Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “nonradiative recombination”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

132 records · Page 8

Spectroscopy of a Balmer-dominated filament in the Cygnus Loop with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope

A fair UV spectrum of a nonradiative filament in the Cygnus Loop covering the wavelength range 830-1860 A at 3.5-A resolution was obtained using the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) on the Astro-1 space shuttle mission. Nonradiative shock models which include a more sophisticated treatment of Lyman line transfer are calculated. It is found that the HUT spectrum can be explained in terms of a shock with velocity 175-185 km/s propagating into a low-density medium. This shock velocity can be reconciled with the 135-km/s width of the broad component of H-alpha in this filament if equilibration of the postshock electron and ion temperatures proceeds much more rapidly than Coulomb equilibration time scales. The time required for a 180-km/s shock to develop a partial recombination zone is short, about 200 yr if n is approximately equal to 2/cu cm. This suggests that the shock is decelerating as it encounters denser material. The current analysis patently favors rapid equilibration of electrons and ions behind the shock.

Long, Knox S.↗

Cr is not an acceptor in 𝛽⁢−G⁢a 2 ⁢O 3

The intensity of red C⁢r 3+ photoluminescence (PL) in monoclinic gallium oxide (𝛽⁢−G⁢a 2 ⁢O 3 ) is suppressed by 𝑛-type conductivity, an effect that has been attributed to a Cr deep acceptor level in the bandgap. In 𝑛-type material, such an acceptor level would be occupied, resulting in the C⁢r 2+ oxidation state and the absence of C⁢r 3+ PL. To test this model, 𝑛-type 𝛽⁢−G⁢a 2 ⁢O 3 crystals co-doped with Cr and Zr (a donor) were grown from the melt. The samples show C⁢r 3+ optical absorption bands and a high free-electron concentration of 4 × 10 18 c⁢m −3 . If Cr were an acceptor, then it would be fully compensated and therefore would not exhibit the C⁢r 3+ optical signature. Hybrid functional calculations indicate that Cr occupies the substitutional octahedral Ga(II) site and that the C⁢r 2+ state is energetically unfavorable, i.e., Cr is not an acceptor. Weak C⁢r 3+ PL was observed in the Cr/Zr co-doped samples. In conclusion, the quenching of PL may be caused by a transfer of energy to free electrons, a nonradiative process that would reduce the emission intensity.

carrier generation & recombination↗

Reaching 90% Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in One-Dimensional Metal Halide C 4 N 2 H 14 PbBr 4 by Pressure-Suppressed Nonradiative Loss

Low-dimensional perovskite-related metal halides have emerged as a new class of light-emitting materials with tunable broadband emission from self-trapped excitons (STEs). Although various types of low-dimensional structures have been developed, fundamental understating of the structure–property relationships for this class of materials is still very limited, and further improvement of their optical properties remains greatly important. Here, we report a significant pressure-induced photoluminescence (PL) enhancement in a one-dimensional hybrid metal halide C 4 N 2 H 14 PbBr 4 , and the underlying mechanisms are investigated using in situ experimental characterization and first-principles calculations. Under a gigapascal pressure scale, the PL quantum yields (PLQYs) were quantitatively determined to show a dramatic increase from the initial value of 20% at ambient conditions to over 90% at 2.8 GPa. With in situ characterization of photophysical properties and theoretical analysis, we found that the PLQY enhancement was mainly attributed to the greatly suppressed nonradiative decay. Pressure can effectively tune the energy level of self-trapped states and increase the exciton binding energy, which leads to a larger Stokes shift. The resulting highly localized excitons with stronger binding reduce the probability for carrier scattering, to result in the significantly suppressed nonradiative decay. Overall, our findings clearly show that the characteristics of STEs in low-dimensional metal halides can be well-tuned by external pressure, and enhanced optical properties can be achieved.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Quantum Shell in a Shell: Engineering Colloidal Nanocrystals for a High-Intensity Excitation Regime

Many optoelectronic processes in colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) suffer an efficiency decline under high-intensity excitation. This issue is caused by Auger recombination of multiple excitons, which converts the NC energy into excess heat, reducing the efficiency and life span of NC-based devices, including photodetectors, X-ray scintillators, lasers, and high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Recently, semiconductor quantum shells (QSs) have emerged as a promising NC geometry for the suppression of Auger decay; however, their optoelectronic performance has been hindered by surface-related carrier losses. Here, we address this issue by introducing quantum shells with a CdS–CdSe–CdS–ZnS core–shell–shell–shell multilayer structure. Further, the ZnS barrier inhibits the surface carrier decay, which increases the photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) to 90% while retaining a high biexciton emission QY of 79%. The improved QS morphology allows demonstrating one of the longest Auger lifetimes reported for colloidal NCs to date. The reduction of nonradiative losses in QSs also leads to suppressed blinking in single nanoparticles and low-threshold amplified spontaneous emission. We expect that ZnS-encapsulated quantum shells will benefit many applications exploiting high-power optical or electrical excitation regimes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanoscale Strain and Octahedral Tilting Removes Structural and Nonradiative Defects in 2D-Templated FAPbI 3

The halide perovskite formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI 3 ) is a prime candidate for photovoltaics due to its excellent optoelectronic properties, but its application has been limited due to its structural instability. The large size of the FA cation results in metastability of the photoactive cubic phase and a facile degradation into thermodynamically stable hexagonal phases at room temperature. Recently, the incorporation of two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper halide perovskite seeds into a FAPbI 3 precursor solution was shown to template the growth of and stabilize cubic FAPbI 3 . Here, in this study, we investigate the nanoscale structural and optoelectronic mechanisms behind the observed bulk stabilization using synchrotron-based X-ray microscopies. Nanoprobe X-ray diffraction reveals 2D-templated FAPbI 3 films exhibit an average compressive strain normal to the substrate of -3.3%, 2-fold larger than that of MACl-stabilized FAPbI 3 . This compression creates locally templated regions composed of tetragonal-phase FAPbI 3 distributed nonuniformly throughout the film with fewer crystalline defects than purely cubic regions. Scanning X-ray excited optical luminescence (X-ray analog of photoluminescence) reveals that this local templating results in increased radiative recombination and red-shifted band edge and emission. Our results provide insight into the microscopic mechanism for the phase stabilization of FAPbI 3 using 2D perovskites as templates.

X-ray diffraction↗

Simulation and Modeling of Time-Resolved X-Ray Detector for the Saturn Accelerator

In this work, we present the technology-aided computer design (TCAD) device simulation and modeling of a silicon p-i-n diode for detecting time-dependent X-ray radiation. We show that the simulated forward and reverse breakdown current–voltage characteristics agree well with the measured data under nonradiation environment by only calibrating carrier lifetimes for the forward bias case and avalanche model critical fields for the reverse bias condition. Using the calibrated parameters and other nominal material properties, we simulated the radiation responses of the p-i-n diode and compared with experimental data when the diode was exposed to X-ray radiation at Sandia’s Saturn facility and the Idaho State University (ISU) TriMeV facility. For Saturn’s Gaussian dose-rate pulses, we show three findings from TCAD simulations. First, the simulated photocurrents are in excellent agreement with the measured data for two dose-rate pulses with peak values of 1.16×10 10 and 1.88×10 10 rad(Si)/s. Second, the simulation results of high dose-rate pulses predict increased delayed photocurrents with longer time tails in the diode electrical responses due to excess carrier generation. Third, simulated peak values of diode radiation responses versus peak dose rates at different bias conditions provide useful guidance to determine the dose-rate range that the p-i-n diode can reliably detect in experiment. For TriMeV’s non-Gaussian dose-rate pulse, our simulated diode response is in decent agreement with the measured data without further calibration. We also studied the effects of device geometry, recombination process, and dose-rate enhancement via TCAD simulations to understand the higher measured response in the time after the peak dose-rate radiation for the p-i-n diode exposed to TriMeV irradiation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗