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At least 19 records

Gunn oscillations in indium arsenide.

Gunn oscillations in indium arsenide, measuring electrical properties of diodes, noting current voltage characteristics as function of applied stress

GUNN EFFECT↗

Technique for depositing silicon dioxide on indium arsenide improves adhesion

Planar array processing of indium arsenide wafers includes dicing into a prescribed geometry, then cleaning and drying, and finally pre-oxidizing in an oxygen atmosphere at 500 degrees C. The last step forms an oxide interface between the InAs surface and a glow discharge deposited layer of silicon dioxide.

Source record↗

Radiation and temperature effects in gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and silicon solar cells

The effects of radiation on performance are determined for both n(+)p and p(+)n GaAs and InP cells and for silicon n(+)p cells. It is found that the radiation resistance of InP is greater than that of both GaAs and Si under 1 MeV electron irradiation. For silicon, the observed decreased radiation resistance with decreased resistivity is attributed to the presence of a radiation induced boron-oxygen defect. Comparison of radiation damage in both p(+)n and n(+)p GaAs cells yields a decreased radiation resistance for the n(+)p cell attributable to increased series resistance, decreased shunt resistance, and relatively greater losses in the cell's p-region. For InP, the n(+)p configuration is found to have greater radiation resistance than the p(+)n cell. The increased loss in this latter cell is attributed to losses in the cell's emitter region. Temperature dependency results are interpreted using a theoretical relation for dVoc/cT which predicts that increased Voc should results in decreased numerical values for dPm/dT. The predicted correlation is observed for GaAs but not for InP a result which is attributed to variations in cell processing.

Weinberg, I.↗

Radiation and temperature effects in gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, and silicon solar cells

The effects of radiation on performance are determined for both n+p and p+n GaAs and InP cells and for silicon n+p cells. It is found that the radiation resistance of InP is greater than that of both GaAs and Si under 1-MeV electron irradiation. For silicon, the observed decreased radiation resistance with decreased resistivity is attributed to the presence of a radiation-induced boron-oxygen defect. Comparison of radiation damage in both p+n and n+p GaAs cells yields a decreased radiation resistance for the n+p cell attributable to increased series resistance, decreased shunt resistance, and relatively greater losses in the cell's p-region. For InP, the n+p configuration is found to have greater radiation resistance than the p+n cell. The increased loss in this latter cell is attributed to losses in the cell's emitter region. Temperature dependency results are interpreted using a theoretical relation for dVoc/dT, which predicts that increased Voc should result in decreased numerical values for dPm/dT. The predicted correlation is observed for GaAs but not for InP, a result which is attributed to variations in cell processing.

Weinberg, I.↗

An Indium Gallium Arsenide Visible/SWIR Focal Plane Array for Low Light Level Imaging

PIN photodiodes fabricated from indium gallium arsenide lattice-matched to indium phosphide substrates (In(.53)Ga(.47)As/InP) exhibit low reverse saturation current densities (JD < 10(exp -8) A/sq cm), and high shunt resistance-area products (RoA > 10(exp 6) omega-sq cm) at T=290K. Backside-illuminated, hybrid-integrated InGaAs FPAs are sensitive from 0.9 micrometers to 1.7 micrometers. 290K detectivities, D(*), greater than 10(exp 14) cm-(square root of Hz/W) are demonstrated. This represents the highest room temperature detectivity of any infrared material. The long wavelength cutoff (1.7 micrometers) makes In(.53)Ga(.47)As an idea match to the available airglow that has major peaks at 1.3 micrometers and 1.6 micrometers. The short wavelength 'cut-on' at 0.9 micrometers is due to absorption in the InP substrate. We will report on new InGaAs FPA epitaxial structures and processing techniques. These have resulted in improved performance in the form of a 10 x increase in detectivity and visible response via removal of the InP substrate. The resulting device features visible and SWIR response with greater than 15% quantum efficiency at 0.5 micrometers while maintaining the long wavelength cutoff. Imaging has been demonstrated under overcast starlight/urban glow conditions with cooling provided by a single stage thermoelectric cooler. Details on the material structure and device fabrication, quantitative characterization of spectral response and detectivity, as well as examples of night vision imagery are presented.

Cohen, Marshall J.↗

Development of a unique laboratory standard: Indium gallium arsenide detector for the 500-1700 nm spectral region

A planar (5 mm diameter) indium gallium arsenide detector having a high (greater than 50 pct) quantum efficiency from the visible into the infrared spectrum (500 to 1700 nm) was fabricated. Quantum efficiencies as high as 37 pct at 510 nm, 58 pct at 820 nm and 62 pct at 1300 nm and 1550 nm were measured. A planar InP/InGaAs detector structure was also fabricated using vapor phase epitaxy to grow device structures with 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 micrometer thick InP caps. Quantum efficiency was studied as a function of cap thickness. Conventional detector structures were also used by completely etching off the InP cap after zinc diffusion. Calibrated quantum efficiencies were measured. Best results were obtained with devices whose caps were completely removed by etching. Certain problems still remain with these detectors including non-uniform shunt resistance, reproducibility, contact resistance and narrow band anti-reflection coatings.

Source record↗

Indium Phosphide Window Layers for Indium Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells

Window layers help in reducing the surface recombination at the emitter surface of the solar cells resulting in significant improvement in energy conversion efficiency. Indium gallium arsenide (In(x)Ga(1-x)As) and related materials based solar cells are quite promising for photovoltaic and thermophotovoltaic applications. The flexibility of the change in the bandgap energy and the growth of InGaAs on different substrates make this material very attractive for multi-bandgap energy, multi-junction solar cell approaches. The high efficiency and better radiation performance of the solar cell structures based on InGaAs make them suitable for space power applications. This work investigates the suitability of indium phosphide (InP) window layers for lattice-matched In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As (bandgap energy 0.74 eV) solar cells. We present the first data on the effects of the p-type InP window layer on p-on-n lattice-matched InGaAs solar cells. The modeled quantum efficiency results show a significant improvement in the blue region with the InP window. The bare InGaAs solar cell performance suffers due to high surface recombination velocity (10(exp 7) cm/s). The large band discontinuity at the InP/InGaAs heterojunction offers a great potential barrier to minority carriers. The calculated results demonstrate that the InP window layer effectively passivates the solar cell front surface, hence resulting in reduced surface recombination and therefore, significantly improving the performance of the InGaAs solar cell.

Jain, Raj K.↗

Evaluation of silicon and indium gallium arsenide photodiodes as direct timing detectors for pulsed x-ray systems

Benchtop pulsed x-ray systems are commonly used to record dynamic material data on the order of nanoseconds, but pulse timing is often difficult to accurately determine. This study demonstrates that commercially available photodiodes can be used effectively for direct x-ray pulse detection without the need for visible light scintillators. X-ray pulses from four commercially available flash x-ray systems were quantified using one silicon and two indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) photodiodes. The measured InGaAs pulse durations were strongly dependent on radiation dose in the non-linear operating regime, so the photodiodes were shielded to operate below the 2.5 V non-linear regime threshold. The average pulse duration and pulse arrival time jitter of the photodiodes for each x-ray source were within several nanoseconds with the exception of two sets of measurements that were affected by low instrument sensitivity and electrical noise. These results show that InGaAs photodiodes can be used as effective and repeatable stand-alone timing diagnostics for x-ray pulses as short as 20 ns or less.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Development of a unique laboratory standard indium gallium arsenide detector for the 500 to 1700 micron spectral region, phase 2

In the course of this work, 5 mm diameter InGaAs pin detectors were produced which met or exceeded all of the goals of the program. The best results achieved were: shunt resistance of over 300 K ohms; rise time of less than 300 ns; contact resistance of less than 20 ohms; quantum efficiency of over 50 percent in the 0.5 to 1.7 micron range; and devices were maintained and operated at 125 C without deterioration for over 100 hours. In order to achieve the goals of this program, several major technological advances were realized, among them: successful design, construction and operation of a hydride VPE reactor capable of growing epitaxial layers on 2 inch diameter InP substrates with a capacity of over 8 wafers per day; wafer processing was upgraded to handle 2 inch wafers; a double layer Si3N4/SiO2 antireflection coating which enhances response over the 0.5 to 1.7 micron range was developed; a method for anisotropic, precisely controlled CH4/H2 plasma etching for enhancement of response at short wavelengths was developed; and electronic and optical testing methods were developed to allow full characterization of detectors with size and spectral response characteristics. On the basis of the work and results achieved in this program, it is concluded that large size, high shunt resistance, high quantum efficiency InGaAs pin detectors are not only feasible but also manufacturable on industrial scale. This device spans a significant portion of visible and near infrared spectral range and it will allow a single detector to be used for the 0.5 to 1.7 micron spectral region, rather than the presently used silicon (for 0.5 to 1.1 microns) and germanium (0.8 to 1.7 microns).

Ban, Vladimir S.↗

Indium gallium arsenide microwave power transistors

Depletion-mode InGaAs microwave power MISFETs with 1-micron gate lengths and up to 1-mm gate widths have been fabricated using an ion-implantation process. The devices employed a plasma-deposited silicon/silicon dioxide gate insulator. The dc I-V characteristics and RF power performance at 9.7 GHz are presented. The output power, power-added efficiency, and power gain as a function of input power are reported. An output power of 1.07 W with a corresponding power gain and power-added efficiency of 4.3 dB and 38 percent, respectively, was obtained. The large-gate-width devices provided over twice the previously reported output power for InGaAs MISFETs at X-band. In addition, output power stability within 1.2 percent over 24 h of continuous operation was achieved. In addition, a drain current drift of 4 percent over 10,000 sec was obtained.

Johnson, Gregory A.↗

Characterization and Modeling of Indium Gallium Antimonide Avalanche Photodiode and of Indium Gallium Arsenide Two-band Detector

A model of the optical properties of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As(y)Sb(1-y) and In(x)Ga(1-x)As(y)Sb(1-y) is presented, including the refractive, extinction, absorption and reflection coefficients in terms of the optical dielectric function of the materials. Energy levels and model parameters for each binary compound are interpolated to obtain the needed ternaries and quaternaries for various compositions. Bowing parameters are considered in the interpolation scheme to take into account the deviation of the calculated ternary and quaternary values from experimental data due to lattice disorders. The inclusion of temperature effects is currently being considered.

Source record↗

Induced Superconducting Pairing in Integer Quantum Hall Edge States

Indium arsenide (InAs) near surface quantum wells (QWs) are promising for the fabrication of semiconductor–superconductor heterostructures given that they allow for a strong hybridization between the two-dimensional states in the quantum well and the ones in the superconductor. In this work, we present results for InAs QWs in the quantum Hall regime placed in proximity of superconducting NbTiN. We observe a negative downstream resistance with a corresponding reduction of Hall (upstream) resistance, consistent with a very high Andreev conversion. Further, we analyze the experimental data using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism, generalized to allow for Andreev reflection processes. We attribute the high efficiency of Andreev conversion in our devices to the large transparency of the InAs/NbTiN interface and the consequent strong hybridization of the QH edge modes with the states in the superconductor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Carrier-Envelope Phase Control in Terahertz Pulse Generation Using InAs Ribbon Metasurfaces

Generation of broadband terahertz (THz) pulses with variable polarization and carrier-envelope phase can enable the tailoring of THz beam wavefronts for advanced applications in THz imaging and spectroscopy and for strong THz field optics. While metasurfaces composed of deeply subwavelength THz emitters have recently been demonstrated to define the polarization and spatial profile of the generated THz fields, precise phase control or synthesis of THz pulse waveforms remains a challenging problem. Here, we propose and demonstrate metasurfaces composed of indium arsenide (InAs) nanoscale ribbon arrays capable of generating THz pulses with variable carrier-envelope phase. We show that different THz generation mechanisms, each contributing distinct phases, can be activated in the ribbons, enabling carrier-envelope phase control spanning a range of π over a wide band of frequencies (∼1–3 THz). This is achieved solely through the ribbon array geometry using linearly polarized optical excitation of the ribbons. The arrays enable precise control of the THz phase and amplitude, opening the door to advanced structured THz wavefront synthesis using ultrathin dielectric metasurfaces.

carrier-envelope phase↗

Fast Near-Infrared Photodetection Using III–V Colloidal Quantum Dots

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising materials for infrared (IR) light detection due to their tunable bandgap and their solution processing; however, to date, the time response of CQD IR photodiodes is inferior to that provided by Si and InGaAs. It is reasoned that the high permittivity of II–VI CQDs leads to slow charge extraction due to screening and capacitance, whereas III–Vs—if their surface chemistry can be mastered—offer a low permittivity and thus increase potential for high-speed operation. In initial studies, it is found that the covalent character in indium arsenide (InAs) leads to imbalanced charge transport, the result of unpassivated surfaces, and uncontrolled heavy doping. Surface management using amphoteric ligand coordination is reported, and it is found that the approach addresses simultaneously the In and As surface dangling bonds. The new InAs CQD solids combine high mobility (0.04 cm 2 V -1 s -1 ) with a 4× reduction in permittivity compared to PbS CQDs. Finally, the resulting photodiodes achieve a response time faster than 2 ns—the fastest photodiode among previously reported CQD photodiodes—combined with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 30% at 940 nm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗