No Arabic abstract
This paper describes both an experimental methodology based on the Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) technique and the relevant interpretative model, which were adopted to characterize the electronic features of power diodes. IBIC spectra were acquired using different proton energies (from 1.2 to 2.0 MeV), angles of incidence, and applied bias voltages. The modulation of the ion probe range, combined with the modulation of the extensions of the depletion layer, allowed the charge collection efficiency scale to be accurately calibrated, the dead layer beneath the thick (6 micrometer) Al electrode and the minority carrier lifetime to be measured. The analysis was performed by using a simplified model extracted from the basic IBIC theory, which proved to be suitable to interpret the behaviour of the IBIC spectra as a function of all the experimental conditions and to characterize the devices, both for what concerns the electrostatics and the recombination processes.
This paper reports on the investigation of the electronic properties of a thin film CdS/CdTe solar cell with the Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) technique. The device under test is a thin film (total thickness around 10 um) multilayer heterojunction solar cell, displaying an efficiency of 14% under AM1.5 illumination conditions. The IBIC measurements were carried out using focused 3.150 MeV He ions raster scanned onto the surface of the back electrode. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) maps show inhomogeneous response of the cell to be attributed to the polycrystalline nature of the CdTe bulk material. Finally, the evolution of the IBIC signal vs. the ion fluence was studied in order to evaluate the radiation hardness of the CdS/CdTe solar cells in view of their use in solar modules for space applications.
In the last two decades we have assisted to a rush towards finding a He3-replacing technology capable of detecting neutrons emitted from fissile isotopes. The demand stems from applications like nuclear war-head screening or preventing illicit traffic of radiological materials. Semiconductor detectors stand among the stronger contenders, particularly those based on materials possessing a wide band gap like silicon carbide. We review the workings of SiC-based neutron detectors, along with several issues related to material properties, device fabrication and testing. The paper summarizes the experimental and theoretical work carried out within the E-SiCure project, co-funded by the NATO SPS Programme. Among the achievements, we have the development of successful Schottky barrier based detectors and the identification of the main carrier life-time-limiting defects in the SiC active areas, either already present in pristine devices or introduced upon exposure to radiation fields. The physical processes involved in neutron detection are described. Material properties as well as issues related to epitaxial growth and device fabrication are addressed. The presence of defects in as-grown material, as well as those introduced by ionizing radiation are reported. We finally describe several experiments carried out at the Jozef Stefan Institute TRIGA Mark II reactor (Ljubljana, Slovenia), where a set of SiC-based neutron detectors were tested, some of which being equipped with a thermal neutron converter layer. We show that despite the existence of large room for improvement, Schottky barrier diodes based on state-of-the-art 4H-SiC are closing the gap regarding the sensitivity offered by gas-based and that of semiconductor detectors.
The transport properties of a 4H-SiC Schottky diode have been investigated by the Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) technique in lateral geometry through the analysis of the charge collection efficiency (CCE) profile at a fixed applied reverse bias voltage. The cross section of the sample orthogonal to the electrodes was irradiated by a rarefied 4 MeV proton microbeam and the charge pulses have been recorded as function of incident proton position with a spatial resolution of 2 um. The CCE profile shows a broad plateau with CCE values close to 100% occurring at the depletion layer, whereas in the neutral region, the exponentially decreasing profile indicates the dominant role played by the diffusion transport mechanism. Mapping of charge pulses was accomplished by a novel computational approach, which consists in mapping the Gunns weighting potential by solving the electrostatic problem by finite element method and hence evaluating the induced charge at the sensing electrode by a Monte Carlo method. The combination of these two computational methods enabled an exhaustive interpretation of the experimental profiles and allowed an accurate evaluation both of the electrical characteristics of the active region (e.g. electric field profiles) and of basic transport parameters (i. e. diffusion length and minority carrier lifetime).
In order to evaluate the charge collection efficiency (CCE) profile of single-crystal diamond devices based on a p type/intrinsic/metal configuration, a lateral Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) analysis was performed over their cleaved cross sections using a 2 MeV proton microbeam. CCE profiles in the depth direction were extracted from the cross-sectional maps at variable bias voltage. IBIC spectra relevant to the depletion region extending beneath the frontal Schottky electrode show a 100% CCE, with a spectral resolution of about 1.5%. The dependence of the width of the high efficiency region from applied bias voltage allows the constant residual doping concentration of the active region to be evaluated. The region where the electric field is absent shows an exponentially decreasing CCE profile, from which it is possible to estimate the diffusion length of the minority carriers by means of a drift-diffusion model.
We developed a table-top vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser with $113.778$nm wavelength (10.897eV) and demonstrated its viability as a photon source for high resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). This sub-nanosecond pulsed VUV laser operates at a repetition rate of 10MHz, provides a flux of 2$times$10$^{12}$ photons/second, and enables photoemission with energy and momentum resolutions better than 2meV and 0.012AA$^{-1}$, respectively. Space-charge induced energy shifts and spectral broadenings can be reduced below 2meV. The setup reaches electron momenta up to 1.2AA$^{-1}$, granting full access to the first Brillouin zone of most materials. Control over the linear polarization, repetition rate, and photon flux of the VUV source facilitates ARPES investigations of a broad range of quantum materials, bridging the application gap between contemporary low energy laser-based ARPES and synchrotron-based ARPES. We describe the principles and operational characteristics of this source, and showcase its performance for rare earth metal tritellurides, high temperature cuprate superconductors and iron-based superconductors.