Thermally stimulated current and high temperature resistivity measurements of 4H semi-insulating silicon carbide

High purity semi-insulating 4H SiC single crystals have potential applications for room temperature radiation detectors because of the wide band gap and radiation hardness. To control carrier lifetime, a key parameter for high performance radiation detectors, it is important to understand the nature of the deep traps in this material. For this purpose, we have successfully applied thermally stimulated current (TSC) and high temperature resistivity measurements to investigate deep level centers in semi-insulating 4H SiC samples grown by physical vapor transport. High temperature resistivity measurements showed that the resistivity at elevated temperatures is controlled by the deep level with an activation energy of 1.56 eV. The dominant traps revealed by TSC measurements were at 1.1-1.2 eV. The deep trap levels in 4H-SiC samples, the impurity and point defect nature of TSC traps peaked at ∼106 K (0.23 eV), ∼126 K (0.32 eV), ∼370 K (0.95 eV), ∼456 K (1.1-1.2 eV) are discussed.     

Electrical properties of n-type GaS single crystals

Hall effect and Thermally Stimulated Currents (TSC) measurements have been carried out with the current flowing perpendicular to the c-axis on n-GaS crystals grown both from the melt by the Bridgman-Stockbarger method and from the vapour by chemical transport with iodine. An impurity hopping conduction with an activation energy of 0.2 eV has been evidenced in the range of temperatures between 200 and 300 K. The results of TSC measurements indicate the iodine as being responsible for a donor level at 0.44 eV from the conduction band.     

The study of hydrogenation effect for the deep levels in GaN epilayers

After the undoped GaN epilayers were grown on (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE), the photoconductivity (PC) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements have been carried out so as to investigate the hydrogenation and annealing effect of the deep levels. These results indicate that the values of concentrations of the deep levels in the GaN epilayers decrease by the passivation of hydrogenation in both PC and TSC measurements. After hydrogenation, the PC intensity for the hydrogenated GaN epilayer decreased remarkably in comparison with that for the as-grown sample and the TSC peak near 150 K drastically decreased.In the case of PC measurement, the PC intensity for the hydrogenated and annealed GaN epilayer was approximately half that for the hydrogenated only GaN epilayer when the hydrogenated epilayer was annealed at 700°C. This result reveals that the passivation of the deep levels due to the hydrogenation is still effective at the annealing temperature of 700°C. In the case of TSC measurement, the deep levels changed slightly in comparison with that of hydrogenated GaN epilayer when the hydrogenated GaN epilayer was annealed at 600°C for 30 s. This result also shows that the passivation of deep levels due to the hydrogenation is still effective at the annealing temperature of 600°C for 30 s. In considering the above circumstances, these TSC results are in reasonable agreement with the PC results.     

Shallow energy levels induced by γ rays in standard and oxygenated floating zone silicon

Shallow defect levels in floating zone (FZ) and diffusion oxygenated FZ (DOFZ) silicon, before and after irradiation with a ⁶⁰Co γ-source up to 300 Mrad, have been studied by thermally stimulated currents (TSC) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) in the temperature range 4.2–110 K. Besides vacancy oxygen (VO) and interstitial-substitutional carbon (C_iC_s) emissions, several TSC peaks have been observed. A trap with an activation energy of 11 meV has been observed at 6 K only in irradiated DOFZ. Two hole traps at 80 meV and 95 meV have been observed both in irradiated FZ and DOFZ, while a trap at 100 meV, related to an interstitial-oxygen (IO₂) complex, has been revealed only in irradiated DOFZ. A TSC peak close to 24 K has been resolved into two components, whose concentrations are independent of irradiation fluence: a trap at 55 meV and a level which remains charged after emission at 80 meV. Our measurements confirm the formation, only in DOFZ, of a radiation induced donor at 230 meV. It appears to be responsible for the improved radiation hardness of oxygenated Si together with the suppression of deep acceptors, since no shallower radiation-induced donors have been detected in DOFZ samples. PACS 71.55.Cn; 29.40.Wk; 61.80.Hg; 61.82.Fk     

Shallow traps in pure KTaO 3 crystals

We made Thermally Stimulated Conductivity (TSC), Thermoluminescence (TL) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements on single crystals of potassium tantalate in the temperature range 4.2-290 v K. We revealed two sorts of O m shallow hole centers which are responsible for Photoconductivity (PC) and Photoluminescence (PL) enhancement. Both O m centers were identified by their ESR spectra. We show that these centers serve as radiative electron-hole recombination centers. The measurements of TSC and TL after UV irradiation revealed several glow peaks at temperatures 18-30 v K and 65-70 v K. Both TSC and TL are attributed to the thermal ionization of the same shallow donor centers related with oxygen vacancies. Experimental data were treated in a simple one-trap/one-recombination center model, which takes into account the presence of "thermally disconnected" deep electron traps.     

Towards accelerated quantitative sodium MRI at 7 T in the skeletal muscle: Comparison of anisotropic acquisition- and compressed sensing techniques

PurposeTo compare three anisotropic acquisition schemes and three compressed sensing (CS) approaches for accelerated tissue sodium concentration (TSC) quantification using ²³Na MRI at 7 T.Materials and methodsThree anisotropic 3D-radial acquisition sequences were evaluated using simulations, phantom- and in vivo TSC measurements: An anisotropic density-adapted 3D-radial sequence (3DPR-C), a 3D acquisition-weighted density-adapted stack-of-stars sampling scheme (SOS) and a SOS approach with golden-ratio rotation (SOS-GR). Eight healthy volunteers were examined at a 7 Tesla MRI system. TSC measurements of the calf were conducted with a nominal spatial resolution of Δx = (3.0 × 3.0 × 15.0) mm³ and a field of view of (156.0 × 156.0 × 240.0) mm³ for multiple undersampling factors (USF). Three CS reconstructions were evaluated: Total variation CS (TV-CS), 3D dictionary-learning compressed sensing (3D-DLCS) and TV-CS with a block matching prior (TV-BL-CS). Results of the simulations and measurements were compared to a simulated ground truth (GT) or a fully sampled reference measurement (FS), respectively. The deviation of the mean TSC evaluated in multiple ROI (mE_GT/FS) and the normalized root-mean-squared error (NRMSE) for simulations were evaluated for CS and NUFFT reconstructions.ResultsIn simulations, the SOS-GR yielded the lowest NRMSE and mE_GT (< 4%) with NUFFT for an acquisition time (TA) of less than 2 min. CS further improved the results. In simulations and measurements, the best TSC quantification results were obtained with 3D-DLCS and SOS-GR (lowest NRMSE, mE_GT < 2.6% in simulations, mE_GT < 10.7% for phantom measurements and mE_FS < 6% in vivo) with an USF = 4.1 (TA < 2 min). TV-CS showed no or only slight improvements to NUFFT. The results of TV-BL-CS were similar to 3D-DLCS.DiscussionThe TA for TSC measurements could be reduced to less than 2 min by using adapted sequences such as SOS-GR and CS reconstruction approaches such as 3D-DLCS or TV-BL-CS, while the quantitative accuracy stays comparable to a fully sampled NUFFT reconstruction (approx. 8 min TA). In future, the lower TA could improve clinical applicability of TSC measurements.     

Near-infrared photoluminescence and thermally stimulated current in Cu3Ga5Se9 layered crystals: A comparative study

Near-infrared photoluminescence (PL) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectra of Cu₃Ga₅Se₉ layered crystals grown by Bridgman method have been studied in the photon energy region of 1.35–1.46 eV and the temperature range of 15–115 K (PL) and 10–170 K (TSC). An infrared PL band centered at 1.42 eV was revealed at T = 15 K. Radiative transitions from shallow donor level placed at 20 meV to moderately deep acceptor level at 310 meV were suggested to be the reason of the observed PL band. TSC curve of Cu₃Ga₅Se₉ crystal exhibited one broad peak at nearly 88 K. The thermal activation energy of traps was found to be 22 meV. An energy level diagram demonstrating the transitions in the crystal band gap was plotted taking account of results of PL and TSC experiments conducted below room temperature.     

On the estimation of capture cross section from a TSC trace for GaP(Cu)

By a special preparation of Cu- doped GaP p⁺n diodes Fagerström and Grimmeiss [1] obtained a strong well-resolved TSC peak at about 171 K, whereas other authors [2–4] observed a spectrum of up to eight superpositioned peaks, thus arising difficulties for the unambiguous evaluation of separate deep level parameters and monitoring the corresponding centers. Since the value of the activation energy used by F.-G. is not consistent with the TSC curve shape a possibility is discussed to estimate activation energy from each single TSC heating run. In consequence further important parameters, characterising the deep centers: emission rate and capture cross section, change by several orders. It is shown how these parameters can be determined directly with the help of the experimental observables: peak position $\text{T}$ and halfwidth δ.     

Photoconductive properties of HgGa2S4

Mercury thiogallate, HgGa₂S₄ is a defect chalcopyrite semiconductor with the space group S₄² which offers a combination of attractive properties for applications.In order to obtain information about the electron states in the energy gap, photoconductivity measurements are performed in the 80–300 K range. Photoconductivity spectra show two peaks related to intrinsic and extrinsic excitation at about 410 and 500 nm, respectively; these maxima show a temperature dependence similar to the linear coefficient of the energy gap. Thermally stimulated currents have been studied by exciting the samples with intrinsic light at different temperatures. For all excitation temperatures a single TSC peaks were obtained. The analysis of TSC curves allowed one to estimate the kinetics of the trap emptying, trap energy distribution and thermal activation energy.A model for the level distribution in the semiconductor energy gap is suggested which in good agreement with the results of a previous photoluminescence study.     

ZnO薄膜微结构变化对光电特性的影响

使用脉冲激光淀积(PLD)技术在n型Si衬底上沉积氧化锌(ZnO)薄膜,在O2气氛下对样品进行了500℃(Sample1,S1),600℃(Sample2,S2),700℃(Sample3,S3)和800℃(Sample4,S4)退火,随后进行了X射线衍射(XRD)谱,椭偏光折射率,热激电流(TSC)和电容-电压(C-V)的测量。研究发现:S1中晶界的电子陷阱由高浓度的深能级杂质(Zni)提供的电子填充,该能级位于ET=EC-0.24±0.08eV。S3中出现与中性施主(D0)有关的深能级中心,其ET=EC-0.13±0.03eV,推测D0的出现与高温氧气条件退火下晶界处形成的复合体缺陷有关。XRD和椭偏光折射率测量结果表明:氧气对ZnO薄膜微结构的修饰是改变ZnO/Si结构光电特性的主要因素。     

Determination of trap depth and trap density in Se70Te30−xZnx thin films using thermally stimulated current measurements

In the present paper concentration of traps (N_t) and trap depth (E_t) have been calculated by thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements in amorphous Se₇₀Te_30−xZn_x (x=2, 4) thin films. These measurements are carried out at three different heating rates. It is observed that the amount of thermally stimulated current gradually increases and the temperature (T_m), at which maxima in TSC occurs, shifts to higher temperatures with increasing heating rates (β) as expected. The trap depth is found to be quite different for x=2 and x=4. The concentration of traps also increases slightly at higher concentration of Zn.     

An investigation on the variations in properties of Ni+ irradiated ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films, irradiated by 80 MeV Ni⁺ ions, were analysed with the help of different characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, transmission, photoluminescence (PL), electrical resistivity, photosensitivity (PS) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements. Crystallinity and absorption edge were hardly affected by irradiation. PL spectrum of pristine sample showed a broad peak at 517 nm, whereas irradiated film had two emissions at 517 and 590 nm. Intensity ratio between these two emissions (I₅₁₇/I₅₉₀) decreased with the fluence, and finally at a fluence of 3×10¹³ ions/cm², the emission at 517 nm completely disappeared. Electrical resistivity of the sample irradiated with a fluence of 1×10¹³ ions/cm² drastically increased. However, on increasing the fluence to 3×10¹³ ions/cm², resistivity decreased, probably due the onset of hopping conduction through defects. PS also decreased due to irradiation. TSC measurements on pristine sample could reveal only one defect level at 0.6 eV, due to interstitia1 zinc (Zn_I). But, irradiation at a fluence of 1×10¹² ions/cm², resulted in three different defect levels as per TSC studies. Interestingly, the sample irradiated at a fluence of 3×10¹³ ions/cm² had only one defect level corresponding to a deep donor. The possible origin of these defect levels is also discussed in the paper.     

The small signal behavior of SCLC-diodes with deep traps

Theoretical and experimental investigations on the small signal behavior of sclc-diodes containing deep levels were performed. The experimental results were obtained from high resistivity Au-compensated n⁺in⁺-silicon samples. The measurements of the frequency dependent conductance and capacitance are consistent with theory up to frequencies ωT>1. From the bias dependence of the capacitance a method is deduced to determine the capture time constant easily and with high accuracy and, if the trap concentration is already known, the capture cross section. The value obtained for the gold acceptor level agrees well with that determined by means of transient current measurements.     

Theory of modified thermally stimulated current and direct determination of trap level distribution

In order to investigate the trap level distribution in polymer films, a new method is proposed based on modified thermally stimulated current (TSC) theory and numerical calculation of the TSC measurement. In this method, a new function is defined to weight the contribution of every trap level to the external current. The demarcation energy is used to study the trap emptying process. The modified TSC theory shows that only the electrons with trap levels very close to the demarcation energy can significantly contribute to the external circuit at any instant temperature. Based on this method, the trap level distribution of the DuPont original polyimide film 100HN and nanocomposite polyimide film 100CR are investigated as an application example. The effectiveness of the method is confirmed by the experiments. The experimental results show that the trap level density in the 100CR PI films is about six times larger than that in the 100HN PI films through the investigated trap level ranges 06–1.3 eV. The increased traps in 100CR should be introduced by nanofillers, probably come from the interfaces formed between nanofillers and the polymer matrix.     

深能级缺陷对半绝缘InP材料电学补偿的影响

对铁掺杂和高温退火非掺杂磷化铟制备的两种半绝缘材料的电学补偿和深能级缺陷进行了分析和比较.根据热激电流谱(TSC)测得的深能级缺陷结果，分析了这两种半绝缘InP材料中深能级缺陷对电学补偿的影响.在掺铁半绝缘InP材料中，由于存在高浓度的深能级缺陷参与电学补偿，降低了材料的补偿度和电学性能.相比之下，利用磷化铁气氛下高温退火非掺InP获得的半绝缘材料的深能级缺陷浓度很低，通过扩散掺入晶格的铁成为唯一的深受主补偿中心钉扎费米能级，材料表现出优异的电学性质.在此基础上给出了一个更为广泛的半绝缘InP材料的电学补偿模型.     

Salient features of the electrical characteristics of oxygen-implanted gallium arsenide Schottky-barrier structures

We have studied the deep levels in gallium arsenide implanted with oxygen ions at a low dose of 2·10¹⁰ cm⁻² and the influence of those levels on the current-voltage characteristics of Ni/Pd/Ga Schottky-barrier structures. The deep levels were checked by the thermally-stimulated-current (TSC) method. The number of peaks on the TSC curves and their amplitudes are shown to depend on the oxygen-ion energy and the temperature of the post-implantation anneal. An important role in the formation of centers associated with oxygen is played by gallium diffusion into the protective SiO₂/Si₃N₄ insulator layer as well as by elastic and plastic strain phenomena that occur during deposition of the coating and post-implantation annealing of the specimens. The deep levels due to oxygen are responsible for the appearance of excess currents resulting from recombination as well as for ohmic leakages. V. D. Kuznetsov Siberian Physicotechnical Institute at Tomsk State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 30–36, May, 1996.     

Reprint of : Majorana fermion fingerprints in spin-polarised scanning tunnelling microscopy

We calculate the spatially resolved tunnelling conductance of topological superconductors (TSCs) based on ferromagnetic chains, measured by means of spin-polarised scanning tunnelling microscopy (SPSTM). Our analysis reveals novel signatures of MFs arising from the interplay of their strongly anisotropic spin-polarisation and the magnetisation content of the tip. We focus on the deep Yu–Shiba–Rusinov (YSR) limit where only YSR bound states localised in the vicinity of the adatoms govern the low-energy as also the topological properties of the system. Under these conditions, we investigate the occurrence of zero/finite bias peaks (ZBPs/FBPs) for a single or two coupled TSC chains forming a Josephson junction. Each TSC can host up to two Majorana fermions (MFs) per edge if chiral symmetry is preserved. Here we retrieve the conductance for all the accessible configurations of the MF number of each chain. Our results illustrate innovative spin-polarisation-sensitive experimental routes for arresting the MFs by either restoring or splitting the ZBP in a predictable fashion via: (i) weakly breaking chiral symmetry, e.g. by the SPSTM tip itself or by an external Zeeman field and (ii) tuning the superconducting phase difference of the TSCs, which is encoded in the 4π-Josephson coupling of neighbouring MFs.     

Deep level states and negative photoconductivity in n-ZnO/p-Si hetero-junction diodes

Negative photoconductivity (NPC) was observed in n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode grown by ultra-high vacuum sputtering method under nitrogen ambient. Under the illumination of ultra-violet light, positive photoconductivity was observed at low bias voltages, whereas NPC was observed at high bias voltages. The defect states in the ZnO layers grown on Si were analyzed by photoluminescence and deep level transient spectroscopy measurements. Two deep levels were measured at E_c-0.51 eV and E_c-0.54 eV, which might be originated from oxygen vacancy and nitrogen atom related defects, respectively. Based on the simulation of band diagram, the defect states were located below Fermi level at zero bias voltage. However, as increasing the bias voltages, NPC was observed due to the increase of empty defect states. This analysis allowed us to consider the possibility that the NPC phenomenon in n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode is originated dominantly from the defect states as a carrier recombination center in ZnO layer.     

A method for correlating charge traps of polypropylene to its morphology

A method for differentiating charge traps in amorphous parts from those in crystalline parts of crystalline polymers was proposed and applied it to polypropylene (PP) charge traps. The proposed method is combined use of two techniques: organic solvent vapor-induced charge decay (OSVICD) and partial neutralization (PN), slight recharging with the counter corona charges. From thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectra of OSVICD- and PN-treated PP, the shallow and deep charge traps were correlated to the trap sites existing in the amorphous and crystalline regions of PP, respectively. From TSC spectra of PN-treated PP, it was found that in the surface region the ratio of charges existed in the deep traps to those in the shallow ones was about 87% while in the bulk region it was 48%. This fact is consistent with crystalline-rich surface nature of the sample films, which was revealed by the usual transmission and ATR infrared spectroscopic analyses.     

TSC study of deuteration of polystyrene

A comparative study of natural and deuterated polysterene has been performed by thermally stimulated currents (TSC). Around the glass-rubber transition temperature (T_g a TSC peak is observed whose relaxation times obey an Arrhenius equation. At 50° above T_g another TSC peak is observed whose relaxation time obeys a Vogel equation. Deuteration is found to increase the values of T_g.