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Results for “N-TYPE SEMICONDUCTOR”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Influence of radiative recombination on the minority-carrier transport in direct band-gap semiconductors

When a semiconductor sample is irradiated by means of an external source, emitting photons or electrons, excess carriers are produced which distribute themselves throughout the sample. One of the parameters which determine the distribution of the carriers is the surface recombination velocity. The present investigation is concerned with the recombination lifetime tau. The predominant mechanism for recombination in wide band-gap semiconductors is described by the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) theory. The transport equations are derived for free carriers and the radiation field. The considered theory is applied to a semiinfinite, one-dimensional semiconductor slab irradiated by light of a given frequency. Some numerical considerations based on n-type GaAs are presented. Attention is given to a determination of the radiation transmitted through the surface of the sample.

Von Roos, O.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Formation of internally-confined semiconductor lasers

In technique for fabrication of strip lasers, current constriction is accomplished by diffusing blocking regions into n-type substrate prior to growth. Current flow is controlled by blocking layers, which results in reduction of threshold current and better heat dissipation.

Cannuli, V. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

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

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.

Kashkarov, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Microwave properties of n-type InSb in a magnetic field between 4 and 300 K.

A two-band conduction model is used to determine the properties of shallow-type impurity semiconductors in the presence of microwave and dc magnetic fields as a function of temperature. Measurements using cavity perturbation techniques are employed to determine the properties of n-type InSb and theoretical and experimental results between 4 and 300 K are compared. The hot-electron effect was found to be insignificant between 77 and 300 K, and the scattering mechanisms are dominated by acoustic and polar modes over the same temperature range.-

Eldumiati, I. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Gravitational effects of process-induced dislocations in silicon

Matters pertaining to semiconductor device fabrication were studied in terms of the influence of gravity on the production of dislocations in silicon wafers during thermal cycling in a controlled ambient where no impurities are present and oxidation is minimal. Both n-type and p-type silicon wafers having a diameter of 1.25 in to 1.5 in, with fixed orientation and resistivity values, were used. The surface dislocation densities were measured quantitatively by the Sirtl etch technique. The results show two significant features of the plastic flow phenomenon as it is related to gravitational stress: (1) the density of dislocations generated during a given thermal cycle is directly related to the duration of the cycle; and (2) the duration of the thermal cycle required to produce a given dislocation density is inversely related to the equilibrium temperature. Analysis of the results indicates that gravitational stress is instrumental in process-induced defect generation.

Porter, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Radiation effects in GaAs AMOS solar cells

The results of radiation damage produced in AMOS (Antireflecting-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) cells with Sb2O3 interfacial oxide layers by 1-MeV electrons are presented. The degradation properties of the cells as a function of irradiation fluences were correlated with the changes in their spectral response, C-V, dark forward, and light I-V characteristics. The active n-type GaAs layers were grown by the OM-CVD technique, using sulfur doping in the range between 3 x 10 to the 15th power and 7 x 10 to the 16th power/cu cm. At a fluence of 10 to the 16th power e/sq cm, the low-doped samples showed I sub sc degradation of 8% and V sub oc degradation of 8%. The high-doped samples showed I sub sc and V sub oc degradation of 32% and 1%, respectively, while the fill factor remained relatively unchanged for both. AMOS cells with water vapor-grown interfacial layers showed no significant change in V sub oc.

Shin, B. K.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Influence of oxygen-vacancy complex /A center/ on piezoresistance of n-type silicon.

Changes in both magnitude and temperature dependence of the piezoresistance of electron-irradiated n-type silicon, induced by the latter's oxygen-vacancy complex (A center), are shown to be due to the fact that the presence of the A center causes the total conduction-band electron concentration to change with an applied stress. This change in electron concentration leads to an additional piezoresistance contribution that is expected to be important in certain many-valley semiconductors. This offers the possibility of tailoring the thermal variations of semiconductor mechanical sensors to more desirable values over limited temperature ranges.

Littlejohn, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Ellipsometric studies of sputtered silicon nitride on n-GaAs

Ellipsometry, which is the study of optical systems through their effect on polarized light, is a nondestructive technique offering extremely high sensitivity and in situ operation. One of the intriguing possibilities is to make use of the high sensitivity of ellipsometry for studying the very thin interface between an insulating film and a semiconductor substrate. Researchers have been especially interested in native or anodic oxides. In a recent study, Aspnes and Theeten used ellipsometry to study the interface between silicon and its thermally grown oxide, SiO2. These authors were able to conclude that the interface consisted of a 7 +/- 2 A graded region of atomically mixed silicon and oxygen. In this paper we report both analysis and experimental results for the system: sputtered silicon nitride on (100) n-type gallium arsenide.

Peng, Y. K.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Variable N-type negative resistance in an injection-gated double-injection diode

Double-injection (DI) switching devices consist of p+ and n+ contacts (for hole and electron injection, respectively), separated by a near intrinsic semiconductor region containing deep traps. Under proper conditions, these devices exhibit S-type differential negative resistance (DNR) similar to silicon-controlled rectifiers. With the added influence of a p+ gate appropriately placed between the anode (p+) and cathode (n+), the current-voltage characteristic of the device has been manipulated for the first time to exhibit a variable N-type DNR. The anode current and the anode-to-cathode voltage levels at which this N-type DNR is observed can be varied by changing the gate-to-cathode bias. In essence, the classical S-type DI diode can be electronically transformed into an N-type diode. A first-order phenomenological model is proposed for the N-type DNR.

Kapoor, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Summary of theoretical and experimental investigation of grating type, silicon photovoltaic cells

Theoretical and experimental aspects are summarized for single crystal, silicon photovoltaic devices made by forming a grating pattern of p/n junctions on the light receiving surface of the base crystal. Based on the general semiconductor equations, a mathematical description is presented for the photovoltaic properties of such grating-like structures in a two dimensional form. The resulting second order elliptical equation is solved by computer modeling to give solutions for various, reasonable, initial values of bulk resistivity, excess carrier concentration, and surface recombination velocity. The validity of the computer model is established by comparison with p/n devices produced by alloying an aluminum grating pattern into the surface of n-type silicon wafers. Current voltage characteristics and spectral response curves are presented for cells of this type constructed on wafers of different resistivities and orientations.

Chen, L. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Status of photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen and electrical energy

The efficiency for conversion of electromagnetic energy to chemical and electrical energy utilizing semiconductor single crystals as photoanodes in electrochemical cells was investigated. Efficiencies as high as 20 percent were achieved for the conversion of 330 nm radiation to chemical energy in the form of hydrogen by the photoelectrolysis of water in a SrTiO3 based cell. The SrTiO3 photoanodes were shown to be stable in 9.5 M NaOH solutions for periods up to 48 hours. Efficiencies of 9 percent were measured for the conversion of broadband visible radiation to hydrogen using n-type GaAs crystals as photoanodes. Crystals of GaAs coated with 500 nm of gold, silver, or tin for surface passivation show no significant change in efficiency. By suppressing the production of hydrogen in a CdSe-based photogalvanic cell, an efficiency of 9 percent was obtained in conversion of 633 nm light to electrical energy. A CdS-based photogalvanic cell produced a conversion efficiency of 5 percent for 500 nm radiation.

Byvik, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Properties of TiO2 thin films and a study of the TiO2-GaAs interface

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) films prepared by chemical vapor deposition were investigated in this study for the purpose of the application in the GaAs metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor. The degree of crystallization increases with the deposition temperature. The current-voltage study, utilizing an Al-TiO2-Al MIM structure, reveals that the d-c conduction through the TiO2 film is dominated by the bulk-limited Poole-Frenkel emission mechanism. The dependence of the resistivity of the TiO2 films on the deposition environment is also shown. The results of the capacitance-voltage study indicate that an inversion layer in an n-type substrate can be achieved in the MIS capacitor if the TiO2 films are deposited at a temperature higher than 275 C. A process of low temperature deposition followed by the pattern definition and a higher temperature annealing is suggested for device fabrications. A model, based on the assumption that the surface state densities are continuously distributed in energy within the forbidden band gap, is proposed to interpret the lack of an inversion layer in the Al-TiO2-GaAs MIS structure with the TiO2 films deposited at 200 C.

Chen, C. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Ternary compound thin film solar cells

A group of ternary compound semiconductor (I-III-VI2) thin films for future applications in photovoltaic devices is proposed. The consideration of these materials (CuInSe2, CuInTe2 and especially CuInS2) for long range device development is emphasized. Much of the activity to date has been concerned with the growth and properties of CuInX2 films. X-ray and electron diffraction analyses, Hall mobility and coefficient, resistivity and carrier concentration variations with substrate and film temperature as well as grain size data have been determined. Both p- and n-type films of CuInS2 and CuInSe2 have been produced. Single and double source deposition techniques have been utilized. Some data have been recorded for annealed films.

Kazmerski, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Preamplifier Noise in VLF Receivers

Noise specifications for junction field-effect transistors are presented in different ways depending on the particular semiconductor manufacturer. Arithmetic involved in converting these specifications to equivalent RMS noise in microvolts developed at the preamplifier input terminal is reviewed. These methods were useful for estimating the noise performance of high input impedance preamplifiers used with E-field antennas operating in the range of 1 KHz to 10 MHz. Both the JFET MPF-102 transistor and the COS/MOS CA3600 transistor array provided amplification for VLF receivers where the internally generated noise was well below the atmospheric noise level. The CA3600 transistor array provided better performance because of the more symmetrical complementary MOS transistor transfer characteristics than a single N-type biased JFET transistor. The CMOS amplifier resulted in self-compensating gain characteristics over a very wide temperature range from -55 to +125 C.

Burhans, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Effects of ultrathin oxides in conducting MIS structures on GaAs

Schottky barrier-type GaAs baseline devices (semiconductor surface etched and then immediately metalized) and GaAs conducting metal oxide-semiconductor devices are fabricated and characterized. The baseline surfaces (no purposeful oxide) are prepared by a basic or an acidic etch, while the surface for the MIS devices are prepared by oxidizing after the etch step. The metallizations used are thin-film Au, Ag, Pd, and Al. It is shown that the introduction of purposeful oxide into these Schottky barrier-type structures examined on n-type GaAs modifies the barrier formation, and that thin interfacial layers can modify barrier formation through trapping and perhaps chemical reactions. For Au- and Pd-devices, enhanced photovoltaic performance of the MIS configuration is due to increased barrier height.

Childs, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar cell with improved N-region contact and method of forming the same

An improved solar cell, and method of forming the same are disclosed. It is characterized by a semiconductor silicon wafer of P-type material having diffused therein a shallow N-type region. A sintered silver contact is affixed to the surface of the N-type region at the outer surface. The improved solar cell is formulated from silver powder blended with silver metaphosphate for establishing a zone of increased carrier concentration. An aluminum or silver-aluminum alloy contact is affixed to the P-type wafer at the outer surface opposite the N-type region.

Bube, K. R.↗