The authors demonstrate readout of electrically detected magnetic resonance at radio frequencies by means of an LCR tank circuit. Applied to a silicon field-effect transistor at milli-kelvin temperatures, this method shows a 25-fold increased signal-to-noise ratio of the conduction band electron spin resonance and a higher operational bandwidth of > 300 kHz compared to the kHz bandwidth of conventional readout techniques. This increase in temporal resolution provides a method for future direct observations of spin dynamics in the electrical device characteristics.
Continuous wave optically and electrically detected magnetic resonance spectroscopy (cwODMR/cwEDMR) allow the investigation of paramagnetic states involved in spin-dependent transitions, like recombination and transport. Although experimentally similar to conventional electron spin resonance (ESR), there exist limitations when applying models originally developed for ESR to observables (luminescence and electric current) of cwODMR and cwEDMR. Here we present closed-form solutions for the modulation frequency dependence of cwODMR and cwEDMR based on an intermediate pair recombination model and discuss ambiguities which arise when attempting to distinguish the dominant spin-dependent processes underlying experimental data. These include: 1) a large number of quantitatively different models cannot be differentiated, 2) signs of signals are determined not only by recombination, but also by other processes like dissociation, intersystem-crossing, pair generation, and even experimental parameter such as, modulation frequency, microwave power, and temperature, 3) radiative and non-radiative recombination cannot be distinguished due to the observed signs of cwODMR and cwEDMR experiments.
The investigation of paramagnetic species (such as point defects, dopants, and impurities) in solid-state electronic devices is significant because of their effect on device performance. Conventionally, these species are detected and imaged using the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. In many instances, ESR is not sensitive enough to deal with miniature devices having small numbers of paramagnetic species and high spatial heterogeneity. This limitation can in principle be overcome by employing a more sensitive method called electrically-detected magnetic resonance, which is based on measuring the effect of paramagnetic species on the electric current of the device while inducing electron spin-flip transitions. However, up until now, measurement of the current of the device could not reveal the spatial heterogeneity of its paramagnetic species. We provide here, for the first time, high resolution microimages of paramagnetic species in operating solar cells obtained through electrically-detected magnetic resonance. The method is based on unique microwave pulse sequences for excitation and detection of the electrical signal under a static magnetic field and powerful pulsed magnetic field gradients that spatially encode the electrical current of the sample. The approach developed here can be widely used in the nondestructive three-dimensional inspection and characterization of paramagnetic species in a variety of electronic devices.
We show that in pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance (pEDMR) signal modulation in combination with a lock-in detection scheme can reduce the low-frequency noise level by one order of magnitude and in addition removes the microwave-induced non-resonant background. This is exemplarily demonstrated for spin-echo measurements in phosphorus-doped Silicon. The modulation of the signal is achieved by cycling the phase of the projection pulse used in pEDMR for the read-out of the spin state.
We present the design and implementation of a scanning probe microscope, which combines electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) and (photo-)conductive atomic force microscopy ((p)cAFM). The integration of a 3-loop 2-gap X-band microwave resonator into an AFM allows the use of conductive AFM tips as a movable contact for EDMR experiments. The optical readout of the AFM cantilever is based on an infrared laser to avoid disturbances of current measurements by absorption of straylight of the detection laser. Using amorphous silicon thin film samples with varying defect densities, the capability to detect a spatial EDMR contrast is demonstrated. Resonant current changes as low as 20 fA can be detected, allowing the method to realize a spin sensitivity of 8*10^6 spins/Hz^0.5 at room temperature.
SiC based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have gained a significant importance in power electronics applications. However, electrically active defects at the SiC/SiO$_2$ interface degrade the ideal behavior of the devices. The relevant microscopic defects can be identified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) or electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR). This helps to decide which changes to the fabrication process will likely lead to further increases of device performance and reliability. EDMR measurements have shown very similar dominant hyperfine (HF) spectra in differently processed MOSFETs although some discrepancies were observed in the measured $g$-factors. Here, the HF spectra measured of different SiC MOSFETs are compared and it is argued that the same dominant defect is present in all devices. A comparison of the data with simulated spectra of the C dangling bond (P$_textrm{bC}$) center and the silicon vacancy (V$_textrm{Si}$) demonstrates that the P$_textrm{bC}$ center is a more suitable candidate to explain the observed HF spectra.