Electrical behaviour of laser-damaged silicon photodiodes

A measurement of the electrical parameters degradation of Si photodiodes irradiated by laser visible light has been performed. The laser is a Q-switched Nd:YAG, frequency doubled, operated in single pulse mode of 4 ns duration. The applied fluence levels range up to 90 J/cm². Two kinds of irradiation process were applied: either a part of the detector active area was irradiated in single pulse mode, or a scanning of the whole detector active area was performed with successive identical pulses. It has been shown that the fluence necessary to induce significant changes (local decrease of 35%) in responsivity is several times the surface melting threshold fluence (0.5 J/cm²). Conversely, the dark current is the most sensitive parameter, increasing by about four times for high irradiation. The in-depth dopant distribution is altered by high fluence irradiation in a way that cannot be explained by simple thermal modelling.     

飞秒激光微构造硅光电二极管的光电响应

在一定条件SF6气体氛围中,硅可在飞秒激光辐照区产生m量级的尖峰结构。针对不同尖峰高度的微构造硅,在不同温度下退火,采用电子蒸发的方法在正反面分别镀上铝电极,制备出了飞秒激光微构造光电二极管,并测试了其光电响应。实验结果表明：飞秒激光微构造光电二极管的响应随微构造硅光电二极管的尖峰高度和退火温度的不同而不同。尖峰高度为3～4 m的样品在973 K温度退火30 min后,响应度可达0.55 A/W。即使在1100 nm波长处,这种新型的硅光电二极管的响应仍可高达0.4 A/W。     

Visible and near-infrared responsivity of femtosecond-laser microstructured silicon photodiodes

We investigated the current-voltage characteristics and responsivity of photodiodes fabricated with silicon that was microstructured by use of femtosecond-laser pulses in a sulfur-containing atmosphere. The photodiodes that we fabricated have a broad spectral response ranging from the visible to the near infrared (400-1600 nm). The responsivity depends on substrate doping, microstructuring fluence, and annealing temperature. We obtained room-temperature responsivities as high as 100 A/W at 1064 nm, 2 orders of magnitude higher than for standard silicon photodiodes. For wavelengths below the bandgap we obtained responsivities as high as 50 mA/W at 1330 nm and 35 mA/W at 1550 nm.     

Optical characterization of the silicon photodiodes for the establishment of national radiometric standards

Optical properties of the silicon photodiodes are investigated in the visible spectral regime. Non-linearity measurement standard was established by using Hamamatsu S1337-11 type windowless silicon photodiode whose non-linearity value was found to be better than 6×10⁻⁵ at photocurrent level of 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁴ A. Temperature effects on the spectral responsivity for S1337-11, S1337-1010BQ and S1227-1010BQ type photodiodes were analyzed between 20°C and 40°C at 488.1, 514.7 and 632.8 nm vacuum wavelengths. The spatial uniformities of the responsivity for three type photodiodes are performed with a laser beam having 1 mm diameter by using home made two-axis micro translation system. Results of the reflectance measurements for three elements of reflection-based trap detectors were compared with the predicted values obtained from Fresnel equations.     

Entanglement entropy beyond the free case

We present a perturbative method to compute the ground state entanglement entropy for interacting systems. We apply it to a collective model of mutually interacting spins in a magnetic field. At the quantum critical point, the entanglement entropy scales logarithmically with the subsystem size, the system size, and the anisotropy parameter. We determine the corresponding scaling prefactors and evaluate the leading finite-size correction to the entropy. Our analytical predictions are in perfect agreement with numerical results.     

Enhancement of the infrared detection efficiency of silicon photon-counting avalanche photodiodes by use of silicon germanium absorbing layers

An enhancement of the infrared detection efficiency of Si photon-counting detectors by inclusion of SiGe absorbing layers has been demonstrated for what is believed to be the first time. An improvement of 30 times in detection efficiency at a wavelength of 1210 nm compared with that of an all-Si structure operated under identical conditions has been measured. The Si/Si(0.7)Ge(0.3) device is capable of room-temperature operation and has a response time of less than 300 ps.     

Infrared spectroscopy of nano-porous silicon

The first measurements of dielectric-permittivity and conductivity spectra of several samples of nano-porous silicon prepared by anodization of low-resistance monocrystalline silicon are performed at room temperature by means of subterahertz and IR spectroscopy in the frequency range 7–4000 cm^?1. The obtained spectra are analyzed in terms of the effective-medium theory with a size-dependent dielectric-response function of nanoinclusions and average dielectric parameters of the surronding medium. It is found that the dielectric properties of the inclusions are dependent on nano-size effects such as charge-carrier scattering at the boundaries of the nanocrystallites and increase in the band-gap energy due to the quantum size effect. The geometric and dielectric characteristics of silicon nano-size inclusions are determined. We consider the mechanisms of variation in the wide-band dielectric permittivity and conductivity spectra of monocrystalline silicon during transformation of its structure from monocrystalline to nano-porous.     

n型窗口层材料及其在高速沉积微晶硅太阳电池中的应用研究

采用常规的射频等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术制备了可以用于微晶硅薄膜太阳电池的n型的掺杂窗口层材料.通过掺杂窗口层材料在电池中的应用发现：微晶硅薄膜太阳电池由于其电子和空穴的迁移率相差比较小而显示出磷掺杂的n型的微晶硅材料也可以像硼掺杂的p型的微晶硅材料一样,可作为微晶硅薄膜太阳电池的窗口层材料;两种窗口层制备电池的效率差别不大,而且量子效率（QE）测试结果显示两种电池的n/i和p/i界面没有明显的区别;电池的双面不同波长拉曼光谱的测试结果给出：不论是n/i/p还是p/i/n型的电池,在起始生长本征层阶段均 关键词： n型的掺杂窗口层 p型的掺杂窗口层 微晶硅薄膜太阳电池     

Infrared optical constants of n-type silicon

The infrared optical constants of n-type Si are determined from reflectance and transmittance spectra. The Drude formula with empirically adjusted, concentration dependent, parameters is used. Its low-wavelength limit is in agreement with recent mobility results. A pronounced difference between As-, P-, and Sb-doped Si is found for the free electron concentration above 10¹⁹ cm^–3. Simple empirical formulae are given for the optical constants as functions of both wavenumber and concentration.     

Infrared absorption of glassy silicon dioxide

The infrared reflectivity of glassy silicon dioxide has been measured in the region of 2–35 m at room temperature. The reflectivity curve has been analyzed by means of Kramers-Kronig analysis and the optical constants have been determined. In addition to the three known peaks at 9 m, 12·5 and 22·5 m, the absorption curve exhibits further peaks at 17·5 and 11 m. A correlation with the transmissivity measurements has shown that in this region even the transmissivity curve exhibits a decrease. An attempt has been made at an interpretation of the spectrum according to Matossi's model of vibrations of the free tetrahedron SiO₄.The authors thanks Dr. A. Vako for enabling us to perform the measurement with the adapter for absolute reflectance and Dr. V. iek for his permission to use the computer programme and for stimulating discussions.     

Crystallization of amorphous silicon beyond the crystallized polycrystalline silicon region induced by metal nickel

Crystallization of amorphous silicon(a-Si) which starts from the middle of the a-Si region separating two adjacent metal-induced crystallization(MIC) polycrystalline silicon(poly-Si) regions is observed. The crystallization is found to be related to the distance between the neighboring nickel-introducing MIC windows. Trace nickel that diffuses from the MIC window into the a-Si matrix during the MIC heat-treatment is experimentally discovered, which is responsible for the crystallization of the a-Si beyond the MIC front. A minimum diffusion coefficient of 1.84×10~(-9)cm~2/s at 550℃ is estimated for the trace nickel diffusion in a-Si.     

Measurement of the temporal and spectral characteristics of silicon p-i-n photodiodes in the soft x-ray range

A procedure is briefly described for investigating the temporal and spectral characteristics of a soft x-ray detector in the range of photon energies from a few tenths of an electron-volt to more than a thousand electron-volts. The measured characteristics (signal rise time, time resolution, and absolute responsivity) are given, along with parameters (thicknesses of the contact layer, dead layer, and sensitive layer) determined from the measurement results for certain commercial brands of fast silicon p-i-n photodiodes from various manufacturers (Siemens, Hamamatsu, Motorola, and NIIIT/Moscow), which can be used in x-ray plasma diagnostic apparatus with a time resolution of 1 ns or better. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 83–88 (May 1999)     

Infrared spectroscopy of hydrogen on silicon surfaces

This paper is a review of infrared studies of hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces. Emphasis is given to the ideally H-terminated Si(1 1 1) surface, prepared by wet chemical techniques, because detailed information can be obtained concerning the Si-H stretching vibration, such as its precise frequency and effective charge, its lifetime and the nature of its anharmonic coupling to the SiH bending mode and to the substrate surface phonons. Comparison of this nearly ideal surface with the H-exposed Si(1 1 1)7 × 7, Si(1 1 1)2 × 1 and Si(1 0 0)2 × 1 gives some insight into the effects of reconstruction and strain on the Si-H vibrational spectrum.     

High-resolution mapping of the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells and silicon photodiodes in photovoltaic mode

We demonstrate an optical technique to derive the two-dimensional energy conversion efficiency (η_CE), fill factor (FF) and external quantum efficiency (η_QE) distributions across the surface of photovoltaic devices. A compact, inexpensive optical-feedback laser diode microscope is constructed to acquire the confocal reflectance and efficiency maps enabling the observation of the local parametric behavior in silicon photodiodes in photovoltaic mode and single-junction solar cells. The η_CE and η_QE distributions are greatly influenced by local parasitic resistances that depend on laser irradiance. These parasitic resistances decrease the η_CE and η_QE values with distance from the contact electrode at high laser irradiance. The optical technique enables microscopic comparison of η_CE and η_QE within the pn-overlay region of the photodiode sample, revealing its optimization for photodetection rather than power generation. The technique also elucidates the decreasing local η_CE of the solar cell under intense irradiation.     

Recombination lasing in heliumlike silicon: a possible path to thewater window

A major goal of current X-ray laser research is the achievement of gain in the 23.3-43.7 Å wavelength region, known as the `water window'. Silicon is the lowest atomic number element for which all the heliumlike 3-2 transitions lie in this region. The authors examine the fundamental kinetics of recombination lasing in this species, and conclude that the Si XIII 1s3d¹D ₂-1s2p¹P₁ line at 39.1 Å is an attractive candidate for recombination-pumped lasing. Attainment of gain in this line is somewhat more energetically favorable than for the hydrogenic Al XIII 3-2 transitions, but radiative trapping may be somewhat more troublesome than for H-like Al     

Infrared induced visible emission from porous silicon: the mechanism of anodic oxidation

The visible luminescence caused by anodic oxidation of p-type porous silicon has been studied. It is shown that similar luminescence can be observed in n-type material by illumination with near-infrared light. Addition of a suitable reducing agent to the electrolyte solution can both suppress the oxidation of the porous layer and quench its luminescence. These results confirm a previously suggested mechanism, in which the capture of a valence band hole in a surface bond of the porous semiconductor gives rise to a surface state intermediate capable of thermally injecting an electron into the conduction band.