Enhanced photoresponse performance in Ga/Ga_2O_3 nanocomposite solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors

In the present work, we explore the solar-blind ultraviolet(UV) photodetectors(PDs) with enhanced photoresponse,fabricated on Ga/Ga_2O_3 nanocomposite films. Through pre-burying metal Ga layers and thermally post-annealing the laminated Ga2 O3/Ga/Ga_2O_3 structures, Ga/Ga_2O_3 nanocomposite films incorporated with Ga nanospheres are obtained. For the prototype PD, it is found that the photocurrent and photoresponsivity will first increase and then decrease monotonically with the thickness of the pre-buried Ga layer increasing. Each of all PDs shows a spectrum response peak at 260 nm, demonstrating the ability to detect solar-blind UV light. Adjustable photoresponse enhancement factors are achieved by means of the surface plasmon in the nanocomposite films. The PD with a 20 nm thick Ga interlayer exhibits the best solar-blind UV photoresponse characteristics with an extremely low dark current of 8.52 p A at 10-V bias, a very high light-to-dark ratio of ～ 8 × 10~5, a large photoresponsivity of 2.85 A/W at 15-V bias, and a maximum enhancement factor of ～ 220. Our research provides a simple and practical route to high performance solar-blind UV PDs and potential applications in the field of optoelectronics.     

Analysis of optoelectronic properties of TiO_2 nanowiers/Si heterojunction arrays

The optoelectronic properties of n-TiO2NW/p-Si heterojunction fabricated by depositing TiO2 nanowires on a p-Si substrate are studied. Under excitation at a wavelength of 370 nm, the TiO2 nanowires produce a light emission at 435 nm due to the emission of free excitons. The I-V characteristics are measured to investigate the heterojunction effects under the dark environment and ultraviolet （UV） illumination, n-TiOzNW/p-Si has a p-n junction formed in the n-TiOz/p-Si beterojunction. TiO2NW/Si photodiode produces a pbotocurrent larger than dark current under UV illumination. It is observed that UV photons are absorbed in TiO2 and the heterojunction shows a 0.034-A/W responsivity at 4-V reverse bias.     

A broadband self-powered UV photodetector of aβ-Ga2O3/γ-CuI p–n junction

The symmetric Ti/Au bi-layer point electrodes have been successfully patterned on theβ-Ga;O;films which are prepared by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD)and theγ-Cu I films which are prepared by spin-coating.The fabricated heterojunction has a large open circuit voltage(Voc)of 0.69 V,desired for achieving self-powered operation of a photodetector.Irradiated by 254-nm ultraviolet(UV)light,when the bias voltage is-5 V,the dark current(Idark)of the device is 0.47 p A,the photocurrent(Iphoto)is-50.93 n A,and the photo-to-dark current ratio(Iphoto/Idark)reaches about 1.08×10;.The device has a stable and fast response speed in different wavelengths,the rise time(τr)and decay time(τd)are 0.762 s and 1.741 s under 254-nm UV light illumination,respectively.While theτr andτd are 10.709 s and7.241 s under 365-nm UV light illumination,respectively.The time-dependent(I–t)response(photocurrent in the order of10-10 A)can be clearly distinguished at a small light intensity of 1μW·cm;.The internal physical mechanism affecting the device performances is discussed by the band diagram and charge carrier transfer theory.     

High response Schottky ultraviolet photodetector formed by PEDOT:PSS transparent electrode contacts to Mg_(0.1)Zn_(0.9)O

In this paper, we report a Schottky ultraviolet photodetector based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene)poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS) transparent electrode contacts to Mg0.1Zn0.9O. The I–V characteristic curves of the device are measured in the dark condition and under the illumination of a 340-nm UV light. The device shows a typical rectifying behavior with a current rectification ratio of 103 at ±2 V, which exhibits a good Schottky behavior. The phototo-dark current ratio is high, which is 1×103at-4 V. A peak response of 0.156 A/W at 340 nm is observed. The device also exhibits a wide response from 250 nm to 340 nm, with a response larger than 0.1 A/W. It covers the UV-B region(280 nm–320 nm), which makes the device very suitable for the detection of UV-B light.     

Enhanced performance of a solar cell based on a layer-by-layer self-assembled luminescence down-shifting layer of core–shell quantum dots

In this paper, core–shell quantum dots(QDs) with two polar surface functional groups(ZnSe/ZnS–COOH QDs and ZnSe/ZnS–NH_2 QDs) are synthesized in an aqueous phase. Photoluminescence(PL) and absorption spectra clearly indicate luminescence down-shifting(LDS) properties. On the basis of QDs, surface functional group multilayer LDS films(MLDSs) are fabricated through an electrostatic layer-by-layer(LBL) self-assembly method. The PL intensity increases linearly with the number of bilayers, showing a regular and uniform film growth. When the M-LDS is placed on the surface of a Si-based solar cell as an optical conversion layer for the first time, the external quantum efficiency(EQE) and shortcircuit current density(Jsc) notably increases for the LDS process. The EQE response improves in a wavelength region extending from the UV region to the blue region, and its maximum increase reaches more than 15% between 350 nm and 460 nm.     

Degradation of current–voltage and low frequency noise characteristics under negative bias illumination stress in InZnO thin film transistors

The instabilities of indium–zinc oxide thin film transistors under bias and/or illumination stress are studied in this paper. Firstly, illumination experiments are performed, which indicates the variations of current–voltage characteristics and electrical parameters(such as threshold voltage and sub-threshold swing) are dominated by the stress-induced ionized oxygen vacancies and acceptor-like states. The dependence of degradation on light wavelength is also investigated. More negative shift of threshold voltage and greater sub-threshold swing are observed with the decrease of light wavelength.Subsequently, a negative bias illumination stress experiment is carried out. The degradation of the device is aggravated due to the decrease of recombination effects between ionized oxygen vacancies and free carriers. Moreover, the contributions of ionized oxygen vacancies and acceptor-like states are separated by using the mid-gap method. In addition, ionized oxygen vacancies are partially recombined at room temperature and fully recombined at high temperature. Finally, low-frequency noise is measured before and after negative bias illumination stress. Experimental results show few variations of the oxide trapped charges are generated during stress, which is consistent with the proposed mechanism.     

Negative gate bias stress effects on conduction and low frequency noise characteristics in p-type poly-Si thin-film transistors

The instability of p-channel low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors(poly-Si TFTs) is investigated under negative gate bias stress(NBS) in this work. Firstly, a series of negative bias stress experiments is performed, the significant degradation behaviors in current–voltage characteristics are observed. As the stress voltage decreases from-25 V to-37 V, the threshold voltage and the sub-threshold swing each show a continuous shift, which is induced by gate oxide trapped charges or interface state. Furthermore, low frequency noise(LFN) values in poly-Si TFTs are measured before and after negative bias stress. The flat-band voltage spectral density is extracted, and the trap concentration located near the Si/SiO_2 interface is also calculated. Finally, the degradation mechanism is discussed based on the current–voltage and LFN results in poly-Si TFTs under NBS, finding out that Si–OH bonds may be broken and form Si*and negative charge OH-under negative bias stress, which is demonstrated by the proposed negative charge generation model.     

High-performing silicon-based germanium Schottky photodetector with ITO transparent electrode

A near-infrared germanium(Ge)Schottky photodetector(PD)with an ultrathin silicon(Si)barrier enhancement layer between the indium-doped tin oxide(ITO)electrode and Ge epilayer on Si or silicon-on-insulator(SOI)is proposed and fabricated.The well-behaved ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky junctions without intentional doping process for the Ge epilayer are formed on the Si and SOI substrates.The Si-and SOI-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PDs exhibit low dark current densities of 33 mA/cm2 and 44 mA/cm2,respectively.Benefited from the high transmissivity of ITO electrode and the reflectivity of SOI substrate,an optical responsivity of 0.19 A/W at 1550 nm wavelength is obtained for the SOI-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PD.These complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor(CMOS)compatible Si(or SOI)-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PDs are quite useful for detecting near-infrared wavelengths with high efficiency.     

Performance improvement of 4H-SiC PIN ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes with different intrinsic layer thicknesses

Four 4H-SiCp–i–n ultraviolet(UV) avalanche photodiode(APD) samples PIN-0.1, PIN-0.35, PIN-0.5, and PIN-1.0 with different intrinsic layer thicknesses(0.1 μm, 0.35 μm, 0.5 μm, and 1.0 μm, respectively) are designed and fabricated.Single photon detection efficiency(SPDE) performance becomes better as the intrinsic layer thickness increases, which is attributed to the inhibitation of tunneling.Dark count origin is also investigated, an activation energy as small as 0.22 eV of the dark count rate(DCR) confirms that the trap-assisted tunneling(TAT) process is the main source of DCR.The temperature coefficient ranges from-2.6 mV/℃ to 18.3 mV/℃, demonstrating that the TAT process is dominant in APDs with thinner intrinsic layers.Additionally, the room temperature maximum quantum efficiency at 280 nm differs from 48% to 65% for PIN-0.35, PIN-0.5, and PIN-1.0 under 0 V bias, and UV/visible rejection ratios higher than 104 are obtained.     

Gate-modulated generation–recombination current in n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor

Gate-modulated generation–recombination（GMGR） current IGMGRinduced by the interface traps in an n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor（n MOSFET） is investigated. The generation current is found to expand rightwards with increasing the reversed drain PN junction bias, and the recombination current is enhanced as the forward drain bias increases. The variations of IGMGRcurves are ascribed to the changes of the electron density and hole density at the interface, NSand PS, under the different drain bias voltages. Based on an analysis of the physical mechanism, the IGMGR model is set up by introducing two coefficients（m and t）. The coefficients m and t can modulate the curves widths and peak values. The simulated results under reverse mode and forward mode are obviously in agreement with the experimental results. This proves that this model can be applicable for generation current and recombination current and that the theory behind the model is reasonable. The details of the relevant mechanism are given in the paper.     

Dual-wavelength ultraviolet photodetector based on vertical(Al,Ga)N nanowires and graphene

Due to the wide application of UV-A(320 nm–400 nm) and UV-C(200 nm–280 nm) photodetectors, dual-wavelength(UV-A/UV-C) photodetectors are promising for future markets. A dual-wavelength UV photodetector based on vertical(Al,Ga)N nanowires and graphene has been demonstrated successfully, in which graphene is used as a transparent electrode.Both UV-A and UV-C responses can be clearly detected by the device, and the rejection ratio(R254 nm/R450 nm) exceeds35 times at an applied bias of-2 V. The short response time of the device is less than 20 ms. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of double ultraviolet responses has also been analyzed systematically. The dual-wavelength detections could mainly result from the appropriate ratio of the thicknesses and the enough energy band difference of(Al,Ga)N and Ga N sections.     

Fabrication and characterization of novel high-speed In GaAs/InP uni-traveling-carrier photodetector for high responsivity

A top-illuminated circular mesa uni-traveling-carrier photodetector(UTC-PD) is proposed in this paper. By employing Gaussian graded doping in In Ga As absorption layer and In P depleted layer, the responsivity and high speed response characteristics of the device are optimized simultaneously. The responsivity up to 1.071 A/W(the external quantum efficiency of 86%) is obtained at 1550 nm with a 40-μm diameter device under 10-V reverse bias condition. Meanwhile, the dark current of 7.874 n A and the 3-d B bandwidth of 11 GHz are obtained with the same device at a reverse bias voltage of3 V.     

Equivalent circuit model including magnetic and thermo sources for the thermo–magneto–electric coupling effect in magnetoelectric laminates

The nonlinear thermo–magneto–mechanical magnetostrictive constitutive and the linear thermo–mechanical-electric piezoelectric constitutive are adopted in this paper. The bias magnetic field and ambient temperature are equivalent to a magnetic source and a thermo source, respectively. An equivalent circuit, which contains a magnetic source and a thermo source at the input, for the thermo–magneto–electric coupling effect in magnetoelectric(ME) laminates, is established. The theoretical models of the output voltage and static ME coefficient for ME laminates can be derived from this equivalent circuit model. The predicted static ME coefficient versus temperature curves are in excellent agreement with the experimental data available both qualitatively and quantitatively. It confirms the validity of the proposed model. Then the models are adopted to predict variations in the output voltages and ME coefficients in the laminates under different ambient temperatures, bias magnetic fields, and the volume ratios of magnetostrictive phases. This shows that the output voltage increases with both increasing temperature and increasing volume ratio of magnetostrictive phases; the ME coefficient decreases with increasing temperature; the ME coefficient shows an initial sharp increase and then decreases slowly with the increase in the bias magnetic field, and there is an optimum volume ratio of magnetostrictive phases that maximize the ME coefficient.This paper can not only provide a new idea for the study of the thermo–magneto–electric coupling characteristics of ME laminates, but also provide a theoretical basis for the design and application of ME laminates, operating under different sensors.     

Flat-roof phenomenon of dynamic equilibrium phase in the negative bias temperature instability effect on a power MOSFET

The effect of the static negative bias temperature(NBT) stress on a p-channel power metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor(MOSFET) is investigated by experiment and simulation. The time evolution of the negative bias temperature instability(NBTI) degradation has the trend predicted by the reaction–diffusion(R–D) model but with an exaggerated time scale. The phenomena of the flat-roof section are observed under various stress conditions, which can be considered as the dynamic equilibrium phase in the R–D process. Based on the simulated results, the variation of the flat-roof section with the stress condition can be explained.     

Carrier transport and photoconductive gain mechanisms of AlGaN MSM photodetectors with high Al Content

We have fabricated the Al Ga N solar-blind ultraviolet metal–semiconductor–metal(MSM) photodetectors(PDs) with an Al composition of 0.55. The surface roughness and dislocations of the high-Al-content Al0.55 Ga0.45 N epitaxial layer are analyzed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The device exhibits high spectral responsivity and external quantum efficiency due to the photoconductive gain effect. The current reveals a strong dependence on high temperatures in the range of 4–10 V. Moreover, the Poole–Frenkel emission model and changing space charge regions are employed to explain the carrier transport and photoconductive gain mechanisms for the Al Ga N PD, respectively.     

Physical model for the exotic ultraviolet photo-conductivity of ZnO nanowire films

Employing a simple and efficient method of electro-chemical anodization,ZnO nanowire films are fabricated on Zn foil,and an ultraviolet(UV)sensor prototype is formed for investigating the electronic transport through back-to-back double junctions.The UV(365 nm)responses of surface-contacted ZnO film are provided by I–V measurement,along with the current evolution process by on/off of UV illumination.In this paper,the back-to-back metal–seconductor–metal(M–S–M)model is used to explain the electronic transport of a ZnO nanowire film based structure.A thermionic-field electron emission mechanism is employed to fit and explain the as-observed UV sensitive electronic transport properties of ZnO film with surface-modulation by oxygen and water molecular coverage.     

Impact of variations of threshold voltage and hold voltage of threshold switching selectors in 1S1R crossbar array

The impact of the variations of threshold voltage(Vth) and hold voltage(Vhold) of threshold switching(TS) selector in1 S1 R crossbar array is investigated. Based on ON/OFF state I–V curves measurements from a large number of Ag-filament TS selectors, Vthand Vholdare extracted and their variations distribution expressions are obtained, which are then employed to evaluate the impact on read process and write process in 32×32 1 S1 R crossbar array under different bias schemes. The results indicate that Vthand Vholdvariations of TS selector can lead to degradation of 1 S1 R array performance parameters,such as minimum read/write voltage, bit error rate(BER), and power consumption. For the read process, a small Vhold variation not only results in the minimum read voltage increasing but it also leads to serious degradation of BER. As the standard deviation of Vholdand Vthincreases, the BER and the power consumption of 1 S1 R crossbar array under 1/2 bias,1/3 bias, and floating scheme degrade, and the case under 1/2 bias tends to be more serious compared with other two schemes. For the write process, the minimum write voltage also increases with the variation of Vholdfrom small to large value. A slight increase of Vthstandard deviation not only decreases write power efficiency markedly but also increases write power consumption. These results have reference significance to understand the voltage variation impacts and design of selector properly.     

Indium doping effect on properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by sol–gel method

Pure ZnO and indium-doped ZnO(In–ZO) nanoparticles with concentrations of In ranging from 0 to 5% are synthesized by a sol–gel processing technique. The structural and optical properties of ZnO and In–ZO nanoparticles are characterized by different techniques. The structural study confirms the presence of hexagonal wurtzite phase and indicates the incorporation of In~(3+) ions at the Zn~(2+) sites. However, the optical study shows a high absorption in the UV range and an important reflectance in the visible range. The optical band gap of In–ZnO sample varies between 3.16 e V and 3.22 e V. The photoluminescence(PL) analysis reveals that two emission peaks appear: one is located at 381 nm corresponding to the near-band-edge(NBE) and the other is observed in the green region. The aim of this work is to study the effect of indium doping on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles.     

Effect of external electric field on crystalline structure and dielectric properties of Bi_(1.5)MgNb_(1.5)O_7 thin films

Bismuth-based cubic pyrochlore materials have attractive dielectric properties, especially dielectric tunability. The Bi_(1.5)MgNb_(1.5)O_7 ceramic samples were prepared by solid state reaction. The XRD results and SEM pictures prove the raw material are well mixed and co-fired and the BMN cubic pyrochlore is well crystallized, no second phase was found in the result. BMN thin film were fabricated by depositing BMN ceramic nanoparticles on the sapphire. The BMN thin film has a high dielectric tunability of 43% at a bias voltage of 1.5 MV/cm, with loss tangent lower than 0.009. A Raman study of BMN cubic pyrochlore reveals O′–A–O′and O–A–O bending modes contribute to 80% of dielectric permittivity,obstructing these modes such as applying external electric field can have apparent influence on dielectric constant. Berry Phase calculation results shows that A_2 O′tetrahedrons are more easy to distort under an external field. The A-site Mg have the highest displacement(0.765028 ?), followed by A-site Bi cations(0.346317 ?). Compared to zero-bias thin film,the biased one with A–O and A–O′bonds being stretched and external coulomb force applied on cations and anions, the dielectric constant under bias field dramatically decreased.     

Flexible electrically pumped random lasing from ZnO nanowires based on metal–insulator–semiconductor structure

Flexible electrically pumped random laser(RL) based on ZnO nanowires is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The ZnO nanowires each with a length of 5 μm and an average diameter of 180 nm are synthesized on flexible substrate(ITO/PET) by a simple hydrothermal method. No obvious visible defect-related-emission band is observed in the photoluminescence(PL) spectrum, indicating that the ZnO nanowires grown on the flexible ITO/PET substrate have few defects. In order to achieve electrically pumped random lasing with a lower threshold, the metal–insulator–semiconductor(MIS) structure of Au/SiO_2/ZnO on ITO/PET substrate is fabricated by low temperature process. With sufficient forward bias, the as-fabricated flexible device exhibits random lasing, and a low threshold current of ～ 11.5 m A and high luminous intensity are obtained from the ZnO-based random laser. It is believed that this work offers a case study for developing the flexible electrically pumped random lasing from ZnO nanowires.