less electron concentration than Si and Ge in the same temperature range, presented no DQI. The results obtained also allow us to conclude that indirect band gap semiconductors showed the dynamic interaction, whereas the direct band gap semiconductors, restricted to GaAs and InP, did not.

Thermal-Error Regime in High-Accuracy Gigahertz Single-Electron Pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, R.; Rossi, A.; Giblin, S. P.; Fletcher, J. D.; Hudson, F. E.; Möttönen, M.; Kataoka, M.; Dzurak, A. S.

2017-10-01

Single-electron pumps based on semiconductor quantum dots are promising candidates for the emerging quantum standard of electrical current. They can transfer discrete charges with part-per-million (ppm) precision in nanosecond time scales. Here, we employ a metal-oxide-semiconductor silicon quantum dot to experimentally demonstrate high-accuracy gigahertz single-electron pumping in the regime where the number of electrons trapped in the dot is determined by the thermal distribution in the reservoir leads. In a measurement with traceability to primary voltage and resistance standards, the averaged pump current over the quantized plateau, driven by a 1-GHz sinusoidal wave in the absence of a magnetic field, is equal to the ideal value of e f within a measurement uncertainty as low as 0.27 ppm.

Nanocrystalline ZnON; High mobility and low band gap semiconductor material for high performance switch transistor and image sensor application

PubMed Central

Lee, Eunha; Benayad, Anass; Shin, Taeho; Lee, HyungIk; Ko, Dong-Su; Kim, Tae Sang; Son, Kyoung Seok; Ryu, Myungkwan; Jeon, Sanghun; Park, Gyeong-Su

2014-01-01

Interest in oxide semiconductors stems from benefits, primarily their ease of process, relatively high mobility (0.3–10 cm2/vs), and wide-bandgap. However, for practical future electronic devices, the channel mobility should be further increased over 50 cm2/vs and wide-bandgap is not suitable for photo/image sensor applications. The incorporation of nitrogen into ZnO semiconductor can be tailored to increase channel mobility, enhance the optical absorption for whole visible light and form uniform micro-structure, satisfying the desirable attributes essential for high performance transistor and visible light photo-sensors on large area platform. Here, we present electronic, optical and microstructural properties of ZnON, a composite of Zn3N2 and ZnO. Well-optimized ZnON material presents high mobility exceeding 100 cm2V−1s−1, the band-gap of 1.3 eV and nanocrystalline structure with multiphase. We found that mobility, microstructure, electronic structure, band-gap and trap properties of ZnON are varied with nitrogen concentration in ZnO. Accordingly, the performance of ZnON-based device can be adjustable to meet the requisite of both switch device and image-sensor potentials. These results demonstrate how device and material attributes of ZnON can be optimized for new device strategies in display technology and we expect the ZnON will be applicable to a wide range of imaging/display devices. PMID:24824778

Electronic band-gap modified passive silicon optical modulator at telecommunications wavelengths.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Liu, Xiangdong; Lu, Qingming; Wang, Jiyang

2015-11-13

The silicon optical modulator is considered to be the workhorse of a revolution in communications. In recent years, the capabilities of externally driven active silicon optical modulators have dramatically improved. Self-driven passive modulators, especially passive silicon modulators, possess advantages in compactness, integration, low-cost, etc. Constrained by a large indirect band-gap and sensitivity-related loss, the passive silicon optical modulator is scarce and has been not advancing, especially at telecommunications wavelengths. Here, a passive silicon optical modulator is fabricated by introducing an impurity band in the electronic band-gap, and its nonlinear optics and applications in the telecommunications-wavelength lasers are investigated. The saturable absorption properties at the wavelength of 1.55 μm was measured and indicates that the sample is quite sensitive to light intensity and has negligible absorption loss. With a passive silicon modulator, pulsed lasers were constructed at wavelengths at 1.34 and 1.42 μm. It is concluded that the sensitive self-driven passive silicon optical modulator is a viable candidate for photonics applications out to 2.5 μm.

Ultrathin metal-semiconductor-metal resonator for angle invariant visible band transmission filters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Kyu-Tae; Seo, Sungyong; Yong Lee, Jae

We present transmission visible wavelength filters based on strong interference behaviors in an ultrathin semiconductor material between two metal layers. The proposed devices were fabricated on 2 cm × 2 cm glass substrate, and the transmission characteristics show good agreement with the design. Due to a significantly reduced light propagation phase change associated with the ultrathin semiconductor layer and the compensation in phase shift of light reflecting from the metal surface, the filters show an angle insensitive performance up to ±70°, thus, addressing one of the key challenges facing the previously reported photonic and plasmonic color filters. This principle, described in this paper, canmore » have potential for diverse applications ranging from color display devices to the image sensors.« less

Plasmon‐Mediated Solar Energy Conversion via Photocatalysis in Noble Metal/Semiconductor Composites

PubMed Central

Wang, Mengye; Ye, Meidan; Iocozzia, James

2016-01-01

Plasmonics has remained a prominent and growing field over the past several decades. The coupling of various chemical and photo phenomenon has sparked considerable interest in plasmon‐mediated photocatalysis. Given plasmonic photocatalysis has only been developed for a relatively short period, considerable progress has been made in improving the absorption across the full solar spectrum and the efficiency of photo‐generated charge carrier separation. With recent advances in fundamental (i.e., mechanisms) and experimental studies (i.e., the influence of size, geometry, surrounding dielectric field, etc.) on plasmon‐mediated photocatalysis, the rational design and synthesis of metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructure photocatalysts has been realized. This review seeks to highlight the recent impressive developments in plasmon‐mediated photocatalytic mechanisms (i.e., Schottky junction, direct electron transfer, enhanced local electric field, plasmon resonant energy transfer, and scattering and heating effects), summarize a set of factors (i.e., size, geometry, dielectric environment, loading amount and composition of plasmonic metal, and nanostructure and properties of semiconductors) that largely affect plasmonic photocatalysis, and finally conclude with a perspective on future directions within this rich field of research. PMID:27818901

Calculation of the electron structure of vacancies and their compensated states in III-VI semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mehrabova, M. A., E-mail: Mehrabova@mail.ru; Madatov, R. S.

2011-08-15

The Green's functions theory and the bond-orbital model are used as a basis for calculations of the electron structure of local defects-specifically, vacancies and their compensated states in III-VI semiconductors. The energy levels in the band gap are established, and the changes induced in the electron densities in the GaS, GaSe, and InSe semiconductors by anion and cation vacancies and their compensated states are calculated. It is established that, if a vacancy is compensated by an atom of an element from the same subgroup with the same tetrahedral coordination and if the ionic radius of the compensating atom is smallermore » than that of the substituted atom, the local levels formed by the vacancy completely disappear. It is shown that this mechanism of compensation of vacancies provides a means not only for recovering the parameters of the crystal, but for improving the characteristics of the crystal as well.« less

High-Dimensional Disorder-Driven Phenomena in Weyl Semimetals, Semiconductors, and Related Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syzranov, Sergey V.; Radzihovsky, Leo

2018-03-01

It is commonly believed that a noninteracting disordered electronic system can undergo only the Anderson metal-insulator transition. It has been suggested, however, that a broad class of systems can display disorder-driven transitions distinct from Anderson localization that have manifestations in the disorder-averaged density of states, conductivity, and other observables. Such transitions have received particular attention in the context of recently discovered 3D Weyl and Dirac materials but have also been predicted in cold-atom systems with long-range interactions, quantum kicked rotors, and all sufficiently high-dimensional systems. Moreover, such systems exhibit unconventional behavior of Lifshitz tails, energy-level statistics, and ballistic-transport properties. Here, we review recent progress and the status of results on non-Anderson disorder-driven transitions and related phenomena.

Assembling non-ferromagnetic materials to ferromagnetic architectures using metal-semiconductor interfaces

PubMed Central

Ma, Ji; Liu, Chunting; Chen, Kezheng

2016-01-01

In this work, a facile and versatile solution route was used to fabricate room-temperature ferromagnetic fish bone-like, pteridophyte-like, poplar flower-like, cotton-like Cu@Cu2O architectures and golfball-like Cu@ZnO architecture. The ferromagnetic origins in these architectures were found to be around metal-semiconductor interfaces and defects, and the root cause for their ferromagnetism lay in charge transfer processes from metal Cu to semiconductors Cu2O and ZnO. Owing to different metallization at their interfaces, these architectures exhibited different ferromagnetic behaviors, including coercivity, saturation magnetization as well as magnetic interactions. PMID:27680286

Analysis of quantum semiconductor heterostructures by ballistic electron emission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guthrie, Daniel K.

1998-09-01

The microelectronics industry is diligently working to achieve the goal of gigascale integration (GSI) by early in the 21st century. For the past twenty-five years, progress toward this goal has been made by continually scaling down device technology. Unfortunately, this trend cannot continue to the point of producing arbitrarily small device sizes. One possible solution to this problem that is currently under intensive study is the relatively new area of quantum devices. Quantum devices represent a new class of microelectronic devices that operate by utilizing the wave-like nature (reflection, refraction, and confinement) of electrons together with the laws of quantum mechanics to construct useful devices. One difficulty associated with these structures is the absence of measurement techniques that can fully characterize carrier transport in such devices. This thesis addresses this need by focusing on the study of carrier transport in quantum semiconductor heterostructures using a relatively new and versatile measurement technique known as ballistic electron emission spectroscopy (BEES). To achieve this goal, a systematic approach that encompasses a set of progressively more complex structures is utilized. First, the simplest BEES structure possible, the metal/semiconductor interface, is thoroughly investigated in order to provide a foundation for measurements on more the complex structures. By modifying the semiclassical model commonly used to describe the experimental BEES spectrum, a very complete and accurate description of the basic structure has been achieved. Next, a very simple semiconductor heterostructure, a Ga1-xAlxAs single-barrier structure, was measured and analyzed. Low-temperature measurements on this structure were used to investigate the band structure and electron-wave interference effects in the Ga1-xAlxAs single barrier structure. These measurements are extended to a simple quantum device by designing, measuring, and analyzing a set of

Method to determine the position-dependant metal correction factor for dose-rate equivalent laser testing of semiconductor devices

DOEpatents

Horn, Kevin M.

2013-07-09

A method reconstructs the charge collection from regions beneath opaque metallization of a semiconductor device, as determined from focused laser charge collection response images, and thereby derives a dose-rate dependent correction factor for subsequent broad-area, dose-rate equivalent, laser measurements. The position- and dose-rate dependencies of the charge-collection magnitude of the device are determined empirically and can be combined with a digital reconstruction methodology to derive an accurate metal-correction factor that permits subsequent absolute dose-rate response measurements to be derived from laser measurements alone. Broad-area laser dose-rate testing can thereby be used to accurately determine the peak transient current, dose-rate response of semiconductor devices to penetrating electron, gamma- and x-ray irradiation.

Density Functional Theory and Beyond for Band-Gap Screening: Performance for Transition-Metal Oxides and Dichalcogenides.

PubMed

Li, Wenqing; Walther, Christian F J; Kuc, Agnieszka; Heine, Thomas

2013-07-09

The performance of a wide variety of commonly used density functionals, as well as two screened hybrid functionals (HSE06 and TB-mBJ), on predicting electronic structures of a large class of en vogue materials, such as metal oxides, chalcogenides, and nitrides, is discussed in terms of band gaps, band structures, and projected electronic densities of states. Contrary to GGA, hybrid functionals and GGA+U, both HSE06 and TB-mBJ are able to predict band gaps with an appreciable accuracy of 25% and thus allow the screening of various classes of transition-metal-based compounds, i.e., mixed or doped materials, at modest computational cost. The calculated electronic structures are largely unaffected by the choice of basis functions and software implementation, however, might be subject to the treatment of the core electrons.

Terahertz-driven linear electron acceleration

PubMed Central

Nanni, Emilio A.; Huang, Wenqian R.; Hong, Kyung-Han; Ravi, Koustuban; Fallahi, Arya; Moriena, Gustavo; Dwayne Miller, R. J.; Kärtner, Franz X.

2015-01-01

The cost, size and availability of electron accelerators are dominated by the achievable accelerating gradient. Conventional high-brightness radio-frequency accelerating structures operate with 30–50 MeV m−1 gradients. Electron accelerators driven with optical or infrared sources have demonstrated accelerating gradients orders of magnitude above that achievable with conventional radio-frequency structures. However, laser-driven wakefield accelerators require intense femtosecond sources and direct laser-driven accelerators suffer from low bunch charge, sub-micron tolerances and sub-femtosecond timing requirements due to the short wavelength of operation. Here we demonstrate linear acceleration of electrons with keV energy gain using optically generated terahertz pulses. Terahertz-driven accelerating structures enable high-gradient electron/proton accelerators with simple accelerating structures, high repetition rates and significant charge per bunch. These ultra-compact terahertz accelerators with extremely short electron bunches hold great potential to have a transformative impact for free electron lasers, linear colliders, ultrafast electron diffraction, X-ray science and medical therapy with X-rays and electron beams. PMID:26439410

Terahertz-driven linear electron acceleration

DOE PAGES

Nanni, Emilio A.; Huang, Wenqian R.; Hong, Kyung-Han; ...

2015-10-06

The cost, size and availability of electron accelerators are dominated by the achievable accelerating gradient. Conventional high-brightness radio-frequency accelerating structures operate with 30–50 MeVm -1 gradients. Electron accelerators driven with optical or infrared sources have demonstrated accelerating gradients orders of magnitude above that achievable with conventional radio-frequency structures. However, laser-driven wakefield accelerators require intense femtosecond sources and direct laser-driven accelerators suffer from low bunch charge, sub-micron tolerances and sub-femtosecond timing requirements due to the short wavelength of operation. Here we demonstrate linear acceleration of electrons with keV energy gain using optically generated terahertz pulses. Terahertz-driven accelerating structures enable high-gradient electron/protonmore » accelerators with simple accelerating structures, high repetition rates and significant charge per bunch. As a result, these ultra-compact terahertz accelerators with extremely short electron bunches hold great potential to have a transformative impact for free electron lasers, linear colliders, ultrafast electron diffraction, X-ray science and medical therapy with X-rays and electron beams.« less

On the electron density localization in elemental cubic ceramic and FCC transition metals by means of a localized electrons detector.

PubMed

Aray, Yosslen; Paredes, Ricardo; Álvarez, Luis Javier; Martiz, Alejandro

2017-06-14

The electron density localization in insulator and semiconductor elemental cubic materials with diamond structure, carbon, silicon, germanium, and tin, and good metallic conductors with face centered cubic structure such as α-Co, Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt, and Au, was studied using a localized electrons detector defined in the local moment representation. Our results clearly show an opposite pattern of the electron density localization for the cubic ceramic and transition metal materials. It was found that, for the elemental ceramic materials, the zone of low electron localization is very small and is mainly localized on the atomic basin edges. On the contrary, for the transition metals, there are low-valued localized electrons detector isocontours defining a zone of highly delocalized electrons that extends throughout the material. We have found that the best conductors are those in which the electron density at this low-value zone is the lowest.

Optical band gaps of organic semiconductor materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, José C. S.; Taveira, Ricardo J. S.; Lima, Carlos F. R. A. C.; Mendes, Adélio; Santos, Luís M. N. B. F.

2016-08-01

UV-Vis can be used as an easy and forthright technique to accurately estimate the band gap energy of organic π-conjugated materials, widely used as thin films/composites in organic and hybrid electronic devices such as OLEDs, OPVs and OFETs. The electronic and optical properties, including HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of π-conjugated systems were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy in CHCl3 solution for a large number of relevant π-conjugated systems: tris-8-hydroxyquinolinatos (Alq3, Gaq3, Inq3, Al(qNO2)3, Al(qCl)3, Al(qBr)3, In(qNO2)3, In(qCl)3 and In(qBr)3); triphenylamine derivatives (DDP, p-TTP, TPB, TPD, TDAB, m-MTDAB, NPB, α-NPD); oligoacenes (naphthalene, anthracene, tetracene and rubrene); oligothiophenes (α-2T, β-2T, α-3T, β-3T, α-4T and α-5T). Additionally, some electronic properties were also explored by quantum chemical calculations. The experimental UV-Vis data are in accordance with the DFT predictions and indicate that the band gap energies of the OSCs dissolved in CHCl3 solution are consistent with the values presented for thin films.

Ultrafast exciton dynamics and light-driven H2 evolution in colloidal semiconductor nanorods and Pt-tipped nanorods.

PubMed

Wu, Kaifeng; Zhu, Haiming; Lian, Tianquan

2015-03-17

Colloidal quantum confined one-dimensional (1D) semiconductor nanorods (NRs) and related semiconductor-metal heterostructures are promising new materials for efficient solar-to-fuel conversion because of their unique physical and chemical properties. NRs can simultaneously exhibit quantum confinement effects in the radial direction and bulk like carrier transport in the axial direction. The former implies that concepts well-established in zero-dimensional quantum dots, such as size-tunable energetics and wave function engineering through band alignment in heterostructures, can also be applied to NRs; while the latter endows NRs with fast carrier transport to achieve long distance charge separation. Selective growth of catalytic metallic nanoparticles, such as Pt, at the tips of NRs provides convenient routes to multicomponent heterostructures with photocatalytic capabilities and controllable charge separation distances. The design and optimization of such materials for efficient solar-to-fuel conversion require the understanding of exciton and charge carrier dynamics. In this Account, we summarize our recent studies of ultrafast charge separation and recombination kinetics and their effects on steady-state photocatalytic efficiencies of colloidal CdS and CdSe/CdS NRs and related NR-Pt heterostructures. After a brief introduction of their electronic structure, we discuss exciton dynamics of CdS NRs. By transient absorption and time-resolved photoluminescence decay, it is shown that although the conduction band electrons are long-lived, photogenerated holes in CdS NRs are trapped on an ultrafast time scale (∼0.7 ps), which forms localized excitons due to strong Coulomb interaction in 1D NRs. In quasi-type II CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod NRs, a large valence band offset drives the ultrafast localization of holes to the CdSe core, and the competition between this process and ultrafast hole trapping on a CdS rod leads to three types of exciton species with distinct spatial

Real-time, multiplexed electrochemical DNA detection using an active complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor biosensor array with integrated sensor electronics.

PubMed

Levine, Peter M; Gong, Ping; Levicky, Rastislav; Shepard, Kenneth L

2009-03-15

Optical biosensing based on fluorescence detection has arguably become the standard technique for quantifying extents of hybridization between surface-immobilized probes and fluorophore-labeled analyte targets in DNA microarrays. However, electrochemical detection techniques are emerging which could eliminate the need for physically bulky optical instrumentation, enabling the design of portable devices for point-of-care applications. Unlike fluorescence detection, which can function well using a passive substrate (one without integrated electronics), multiplexed electrochemical detection requires an electronically active substrate to analyze each array site and benefits from the addition of integrated electronic instrumentation to further reduce platform size and eliminate the electromagnetic interference that can result from bringing non-amplified signals off chip. We report on an active electrochemical biosensor array, constructed with a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, to perform quantitative DNA hybridization detection on chip using targets conjugated with ferrocene redox labels. A 4 x 4 array of gold working electrodes and integrated potentiostat electronics, consisting of control amplifiers and current-input analog-to-digital converters, on a custom-designed 5 mm x 3 mm CMOS chip drive redox reactions using cyclic voltammetry, sense DNA binding, and transmit digital data off chip for analysis. We demonstrate multiplexed and specific detection of DNA targets as well as real-time monitoring of hybridization, a task that is difficult, if not impossible, with traditional fluorescence-based microarrays.

Controlled buckling structures in semiconductor interconnects and nanomembranes for stretchable electronics

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A; Meitl, Matthew; Sun, Yugang; Ko, Heung Cho; Carlson, Andrew; Choi, Won Mook; Stoykovich, Mark; Jiang, Hanqing; Huang, Yonggang; Nuzzo, Ralph G; Zhu, Zhengtao; Menard, Etienne; Khang, Dahl-Young

2014-05-20

In an aspect, the present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, components such as semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed, and related methods of making or tuning such stretchable components. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention are adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Controlled buckling structures in semiconductor interconnects and nanomembranes for stretchable electronics

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A [Champaign, IL; Meitl, Matthew [Raleigh, NC; Sun, Yugang [Naperville, IL; Ko, Heung Cho [Urbana, IL; Carlson, Andrew [Urbana, IL; Choi, Won Mook [Champaign, IL; Stoykovich, Mark [Dover, NH; Jiang, Hanqing [Urbana, IL; Huang, Yonggang [Glencoe, IL; Nuzzo, Ralph G [Champaign, IL; Lee, Keon Jae [Tokyo, JP; Zhu, Zhengtao [Rapid City, SD; Menard, Etienne [Durham, NC; Khang, Dahl-Young [Seoul, KR; Kan, Seong Jun [Daejeon, KR; Ahn, Jong Hyun [Suwon, KR; Kim, Hoon-sik [Champaign, IL

2012-07-10

In an aspect, the present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, components such as semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed, and related methods of making or tuning such stretchable components. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention are adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Origin of spin gapless semiconductor behavior in CoFeCrGa: Theory and Experiment

DOE PAGES

Bainsla, Lakhan; Mallick, A. I.; Raja, M. Manivel; ...

2015-07-08

Despite a plethora of materials suggested for spintronic applications, a new class of materials has emerged, namely spin gapless semiconductors (SGS), which offers potentially more advantageous properties than existing ones. These magnetic semiconductors exhibit a finite band gap for one spin channel and a closed gap for the other. Supported by electronic-structure calculations, we report evidence of SGS behavior in equiatomic quaternary CoFeCrGa, having a cubic Heusler (prototype LiMgPdSn) structure but exhibiting chemical disorder (DO 3 structure). CoFeCrGa is found to transform from SGS to half-metallic phase under pressure, which is attributed to unique electronic-structure features. The saturation magnetization (Mmore » S) was obtained at 8K agrees with the Slater-Pauling rule and the Curie temperature (T C) is found to exceed 400K. Carrier concentration (up to 250K) and electrical conductivity are observed to be nearly temperature independent, prerequisites for SGS. The anomalous Hall coefficient is estimated to be 185S/cm at 5K. Considering the SGS properties and high T C, this material appears to be promising for spintronic applications.« less

Diffraction limited focusing and routing of gap plasmons by a metal-dielectric-metal lens

DOE PAGES

Dennis, Brian S.; Czaplewski, David A.; Haftel, Michael I.; ...

2015-08-12

Passive optical elements can play key roles in photonic applications such as plasmonic integrated circuits. Here we experimentally demonstrate passive gap-plasmon focusing and routing in two-dimensions. This is accomplished using a high numerical-aperture metal-dielectric-metal lens incorporated into a planar-waveguide device. Fabrication via metal sputtering, oxide deposition, electron- and focused-ion- beam lithography, and argon ion-milling is reported on in detail. Diffraction-limited focusing is optically characterized by sampling out-coupled light with a microscope. The measured focal distance and full-width-half-maximum spot size agree well with the calculated lens performance. The surface plasmon polariton propagation length is measured by sampling light from multiple out-couplermore » slits.« less

Diffraction limited focusing and routing of gap plasmons by a metal-dielectric-metal lens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dennis, Brian S.; Czaplewski, David A.; Haftel, Michael I.

2015-01-01

Passive optical elements can play key roles in photonic applications such as plasmonic integrated circuits. Here we experimentally demonstrate passive gap-plasmon focusing and routing in two-dimensions. This is accomplished using a high numerical-aperture metal-dielectric-metal lens incorporated into a planar-waveguide device. Fabrication via metal sputtering, oxide deposition, electron-and focused-ion-beam lithography, and argon ion-milling is reported on in detail. Diffraction-limited focusing is optically characterized by sampling out-coupled light with a microscope. The measured focal distance and full-width-half-maximum spot size agree well with the calculated lens performance. The surface plasmon polariton propagation length is measured by sampling light from multiple out-coupler slits. (C)more » 2015 Optical Society of America« less

Electronic Structure, Surface Doping, and Optical Response in Epitaxial WSe2 Thin Films.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Ugeda, Miguel M; Jin, Chenhao; Shi, Su-Fei; Bradley, Aaron J; Martín-Recio, Ana; Ryu, Hyejin; Kim, Jonghwan; Tang, Shujie; Kim, Yeongkwan; Zhou, Bo; Hwang, Choongyu; Chen, Yulin; Wang, Feng; Crommie, Michael F; Hussain, Zahid; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Mo, Sung-Kwan

2016-04-13

High quality WSe2 films have been grown on bilayer graphene (BLG) with layer-by-layer control of thickness using molecular beam epitaxy. The combination of angle-resolved photoemission, scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, and optical absorption measurements reveal the atomic and electronic structures evolution and optical response of WSe2/BLG. We observe that a bilayer of WSe2 is a direct bandgap semiconductor, when integrated in a BLG-based heterostructure, thus shifting the direct-indirect band gap crossover to trilayer WSe2. In the monolayer limit, WSe2 shows a spin-splitting of 475 meV in the valence band at the K point, the largest value observed among all the MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) materials. The exciton binding energy of monolayer-WSe2/BLG is found to be 0.21 eV, a value that is orders of magnitude larger than that of conventional three-dimensional semiconductors, yet small as compared to other two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogennides (TMDCs) semiconductors. Finally, our finding regarding the overall modification of the electronic structure by an alkali metal surface electron doping opens a route to further control the electronic properties of TMDCs.

Limitations in cooling electrons using normal-metal-superconductor tunnel junctions.

PubMed

Pekola, J P; Heikkilä, T T; Savin, A M; Flyktman, J T; Giazotto, F; Hekking, F W J

2004-02-06

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally two limiting factors in cooling electrons using biased tunnel junctions to extract heat from a normal metal into a superconductor. First, when the injection rate of electrons exceeds the internal relaxation rate in the metal to be cooled, the electrons do not obey the Fermi-Dirac distribution, and the concept of temperature cannot be applied as such. Second, at low bath temperatures, states within the gap induce anomalous heating and yield a theoretical limit of the achievable minimum temperature.

Canonical Schottky barrier heights of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers in contact with a metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szcześniak, Dominik; Hoehn, Ross D.; Kais, Sabre

2018-05-01

The transition metal dichalcogenide (M X2 , where M =Mo , W and X =S , Se, Te) monolayers are of high interest for semiconducting applications at the nanoscale level; this interest is due to both their direct band gaps and high charge mobilities. In this regard, an in-depth understating of the related Schottky barrier heights, associated with the incorporation of M X2 sheets into novel low-dimensional metal-semiconductor junctions, is of crucial importance. Herein, we generate and provide analysis of the Schottky barrier heights behavior to account for the metal-induced gap states concept as its explanation. In particular, the present investigations concentrate on the estimation of the charge neutrality levels directly by employing the primary theoretical model, i.e., the cell-averaged Green's function formalism combined with the complex band structure technique. The results presented herein place charge neutrality levels in the vicinity of the midgap; this is in agreement with previous reports and analogous to the behavior of three-dimensional semiconductors. The calculated canonical Schottky barrier heights are also found to be in agreement with other computational and experimental values in cases where the difference between electronegativities of the semiconductor and metal contact is small. Moreover, the influence of the spin-orbit effects is herein considered and supports that Schottky barrier heights have metal-induced gap state-derived character, regardless whether spin-orbit coupling interactions are considered. The results presented within this report constitute a direct and vital verification of the importance of metal-induced gap states in explaining the behavior of observed Schottky barrier heights at M X2 -metal junctions.

Correlation-driven insulator-metal transition in near-ideal vanadium dioxide films

DOE PAGES

Gray, A. X.; Jeong, J.; Aetukuri, N. P.; ...

2016-03-18

We use polarization- and temperature-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy, in combination with photoelectron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and electronic transport measurements, to study the driving force behind the insulator-metal transition in VO 2. We show that both the collapse of the insulating gap and the concomitant change in crystal symmetry in homogeneously strained single-crystalline VO 2 films are preceded by the purely electronic softening of Coulomb correlations within V-V singlet dimers. Furthermore, this process starts 7 K (±0.3 K) below the transition temperature, as conventionally defined by electronic transport and x-ray diffraction measurements, and sets the energy scale for driving the near-room-temperaturemore » insulator-metal transition in this technologically promising material.« less

Evaluating nanoscale ultra-thin metal films by means of lateral photovoltaic effect in metal-semiconductor structure.

PubMed

Zheng, Diyuan; Yu, Chongqi; Zhang, Qian; Wang, Hui

2017-12-15

Nanoscale metal-semiconductor (MS) structure materials occupy an important position in semiconductor and microelectronic field due to their abundant physical phenomena and effects. The thickness of metal films is a critical factor in determining characteristics of MS devices. How to detect or evaluate the metal thickness is always a key issue for realizing high performance MS devices. In this work, we propose a direct surface detection by use of the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in MS structure, which can not only measure nanoscale thickness, but also detect the fluctuation of metal films. This method is based on the fact that the output of lateral photovoltaic voltage (LPV) is closely linked with the metal thickness at the laser spot. We believe this laser-based contact-free detection is a useful supplement to the traditional methods, such as AFM, SEM, TEM or step profiler. This is because these traditional methods are always incapable of directly detecting ultra-thin metal films in MS structure materials.

Evaluating nanoscale ultra-thin metal films by means of lateral photovoltaic effect in metal-semiconductor structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Diyuan; Yu, Chongqi; Zhang, Qian; Wang, Hui

2017-12-01

Nanoscale metal-semiconductor (MS) structure materials occupy an important position in semiconductor and microelectronic field due to their abundant physical phenomena and effects. The thickness of metal films is a critical factor in determining characteristics of MS devices. How to detect or evaluate the metal thickness is always a key issue for realizing high performance MS devices. In this work, we propose a direct surface detection by use of the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in MS structure, which can not only measure nanoscale thickness, but also detect the fluctuation of metal films. This method is based on the fact that the output of lateral photovoltaic voltage (LPV) is closely linked with the metal thickness at the laser spot. We believe this laser-based contact-free detection is a useful supplement to the traditional methods, such as AFM, SEM, TEM or step profiler. This is because these traditional methods are always incapable of directly detecting ultra-thin metal films in MS structure materials.

Electronic excitation-induced semiconductor-to-metal transition in monolayer MoTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolobov, A. V.; Fons, P.; Tominaga, J.

2016-09-01

Reversible polymorphism of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) has currently attracted much attention from both academic and applied perspectives. Of special interest is MoTe2, where the stable semiconducting 2 H and metastable (semi)metallic 1 T' phases have a rather small energy difference implying the low-energy cost of such a transition. In this work, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that there exists a previously unknown phase of MoTe2, namely a distorted trigonal prismatic phase with alternating shorter and longer bonds and bond angles, that is formed in the electronically excited state due to population inversion. This phase, which is unstable and decays to the ground 2 H state after cessation of the excitation, is metallic and can act to lower the energy barrier on the way to the metastable 1 T' phase. Our findings indicate that there exists a previously unexplored route of ultrafast local and selective band-structure control in monolayer TMDC using electronic excitation, which will significantly broaden the application spectrum of these materials.

Interacting quasi-band model for electronic states in compound semiconductor alloys: Zincblende structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinozuka, Yuzo; Oda, Masato

2015-09-01

The interacting quasi-band model proposed for electronic states in simple alloys is extended for compound semiconductor alloys with general lattice structures containing several atoms per unit cell. Using a tight-binding model, a variational electronic wave function for quasi-Bloch states yields a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian matrix characterized by matrix elements of constituent crystals and concentration of constituents. Solving secular equations for each k-state yields the alloy’s energy spectrum for any type of randomness and arbitrary concentration. The theory is used to address III-V (II-VI) alloys with a zincblende lattice with crystal band structures well represented by the sp3s* model. Using the resulting 15 × 15 matrix, the concentration dependence of valence and conduction bands is calculated in a unified scheme for typical alloys: Al1-xGaxAs, GaAs1-xPx, and GaSb1-xPx. Results agree well with experiments and are discussed with respect to the concentration dependence, direct-indirect gap transition, and band-gap-bowing origin.

Electronic properties of III-nitride semiconductors: A first-principles investigation using the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Araujo, Rafael B., E-mail: rafaelbna@gmail.com; Almeida, J. S. de, E-mail: jailton-almeida@hotmail.com; Ferreira da Silva, A.

In this work, we use density functional theory to investigate the influence of semilocal exchange and correlation effects on the electronic properties of III-nitride semiconductors considering zinc-blende and wurtzite crystal structures. We find that the inclusion of such effects through the use of the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential yields an excellent description of the electronic structures of these materials giving energy band gaps which are systematically larger than the ones obtained with standard functionals such as the generalized gradient approximation. The discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical band gaps is then significantly reduced with semilocal exchange and correlation effects. However,more » the effective masses are overestimated in the zinc-blende nitrides, but no systematic trend is found in the wurtzite compounds. New results for energy band gaps and effective masses of zinc-blende and wurtzite indium nitrides are presented.« less

MSM-Metal Semiconductor Metal Photo-detector Using Black Silicon Germanium (SiGe) for Extended Wavelength Near Infrared Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

MSM) photodectors fabricated using black silicon-germanium on silicon substrate (Si1–xGex//Si) for I-V, optical response, external quantum ...material for Si for many applications in low-power and high-speed semiconductor device technologies (4, 5). It is a promising material for quantum well ...MSM-Metal Semiconductor Metal Photo-detector Using Black Silicon Germanium (SiGe) for Extended Wavelength Near Infrared Detection by Fred

Electronic transport properties of some liquid semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonvane, Y. A.; Thakor, P. B.; Jani, A. R.

2012-06-01

Electronic transport properties like electrical resistivity (ρ) and thermoelectric power (Q) of liquid semiconductor (Si, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Tl and Bi) are calculated in the present study. Our well established single parametric model potential alongwith Percus Yevick hard sphere (PYHS) reference system are used to describe the structural information. To see the influence of exchange and correlation effect, Hartree, Taylor and Sarkar et al local field correlation functions are used. From present results, it is seen that good agreements between present results and experimental data have been achieved. Lastly we conclude that our model potential successfully produces the data of electronic transport properties for some liquid semiconductor (Si, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Tl and Bi).

Floating-gate memory based on an organic metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

William, S.; Mabrook, M. F.; Taylor, D. M.

2009-08-01

A floating gate memory element is described which incorporates an evaporated gold film embedded in the gate dielectric of a metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor based on poly(3-hexylthiophene). On exceeding a critical amplitude in the voltage sweep, hysteresis is observed in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the device. The anticlockwise hysteresis in C-V is consistent with strong electron trapping during the positive cycle but little hole trapping during the negative cycle. We argue that the clockwise hysteresis observed in the negative cycle of the I-V plot, arises from leakage of trapped holes through the underlying insulator to the control gate.

L-Asparagine crystals with wide gap semiconductor features: optical absorption measurements and density functional theory computations.

PubMed

Zanatta, G; Gottfried, C; Silva, A M; Caetano, E W S; Sales, F A M; Freire, V N

2014-03-28

Results of optical absorption measurements are presented together with calculated structural, electronic, and optical properties for the anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystal. Density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) including dispersion effects (TS, Grimme) was employed to perform the calculations. The optical absorption measurements revealed that the anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystal is a wide band gap material with 4.95 eV main gap energy. DFT-GGA+TS simulations, on the other hand, produced structural parameters in very good agreement with X-ray data. The lattice parameter differences Δa, Δb, Δc between theory and experiment were as small as 0.020, 0.051, and 0.022 Å, respectively. The calculated band gap energy is smaller than the experimental data by about 15%, with a 4.23 eV indirect band gap corresponding to Z → Γ and Z → β transitions. Three other indirect band gaps of 4.30 eV, 4.32 eV, and 4.36 eV are assigned to α3 → Γ, α1 → Γ, and α2 → Γ transitions, respectively. Δ-sol computations, on the other hand, predict a main band gap of 5.00 eV, just 50 meV above the experimental value. Electronic wavefunctions mainly originating from O 2p-carboxyl, C 2p-side chain, and C 2p-carboxyl orbitals contribute most significantly to the highest valence and lowest conduction energy bands, respectively. By varying the lattice parameters from their converged equilibrium values, we show that the unit cell is less stiff along the b direction than for the a and c directions. Effective mass calculations suggest that hole transport behavior is more anisotropic than electron transport, but the mass values allow for some charge mobility except along a direction perpendicular to the molecular layers of L-asparagine which form the crystal, so anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystals could behave as wide gap semiconductors. Finally, the calculations point to a high degree of optical

Transition-metal impurities in semiconductors and heterojunction band lineups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langer, Jerzy M.; Delerue, C.; Lannoo, M.; Heinrich, Helmut

1988-10-01

The validity of a recent proposal that transition-metal impurity levels in semiconductors may serve as a reference in band alignment in semiconductor heterojunctions is positively verified by using the most recent data on band offsets in the following lattice-matched heterojunctions: Ga1-xAlxAs/GaAs, In1-xGaxAsyP1-y/InP, In1-xGaxP/GaAs, and Cd1-xHgxTe/CdTe. The alignment procedure is justified theoretically by showing that transition-metal energy levels are effectively pinned to the average dangling-bond energy level, which serves as the reference level for the heterojunction band alignment. Experimental and theoretical arguments showing that an increasingly popular notion on transition-metal energy-level pinning to the vacuum level is unjustified and must be abandoned in favor of the internal-reference rule proposed recently [J. M. Langer and H. Heinrich, Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 1414 (1985)] are presented.

The Electronic Structure of Transition Metal Coated Fullerenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patton, David C.; Pederson, Mark R.; Kaxiras, Efthimios

1998-03-01

Clusters composed of fullerene molecules with an outer shell of transition metal atoms in the composition C_60M_62 (M being a transition metal) have been produced with laser vaporisation techniques(F. Tast, N. Malinowski, S. Frank, M. Heinebrodt, I.M.L. Billas, and T. P. Martin, Z. Phys D 40), 351 (1997).. We have studied several of these very large systems with a parallel version of the all-electron NRLMOL cluster code. Optimized geometries of the metal encased fullerenes C_60Ti_62 and C_60V_62 are presented along with their HOMO-LUMO gaps, electron affinities, ionization energies, and cohesive energies. We compare the stability of these clusters to relaxed met-car structures (e.g. Ti_8C_12) and to relaxed rocksalt metal-carbide fragments (TiC)n with n=8 and 32. In addition to metal-coated fullerenes we consider the possibility of a trilayered structure consisting of a small shell of metal atoms enclosed by a metal coated fullerene. The nature of bonding in these systems is analyzed by studying the electronic charge distributions.

Simulation Study on the Self-Sustained Oscillations in DC Driven Glow Discharges at Atmospheric Pressure Under Different Gas Gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaofei; He, Yafeng; Liu, Fucheng

2015-06-01

In this paper, a one-dimensional plasma fluid model is employed to study the self-sustained oscillations in DC-driven helium glow discharges at atmospheric pressure under different gas gaps. Our simulation results indicate that a harmonic current oscillation with tiny amplitude always occur at the onset of instability and transits into a relaxation one as the conductivity of the semiconductor is decreased. It is found that the dynamics of the oscillations are dependent on the gas gaps. The discharge can only exhibit a simple oscillation with unique amplitude and frequency at smaller gas gaps (<2 mm) while it can exhibit a more complex oscillation with several different amplitudes and frequencies at larger gas gaps (>2 mm). The discharge modes in these current oscillations have also been analyzed. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11205044 and 11405042), Hebei Natural Science Fund of China (Nos. A2012201015 and A2011201006), the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hebei Province of China (No. Y2012009), the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China (No. B2014003004) and the Postdoctoral Foundation of Hebei University

Flexible metal-semiconductor-metal device prototype on wafer-scale thick boron nitride layers grown by MOVPE.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Jordan, Matthew B; Ayari, Taha; Sundaram, Suresh; El Gmili, Youssef; Alam, Saiful; Alam, Muhbub; Patriarche, Gilles; Voss, Paul L; Paul Salvestrini, Jean; Ougazzaden, Abdallah

2017-04-11

Practical boron nitride (BN) detector applications will require uniform materials over large surface area and thick BN layers. To report important progress toward these technological requirements, 1~2.5 µm-thick BN layers were grown on 2-inch sapphire substrates by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The structural and optical properties were carefully characterized and discussed. The thick layers exhibited strong band-edge absorption near 215 nm. A highly oriented two-dimensional h-BN structure was formed at the film/sapphire interface, which permitted an effective exfoliation of the thick BN film onto other adhesive supports. And this structure resulted in a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) device prototype fabricated on BN membrane delaminating from the substrate. MSM photodiode prototype showed low dark current of 2 nA under 100 V, and 100 ± 20% photoconductivity yield for deep UV light illumination. These wafer-scale MOVPE-grown thick BN layers present great potential for the development of deep UV photodetection applications, and even for flexible (opto-) electronics in the future.

Positron studies of metal-oxide-semiconductor structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Au, H. L.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Nielsen, B.; Lynn, K. G.

1993-03-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy provides a new probe to study the properties of interface traps in metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS). Using positrons, we have examined the behavior of the interface traps as a function of gate bias. We propose a simple model to explain the positron annihilation spectra from the interface region of a MOS capacitor.

Charge-flow structures as polymeric early-warning fire alarm devices. M.S. Thesis; [metal oxide semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sechen, C. M.; Senturia, S. D.

1977-01-01

The charge-flow transistor (CFT) and its applications for fire detection and gas sensing were investigated. The utility of various thin film polymers as possible sensing materials was determined. One polymer, PAPA, showed promise as a relative humidity sensor; two others, PFI and PSB, were found to be particularly suitable for fire detection. The behavior of the charge-flow capacitor, which is basically a parallel-plate capacitor with a polymer-filled gap in the metallic tip electrode, was successfully modeled as an RC transmission line. Prototype charge-flow transistors were fabricated and tested. The effective threshold voltage of this metal oxide semiconductor was found to be dependent on whether surface or bulk conduction in the thin film was dominant. Fire tests with a PFI-coated CFT indicate good sensitivity to smouldering fires.

Dark current suppression of MgZnO metal-semiconductor-metal solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector by asymmetric electrode structures.

PubMed

Wang, Ping; Zheng, Qinghong; Tang, Qing; Yang, Yintang; Guo, Lixin; Huang, Feng; Song, Zhenjie; Zhang, Zhiyong

2014-01-15

The application of asymmetric Schottky barrier and electrode area in an MgZnO metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector has been investigated by a physical-based numerical model in which the electron mobility is obtained by an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation combined with first principle calculations using the density functional theory. Compared with the experimental data of symmetric and asymmetric MSM structures based on ZnO substrate, the validity of this model is verified. The asymmetric Schottky barrier and electrode area devices exhibit reductions of 20 times and 1.3 times on dark current, respectively, without apparent photocurrent scarification. The plots of photo-to-dark current ratio (PDR) indicate that the asymmetric MgZnO MSM structure has better dark current characteristic than that of the symmetric one.

Formation of Electron Strings in Narrow Band Polar Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmartsev, F. V.

2000-01-01

We show that linear electron strings may arise in polar semiconductors. A single string consists of M spinless fermions trapped by an extended polarization well of a cigar shape. Inside the string the particles are free although they interact with each other via Coulomb forces. The strings arise as a result of an electronic phase separation associated with an instability of small adiabatic polarons. We have found the length of the string which depends on dielectric constants of semiconductors. The appearance of these electron strings may have an impact on the effect of stripe formation observed in a variety of high- Tc experiments.

Charge transport in nanoscale "all-inorganic" networks of semiconductor nanorods linked by metal domains.

PubMed

Lavieville, Romain; Zhang, Yang; Casu, Alberto; Genovese, Alessandro; Manna, Liberato; Di Fabrizio, Enzo; Krahne, Roman

2012-04-24

Charge transport across metal-semiconductor interfaces at the nanoscale is a crucial issue in nanoelectronics. Chains of semiconductor nanorods linked by Au particles represent an ideal model system in this respect, because the metal-semiconductor interface is an intrinsic feature of the nanosystem and does not manifest solely as the contact to the macroscopic external electrodes. Here we investigate charge transport mechanisms in all-inorganic hybrid metal-semiconductor networks fabricated via self-assembly in solution, in which CdSe nanorods were linked to each other by Au nanoparticles. Thermal annealing of our devices changed the morphology of the networks and resulted in the removal of small Au domains that were present on the lateral nanorod facets, and in ripening of the Au nanoparticles in the nanorod junctions with more homogeneous metal-semiconductor interfaces. In such thermally annealed devices the voltage dependence of the current at room temperature can be well described by a Schottky barrier lowering at a metal semiconductor contact under reverse bias, if the spherical shape of the gold nanoparticles is considered. In this case the natural logarithm of the current does not follow the square-root dependence of the voltage as in the bulk, but that of V(2/3). From our fitting with this model we extract the effective permittivity that agrees well with theoretical predictions for the permittivity near the surface of CdSe nanorods. Furthermore, the annealing improved the network conductance at cryogenic temperatures, which could be related to the reduction of the number of trap states.

Ultrafast Surface-Enhanced Raman Probing of the Role of Hot Electrons in Plasmon-Driven Chemistry.

PubMed

Brandt, Nathaniel C; Keller, Emily L; Frontiera, Renee R

2016-08-18

Hot electrons generated through plasmonic excitations in metal nanostructures show great promise for efficiently driving chemical reactions with light. However, the lifetime, yield, and mechanism of action of plasmon-generated hot electrons involved in a given photocatalytic process are not well understood. Here, we develop ultrafast surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a direct probe of plasmon-molecule interactions in the plasmon-catalyzed dimerization of 4-nitrobenzenethiol to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene. Ultrafast SERS probing of these molecular reporters in plasmonic hot spots reveals transient Fano resonances, which we attribute to near-field coupling of Stokes-shifted photons to hot electron-driven metal photoluminescence. Surprisingly, we find that hot spots that yield more photoluminescence are much more likely to drive the reaction, which indirectly proves that plasmon-generated hot electrons induce the photochemistry. These ultrafast SERS results provide insight into the relative reactivity of different plasmonic hot spot environments and quantify the ultrafast lifetime of hot electrons involved in plasmon-driven chemistry.

Watching the electronic motions driven by a conical intersection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonas, David

2007-03-01

In chemistry, the fastest electronic rearrangements proceed through ``conical intersections'' between electronic potential energy surfaces. With sufficiently short pulses, the electronic motion can be isolated by polarized excitation of aligned electronic wavepackets at a conical intersection. Polarized femtosecond probing reveals signatures of electronic wavepacket motion (due to the energy gaps) and of electron transfer between orbitals (due to the couplings) driven by the conical intersection. After exciting a D4h symmetry silicon naphthalocyanine molecule onto a Jahn-Teller conical intersection in the first excited state, electronic motions cause a ˜100 fs drop in the pump-probe polarization anisotropy. The polarized vibrational modulations of the signal can be used to deduce the symmetry and stabilization energies for each vibration. The initial decay of the polarization anisotropy can be quantitatively predicted from these vibrational parameters. Both coupling and energy gap variations are important on the ˜100 fs timescale. A 1 meV stabilization drives electrons from orbital to orbital in 100 fs, and the theory indicates that a chemically reactive conical intersection with 1000x greater stabilization energy could cause electronic equilibration within 2 fs. We have recently carried out experiments on a nominally D2h symmetry free-base naphthalocyanine for which the splitting between x and y polarized transitions is not resolved in the linear spectrum. For this molecule, the anisotropy also decays on a similar timescale and exhibits damped modulations whose origin (vibrational or electronic) has not yet been determined. The role of the central protons and nominal D2h symmetry in the electronic dynamics will be discussed.

Metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles and methods of synthesis thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ren, Zhifeng (Inventor); Wang, Wenzhong (Inventor); Chen, Gang (Inventor); Dresselhaus, Mildred (Inventor); Poudel, Bed (Inventor); Kumar, Shankar (Inventor)

2009-01-01

The present invention generally relates to binary or higher order semiconductor nanoparticles doped with a metallic element, and thermoelectric compositions incorporating such nanoparticles. In one aspect, the present invention provides a thermoelectric composition comprising a plurality of nanoparticles each of which includes an alloy matrix formed of a Group IV element and Group VI element and a metallic dopant distributed within the matrix.

Metal-doped semiconductor nanoparticles and methods of synthesis thereof

DOEpatents

Ren, Zhifeng [Newton, MA; Chen, Gang [Carlisle, MA; Poudel, Bed [West Newton, MA; Kumar, Shankar [Newton, MA; Wang, Wenzhong [Beijing, CN; Dresselhaus, Mildred [Arlington, MA

2009-09-08

The present invention generally relates to binary or higher order semiconductor nanoparticles doped with a metallic element, and thermoelectric compositions incorporating such nanoparticles. In one aspect, the present invention provides a thermoelectric composition comprising a plurality of nanoparticles each of which includes an alloy matrix formed of a Group IV element and Group VI element and a metallic dopant distributed within the matrix.

CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES: Switching Characteristics of Phase Change Memory Cell Integrated with Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Cheng; Liu, Bo; Chen, Yi-Feng; Liang, Shuang; Song, Zhi-Tang; Feng, Song-Lin; Wan, Xu-Dong; Yang, Zuo-Ya; Xie, Joseph; Chen, Bomy

2008-05-01

A Ge2Sb2Te5 based phase change memory device cell integrated with metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is fabricated using standard 0. 18 μm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process technology. It shows steady switching characteristics in the dc current-voltage measurement. The phase changing phenomenon from crystalline state to amorphous state with a voltage pulse altitude of 2.0 V and pulse width of 50 ns is also obtained. These results show the feasibility of integrating phase change memory cell with MOSFET.

Germanene on single-layer ZnSe substrate: novel electronic and optical properties.

PubMed

Ye, H Y; Hu, F F; Tang, H Y; Yang, L W; Chen, X P; Wang, L G; Zhang, G Q

2018-06-01

In this work, the structural, electronic and optical properties of germanene and ZnSe substrate nanocomposites have been investigated using first-principles calculations. We found that the large direct-gap ZnSe semiconductors and zero-gap germanene form a typical orbital hybridization heterostructure with a strong binding energy, which shows a moderate direct band gap of 0.503 eV in the most stable pattern. Furthermore, the heterostructure undergoes semiconductor-to-metal band gap transition when subjected to external out-of-plane electric field. We also found that applying external strain and compressing the interlayer distance are two simple ways of tuning the electronic structure. An unexpected indirect-direct band gap transition is also observed in the AAII pattern via adjusting the interlayer distance. Quite interestingly, the calculated results exhibit that the germanene/ZnSe heterobilayer structure has perfect optical absorption in the solar spectrum as well as the infrared and UV light zones, which is superior to that of the individual ZnSe substrate and germanene. The staggered interfacial gap and tunability of the energy band structure via interlayer distance and external electric field and strain thus make the germanene/ZnSe heterostructure a promising candidate for field effect transistors (FETs) and nanoelectronic applications.

Synthesis and electronic properties of nanophase semiconductor materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sailor, Michael J.

1993-05-01

The objective of the research effort is to understand and learn to control the morphologic and electronic properties of electrodeposited nanophase semiconductors. The initial work has focused on electrodeposition of nanophase CdSe, using a sequential monolayer deposition technique that we are developing. We are currently extending the synthesis phase of this project into silicon, silicon carbide, and phosphor materials. This work also encompasses studying semiconductor electrodeposition into materials with restricted dimensions, such as microporous alumina and porous silicon membranes. By growing films with very small grain sizes, we hope to produce and study materials that display unusual electronic or luminescent effects. We are primarily interested in the electronic properties of the II-VI and group IV materials, for potential applications in nanoscale electronics and optical detector technologies. The phosphors are being studied for their potential as efficient high-resolution display materials.

Ab initio study of Ga-GaN system: Transition from adsorbed metal atoms to a metal–semiconductor junction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Witczak, Przemysław; Kempisty, Pawel; Strak, Pawel

2015-11-15

Ab initio studies of a GaN(0001)-Ga system with various thicknesses of a metallic Ga layer were undertaken. The studied systems extend from a GaN(0001) surface with a fractional coverage of gallium atoms to a Ga-GaN metal–semiconductor (m–s) contact. Electronic properties of the system are simulated using density functional theory calculations for different doping of the bulk semiconductor. It is shown that during transition from a bare GaN(0001) surface to a m–s heterostructure, the Fermi level stays pinned at a Ga-broken bond highly dispersive surface state to Ga–Ga states at the m–s interface. Adsorption of gallium leads to an energy gainmore » of about 4 eV for a clean GaN(0001) surface and the energy decreases to 3.2 eV for a thickly Ga-covered surface. The transition to the m–s interface is observed. For a thick Ga overlayer such interface corresponds to a Schottky contact with a barrier equal to 0.9 and 0.6 eV for n- and p-type, respectively. Bond polarization-related dipole layer occurring due to an electron transfer to the metal leads to a potential energy jump of 1.5 eV, independent on the semiconductor doping. Additionally high electron density in the Ga–Ga bond region leads to an energy barrier about 1.2 eV high and 4 Å wide. This feature may adversely affect the conductivity of the n-type m–s system.« less

Semiconductor-metal transition of Se in Ru-Se Catalyst Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babu, P. K.; Lewera, Adam; Oldfield, Eric; Wieckowski, Andrzej

2009-03-01

Ru-Se composite nanoparticles are promising catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Though the role of Se in enhancing the chemical stability of Ru nanoparticles is well established, the microscopic nature of Ru-Se interaction was not clearly understood. We carried out a combined investigation of ^77Se NMR and XPS on Ru-Se nanoparticles and our results indicate that Se, a semiconductor in elemental form, becomes metallic when interacting with Ru. ^77Se spin-lattice relaxation rates are found to be proportional to T, the well-known Korringa behavior characteristic of metals. The NMR results are supported by the XPS binding energy shifts which suggest that a possible Ru->Se charge transfer could be responsible for the semiconductor->metal transition of Se which also makes Ru less susceptible to oxidation during ORR.

Narrowing of band gap at source/drain contact scheme of nanoscale InAs-nMOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, A. H.; Oxland, R.; Aldegunde, M.; Hepplestone, S. P.; Sushko, P. V.; Kalna, K.

2018-04-01

A multi-scale simulation study of Ni/InAs nano-scale contact aimed for the sub-14 nm technology is carried out to understand material and transport properties at a metal-semiconductor interface. The deposited Ni metal contact on an 11 nm thick InAs channel forms an 8.5 nm thick InAs leaving a 2.5 nm thick InAs channel on a p-type doped (1 × 1016 cm-3) AlAs0.47Sb0.53 buffer. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal a band gap narrowing in the InAs at the metal-semiconductor interface. The one-dimensional (1D) self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger transport simulations using real-space material parameters extracted from the DFT calculations at the metal-semiconductor interface, exhibiting band gap narrowing, give a specific sheet resistance of Rsh = 90.9 Ω/sq which is in a good agreement with an experimental value of 97 Ω/sq.

H2 evolution at Si-based metal-insulator-semiconductor photoelectrodes enhanced by inversion channel charge collection and H spillover.

PubMed

Esposito, Daniel V; Levin, Igor; Moffat, Thomas P; Talin, A Alec

2013-06-01

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents a promising route for renewable production of hydrogen, but trade-offs between photoelectrode stability and efficiency have greatly limited the performance of PEC devices. In this work, we employ a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photoelectrode architecture that allows for stable and efficient water splitting using narrow bandgap semiconductors. Substantial improvement in the performance of Si-based MIS photocathodes is demonstrated through a combination of a high-quality thermal SiO2 layer and the use of bilayer metal catalysts. Scanning probe techniques were used to simultaneously map the photovoltaic and catalytic properties of the MIS surface and reveal the spillover-assisted evolution of hydrogen off the SiO2 surface and lateral photovoltage driven minority carrier transport over distances that can exceed 2 cm. The latter finding is explained by the photo- and electrolyte-induced formation of an inversion channel immediately beneath the SiO2/Si interface. These findings have important implications for further development of MIS photoelectrodes and offer the possibility of highly efficient PEC water splitting.

Electronic components embedded in a single graphene nanoribbon.

PubMed

Jacobse, P H; Kimouche, A; Gebraad, T; Ervasti, M M; Thijssen, J M; Liljeroth, P; Swart, I

2017-07-25

The use of graphene in electronic devices requires a band gap, which can be achieved by creating nanostructures such as graphene nanoribbons. A wide variety of atomically precise graphene nanoribbons can be prepared through on-surface synthesis, bringing the concept of graphene nanoribbon electronics closer to reality. For future applications it is beneficial to integrate contacts and more functionality directly into single ribbons by using heterostructures. Here, we use the on-surface synthesis approach to fabricate a metal-semiconductor junction and a tunnel barrier in a single graphene nanoribbon consisting of 5- and 7-atom wide segments. We characterize the atomic scale geometry and electronic structure by combined atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and conductance measurements complemented by density functional theory and transport calculations. These junctions are relevant for developing contacts in all-graphene nanoribbon devices and creating diodes and transistors, and act as a first step toward complete electronic devices built into a single graphene nanoribbon.Adding functional electronic components to graphene nanoribbons requires precise control over their atomic structure. Here, the authors use a bottom-up approach to build a metal-semiconductor junction and a tunnel barrier directly into a single graphene nanoribbon, an exciting development for graphene-based electronic devices.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Diode Consisting of Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials.