Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “CARRIER DENSITY”

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.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Carrier Density and Compensation in Semiconductors with Multi Dopants and Multi Transition Energy Levels: The Case of Cu Impurity in CdTe: Preprint

Doping is one of the most important issues in semiconductor physics. The charge carrier generated by doping can profoundly change the properties of semiconductors and their performance in optoelectronic device applications, such as solar cells. Using detailed balance theory and first-principles calculated defect formation energies and transition energy levels, we derive general formulae tocalculate carrier density for semiconductors with multi dopants and multi transition energy levels. As an example, we studied CdTe doped with Cu, in which VCd, CuCd, and Cui are the dominant defects/impurities. We show that in this system, when Cu concentration increases, the doping properties of the system can change from a poor p-type, to a poorer p-type, to a better p-type, and then to a poorp-type again, in good agreement with experimental observation of CdTe-based solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Variation of carrier density in semimetals via short-range correlation: A case study with nickelate NdNiO 2

Carrier density is one of the key controlling factors of material properties, particularly in controlling the essential correlations in strongly correlated materials. Typically, carrier density is externally tuned by doping or gating and remains fixed below room temperature. Strangely, the carrier density in correlated semimetals is often found to vary sensitively against weak external controls such as temperature, magnetic field, and pressure. Here, we develop a realistic simulation scheme that incorporates interatomic noncollinear magnetic correlation without a long-range order. Using the recently discovered nickelate superconductor as an example, we demonstrate a rather generic low-energy mechanism that in semimetals short-range correlation can reversely modulate the carrier density as well. Such a mutual influence between correlation and carrier density provides an extra ingredient for sensitive bifurcating behavior. This special feature of correlated semimetals explains their versatile carrier density at low energy and opens up new possibilities of functionalizing these materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Analytical carrier density and quantum capacitance for graphene

A disorder based analytical carrier density for graphene is presented here. The carrier density, a basic property of all semiconductors, is obtained based on exponential distribution describing the potential fluctuations induced by impurities and shows good agreement with numerical results. The quantum capacitance is subsequently derived from the carrier density, with a good agreement with experimental measurements. A method for extracting the gate coupling function is also proposed, which relates the internal surface potential with the external applied gate voltage. The essential properties of graphene device physics, such as the temperature, material disorder, and surface potential dependences, are captured in these analytical equations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

Optimizing CdTe Solar Cell Performance: Impact of Variations in Minority-Carrier Lifetime and Carrier Density Profile

Using numerical simulations, we study the combined effects of nonuniform minority-carrier lifetime t and carrier density NA on device performance. In a uniformly doped device, maximum open-circuit voltage V oc is obtained for high t and high NA . The fill-factor (FF) is mainly dependent on the lifetime. When the lifetime is low, and NA is high, the FF suffers losses due to voltage-dependant carrier collection. For a low carrier density and low lifetime, the electric field strength is low, recombination is a competitive process to drift, and the FF is reduced. Simulations predict that it might be possible to increase the device efficiency with lower carrier density, if the back of the absorber is highly doped. This configuration increases the built-in potential and the electric field close to the junction region, while keeping the space-charge region wide. In addition, a device with such a profile is very tolerant toward lifetime variations of the highly doped layer. With our simulation parameters, when the absorber properties are uniform, efficiencies >;18% require experimentally unrealistic doping and lifetime values. If the back of the absorber is doped significantly higher than the rest, such efficiencies can be achieved with realistic values of doping and lifetime.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Quasi 2D Ultrahigh Carrier Density in a Complex Oxide Broken Gap Heterojunction

Two-dimensional (2D) ultra-high carrier densities at complex oxide interfaces are of considerable current research interest for novel plasmonic and high charge-gain devices. However, the highest 2D electron density obtained in oxide heterostructures is thus far limited to 3×1014 cm-2 (½ electron/unit cell/interface) at GdTiO3/SrTiO3 interfaces, and is typically an order of magnitude lower at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces. Here we show that carrier densities much higher than 3×1014 cm-2 can be achieved via band engineering. Transport measurements for 3 nm SrTiO3/t u.c. NdTiO3/3 nm SrTiO3/LSAT (001) show that charge transfer significantly in excess of the value expected from the polar discontinuity model occurs for higher t values. The carrier density remains unchanged, and equivalent to ½ electron/unit cell/interface for t < 6 unit cells. However, above a critical NdTiO3 thickness of 6 u.c., electrons from the valence band of NdTiO3 spill over into the SrTiO3 conduction band as a natural consequence of the band alignment. An atomistic model consistent with first-principle calculations and experimental results is proposed for the charge transfer mechanisms. These results may provide an exceptional route to the realization of the room-temperature oxide electronics.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of reduction of trap charge carrier density in organic field effect transistors by surface treatment of dielectric layer

In this work, we have studied the effect of surface treatment of SiO{sub 2} dielectric layer on the reduction of the trap charge carrier density at dielectric/semiconducting interface by fabricating a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) device using α, ω-dihexylcarbonylquaterthiophene as semiconducting layer. SiO{sub 2} dielectric layer has been treated with 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) to modify the chemical group acting as charge traps. Capacitance-voltage measurements have been performed on MIS devices fabricated on SiO{sub 2} and HMDS treated SiO{sub 2}. These data have been used for the calculation of trap charge carrier density and Debye length at the dielectric-semiconductor interface. The calculated trap charge carrier density has been found to reduce from (2.925 ± 0.049) × 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} to (2.025 ± 0.061) × 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} for the MIS device with HMDS treated SiO{sub 2} dielectric in comparison to that of untreated SiO{sub 2}. Next, the effect of reduction in trap charge carrier density has been studied on the performance of organic field effect transistors. The improvement in the device parameters like mobility, on/off ratio, and gate leakage current has been obtained with the effect of the surface treatment. The charge carrier mobility has been improved by a factor of 2 through this treatment. Further, the influence of the treatment was observed by atomic force microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Stability of low-carrier-density topological-insulator Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} thin films and effect of capping layers

Although over the past number of years there have been many advances in the materials aspects of topological insulators (TIs), one of the ongoing challenges with these materials is the protection of them against aging. In particular, the recent development of low-carrier-density bulk-insulating Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} thin films and their sensitivity to air demands reliable capping layers to stabilize their electronic properties. Here, we study the stability of the low-carrier-density Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} thin films in air with and without various capping layers using DC and THz probes. Without any capping layers, the carrier density increases by ∼150% over a week and by ∼280% over 9 months. In situ-deposited Se and ex situ-deposited poly(methyl methacrylate) suppress the aging effect to ∼27% and ∼88%, respectively, over 9 months. The combination of effective capping layers and low-carrier-density TI films will open up new opportunities in topological insulators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Room-temperature ferromagnetism in Cr-doped Si achieved by controlling atomic structure, Cr concentration, and carrier densities: A first-principles study

By using first-principles calculations, we investigated how to achieve a strong ferromagnetism in Cr-doped Si by controlling the atomic structure and Cr concentration as well as carrier densities. We found that the configuration in which the Cr atom occupies the tetrahedral interstitial site can exist stably and the Cr atom has a large magnetic moment. Using this doping configuration, room-temperature ferromagnetism can be achieved in both n-type and p-type Si by tuning Cr concentration and carrier densities. The results indicate that the carrier density plays a crucial role in realizing strong ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Superconductivity at carrier density 10 17 cm – 3 in quasi-one-dimensional Li 0.9 Mo 6 O 17

Superconductivity is a fascinating phenomenon that involves an attractive interaction by which electrons are paired and can move without electrical resistance below a critical temperature T c . A paradigm for understanding superconductive pairing, the successful “BCS” theory, developed more than 65 years ago, is challenged by certain classes of materials for which parameters (e.g. the value of T c , the density of electrons, etc.) fall outside the range for which BCS theory is applicable. The study of such materials is important because new physics may be revealed and because superconductivity has many potential applications in sensing and electronics. Superconductivity at very low carrier density is a rare and fascinating phenomenon that is of considerable importance and interest in condensed matter physics. The conditions of high density of states and effective screening of Coulomb repulsion, both key ingredients of stable Cooper pairing in the BCS theory, may not be met at low carrier density. Thus, such systems may also harbor unconventional electron pairing (e.g. non-phononic) or pairing without phase coherence as a precursor to Bose-Einstein condensation. An intriguing route toward extreme low-density (and possibly unconventional) superconductivity may be found in quasi-one-dimensional metals for which density-wave instabilities compete for the ground state and can lead to gapping of substantial portions of the Fermi surface (FS), leaving a residual (reconstructed) FS comprising a very small carrier density. Our work highlights a novel material in this unusual category: Li 0.9 Mo 6 O 17 (T c =2 K) (also known as "lithium purple bronze" or "LiPB"). We present both electrical and thermoelectric magnetotransport measurements that reveal superconductivity to occur at carrier density 2 x10 17 cm -3 , among the lowest known for any superconductor, and four orders of magnitude lower than is expected from its chemical valence and band structure. With its exceptionally large ratio of superconducting to Fermi temperature, T c /TF ≳ 0.1, LiPB is properly placed at the top of a very small group of superconductors (including cuprates, heavy-fermion and Fe-based superconductors) for which this ratio falls in the BCS-BEC crossover regime and for which pairing is believed to be spin mediated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tuning carrier density across Dirac point in epitaxial graphene on SiC by corona discharge

We demonstrate reversible carrier density control across the Dirac point (Δn ∼ 10{sup 13 }cm{sup −2}) in epitaxial graphene on SiC (SiC/G) via high electrostatic potential gating with ions produced by corona discharge. The method is attractive for applications where graphene with a fixed carrier density is needed, such as quantum metrology, and more generally as a simple method of gating 2DEGs formed at semiconductor interfaces and in topological insulators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thickness and growth-condition dependence of in-situ mobility and carrier density of epitaxial thin-film Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3}

Bismuth selenide Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} was grown by molecular beam epitaxy, while carrier density and mobility were measured directly in situ as a function of film thickness. Carrier density shows high interface n-doping (1.5 × 10{sup 13 }cm{sup −2}) at the onset of film conduction and bulk dopant density of ∼5 × 10{sup 11 }cm{sup −2} per quintuple-layer unit, roughly independent of growth temperature profile. Mobility depends more strongly on the growth temperature and is related to the crystalline quality of the samples quantified by ex-situ atomic force microscopy measurements. These results indicate that Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} as prepared by widely employed parameters is n-doped before exposure to atmosphere, the doping is largely interfacial in origin, and dopants are not the limiting disorder in present Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} films.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dual-Gate Modulation of Carrier Density and Disorder in an Oxide Two-Dimensional Electron System

Carrier density and disorder are two crucial parameters that control the properties of correlated two-dimensional electron systems. Furthermore, in order to disentangle their individual contributions to quantum phenomena, independent tuning of these two parameters is required. By utilizing a hybrid liquid/solid electric dual-gate geometry acting on the conducting LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterointerface, we obtain an additional degree of freedom to strongly modify the electron confinement profile and thus the strength of interfacial scattering, independent from the carrier density. A dual-gate controlled nonlinear Hall effect is a direct manifestation of this profile, which can be quantitatively understood by a Poisson–Schrödinger sub-band model. In particular, the large nonlinear dielectric response of SrTiO 3 enables a very wide range of tunable density and disorder, far beyond that for conventional semiconductors. This study provides a broad framework for understanding various reported phenomena at the LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Valley relaxation of resident electrons and holes in a monolayer semiconductor: Dependence on carrier density and the role of substrate-induced disorder

Using time-resolved optical Kerr rotation, here we measure the low-temperature valley dynamics of resident electrons and holes in exfoliated WSe 2 monolayers as a systematic function of carrier density. In an effort to reconcile the many disparate timescales of carrier valley dynamics in monolayer semiconductors reported to date, we directly compare the doping-dependent valley relaxation in two electrostatically gated WSe 2 monolayers having different dielectric environments. In a fully encapsulated structure ( hBN / WSe 2 / hBN , where hBN is hexagonal boron nitride), valley relaxation is found to be monoexponential. The valley relaxation time τ v is quite long ( ~ 10 μ s ) at low carrier densities, but decreases rapidly to less than 100 ns at high electron or hole densities ≳ 2 × 10 12 cm – 2 . In contrast, in a partially encapsulated WSe 2 monolayer placed directly on silicon dioxide ( hBN / WSe 2 / SiO 2 ) , carrier valley relaxation is multiexponential at low carrier densities. The difference is attributed to environmental disorder from the SiO 2 substrate. Unexpectedly, very small out-of-plane magnetic fields can increase τ v , especially in the hBN / WSe 2 / SiO 2 structure, suggesting that localized states induced by disorder can play an important role in depolarizing spins and mediating the valley relaxation of resident carriers in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Carrier density independent scattering rate in SrTiO₃-based electron liquids

We examine the carrier density dependence of the scattering rate in two- and three-dimensional electron liquids in SrTiO 3 in the regime where it scales with T n (T is the temperature and n ≤ 2) in the cases when it is varied by electrostatic control and chemical doping, respectively. It is shown that the scattering rate is independent of the carrier density. This is contrary to the expectations from Landau Fermi liquid theory, where the scattering rate scales inversely with the Fermi energy (E F ). We discuss that the behavior is very similar to systems traditionally identified as non-Fermi liquids (n < 2). This includes the cuprates and other transition metal oxide perovskites, where strikingly similar density independent scattering rates have been observed. Ultimately, the results indicate that the applicability of Fermi liquid theory should be questioned for a much broader range of correlated materials and point to the need for a unified theory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Tuning carrier density at complex oxide interface with metallic overlayer

We have systematically investigated the electronic transport properties of the LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} interfaces with several different metal capping layers. The sheet carrier density can be tuned in a wide range by the metallic overlayer without changing the carrier mobility. The sheet carrier density variation is found to be linearly dependent on the size of metal work function. This behavior is explained by the mechanism of the charge transfer between the oxide interface and the metal overlayer across the LaAlO{sub 3} layer. Our results confirm the existence of a built-in electric field in LaAlO{sub 3} film with an estimated value of 67.7 eV/Å. Since the metallic overlayer is essential for devices, the present phenomena must be considered for future applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗