Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing Commons^™

Reinventing Integrated Photonic Devices And Circuits For High Performance Communication And Computing Applications, Venkata Sai Praneeth Karempudi

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The long-standing technological pillars for computing systems evolution, namely Moore's law and Von Neumann architecture, are breaking down under the pressure of meeting the capacity and energy efficiency demands of computing and communication architectures that are designed to process modern data-centric applications related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Internet-of-Things (IoT). In response, both industry and academia have turned to 'more-than-Moore' technologies for realizing hardware architectures for communication and computing. Fortunately, Silicon Photonics (SiPh) has emerged as one highly promising ‘more-than-Moore’ technology. Recent progress has enabled SiPh-based interconnects to outperform traditional electrical interconnects, offering advantages like high bandwidth density, …

A Phase Change Memory And Dram Based Framework For Energy-Efficient And High-Speed In-Memory Stochastic Computing, Supreeth Mysore

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have proven to be highly effective in various fields related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). However, the significant computational and memory requirements of CNNs make their processing highly compute and memory-intensive. In particular, the multiply-accumulate (MAC) operation, which is a fundamental building block of CNNs, requires enormous arithmetic operations. As the input dataset size increases, the traditional processor-centric von-Neumann computing architecture becomes ill-suited for CNN-based applications. This results in exponentially higher latency and energy costs, making the processing of CNNs highly challenging.

To overcome these challenges, researchers have explored the Processing-In Memory (PIM) …

Fabrication And Simulation Of Perovskite Solar Cells, Maniell Workman

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Since the dawning of the industrial revolution, the world has had a need for mass energy production. In the 1950s silicon solar panels were invented. Silicon solar panels have been the main source of solar energy production. They have set the standard for power conversion efficiency for subsequent generations of photovoltaic technology. Solar panels utilize light’s ability to generate an electron hole pair. By creating a PN Junction in the photovoltaic semiconductor, the electron and hole are directed in opposing layers of the solar panel generating the electric current. Second generation solar panels utilized different thin film materials to fabricate …

Rapid Prototyping Of Nanostructures With Electron Beam Induced Processing, Samaneh Esfandiarpour

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Focused electron beam induced processing (FEBIP) is a nano-scale fabrication technique that allows the direct deposition of functional materials. However, it suffers from significant drawbacks, such as high cost, low speed, unavailable precursors for many materials and low purity of deposits. Liquid-phase focused electron beam induced processes (LP-FEBIP) are being investigated due to the potential benefits over the gas phase technique. In this method, deposition or etching occurs at the interface between a substrate and a bulk liquid. In this work, electron beam induced deposition of copper nanostructures from aqueous solutions of copper sulfate is demonstrated. The addition of sulfuric …

Investigation Of Host Nanotube Parameters For Enhancing The Performance Of Nanostructured Cds-Cdte Solar Cells, Deepak Kumar

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effects of host nanotube parameters (pore diameter and pitch for different CdS coverages) and CdTe doping density on device performance in nanowire CdS/ CdTe solar cells using SCAPS-1D. This research finds the optimum values for these parameters in order to achieve the highest efficiency. Experimentally the effect of anodization voltage and fluoride ion concentration on the pore diameter and the pitch are studied for the Titania nanotubes host. It is observed that in the range of 0.3 mL to 2 mL of ammonium fluoride content, pore diameter and the pitch of the Titania …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Planar-Structure Perovskite Solar Cells, Guoduan Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Currently organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is one kind of promising photovoltaic technology due to low production cost, easy fabrication method and high power conversion efficiency.

Charge transport layers are found to be critical for device performance and stability. A traditional electron transport layer (ETL), such as TiO₂ (Titanium dioxide), is not very efficient for charge extraction at the interface. Compared with TiO₂, SnO₂ (Tin (IV) Oxide) possesses several advantages such as higher mobility and better energy level alignment. In addition, PSCs with planar structure can be processed at lower temperature compared to PSCs with …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells, Hojjatollah Sarvari

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Solar energy as the most abundant source of energy is clean, non-pollutant, and completely renewable, which provides energy security, independence, and reliability. Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) revolutionized the photovoltaics field not only by showing high efficiency of above 22% in just a few years but also by providing cheap and facile fabrication methods.

In this dissertation, fabrication of PSCs in both ambient air conditions and environmentally controlled N₂-filled glove-box are studied. Several characterization methods such as SEM, XRD, EDS, Profilometry, four-point probe measurement, EQE, and current-voltage measurements were employed to examine the quality of thin films …

Parameters Affecting The Resistivity Of Lp-Ebid Deposited Copper Nanowires, Gabriel Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electron Beam Induced Deposition (EBID) is a direct write fabrication process with applications in circuit edit and debug, mask repair, and rapid prototyping. However, it suffers from significant drawbacks, most notably low purity. Work over the last several years has demonstrated that deposition from bulk liquid precursors, rather than organometallic gaseous precursors, results in high purity deposits of low resistivity (LPEBID). In this work, it is shown that the deposits resulting from LP-EBID are only highly conductive when deposited at line doses below 25μC/cm. When the dose exceeds this value, the resulting structure is highly porous providing a poor conductive …

Analysis And Simulation Of Photovoltaic Systems Incorporating Battery Energy Storage, Oluwaseun M. Akeyo

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Solar energy is an abundant renewable source, which is expected to play an increasing role in the grid's future infrastructure for distributed generation. The research described in the thesis focuses on the analysis of integrating multi-megawatt photovoltaics (PV) systems with battery energy storage into the existing grid and on the theory supporting the electrical operation of components and systems. The PV system is divided into several sections, each having its own DC-DC converter for maximum power point tracking and a two-level grid connected inverter with different control strategies. The functions of the battery are explored by connecting it to the …

Modelling Of The Nanowire Cds-Cdte Device Design For Enhanced Quantum Efficiency In Window-Absorber Type Solar Cells, Rasika Ganvir

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Numerical simulations of current-voltage characteristics of nanowire CdS/CdTe solar cells are performed as a function of temperature using SCAPS-1D. This research compares the experimental current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with the numerical (I-V) simulations obtained from SCAPS-1D at various temperatures. Various device parameters were studied which can affect the efficiency of the nanowire-CdS/CdTe solar cell. It was observed that the present simulated model explains the important effects of these solar cell devices, such as the crossover and the rollover effect. It was shown that the removal of defect in i-SnO2 is responsible for producing the crossover effect. In the past, the rollover …

Electron Beam Induced Deposition Of Highly Conductive Copper Nanowires From Bulk Liquids, Amjad M. Syam

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electron-beam induced deposition (EBID) is a position-controlled technique that can directly fabricate nanometer-sized structures in functional materials. In the standard process, a gaseous precursor delivers the desired substance to the substrate for deposition. However, the material purity from these precursors is typically poor, which often negatively affects the functional properties of the deposit. Recently, bulk liquid precursors have been investigated as promising reactants for high purity deposition without the need for post-processing. In this work, EBID from bulk liquids is shown to yield highly conductive nanowire deposits. Aqueous solutions containing copper sulfate (CuSO₄) and sulfuric acid (H_{2 …}

Nanostructured Semiconductor Device Design In Solar Cells, Hongmei Dang

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

We demonstrate the use of embedded CdS nanowires in improving spectral transmission loss and the low mechanical and electrical robustness of planar CdS window layer and thus enhancing the quantum efficiency and the reliability of the CdS-CdTe solar cells. CdS nanowire window layer enables light transmission gain at 300nm-550nm. A nearly ideal spectral response of quantum efficiency at a wide spectrum range provides an evidence for improving light transmission in the window layer and enhancing absorption and carrier generation in absorber. Nanowire CdS/CdTe solar cells with Cu/graphite/silver paste as back contacts, on SnO₂/ITO-soda lime glass substrates, yield the …

Investigation Of Gate Dielectric Materials And Dielectric/Silicon Interfaces For Metal Oxide Semiconductor Devices, Lei Han

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The progress of the silicon-based complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology is mainly contributed to the scaling of the individual component. After decades of development, the scaling trend is approaching to its limitation, and there is urgent needs for the innovations of the materials and structures of the MOS devices, in order to postpone the end of the scaling. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides precise control of the deposited thin film at the atomic scale, and has wide application not only in the MOS technology, but also in other nanostructures. In this dissertation, I study rapid thermal processing (RTP) treatment of thermally grown …

Measurement And Modeling Of Humidity Sensors, Jingbo Tong

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Humidity measurement has been increasingly important in many industries and process control applications. This thesis research focus mainly on humidity sensor calibration and characterization. The humidity sensor instrumentation is briefly described. The testing infrastructure was designed for sensor data acquisition, in order to compensate the humidity sensor’s temperature coefficient, temperature chambers using Peltier elements are used to achieve easy-controllable stable temperatures. The sensor characterization falls into a multivariate interpolation problem. Neuron networks is tried for non-linear data fitting, but in the circumstance of limited training data, an innovative algorithm was developed to utilize shape preserving polynomials in multiple planes in …

A Multi-Physics Computational Approach To Simulating Thz Photoconductive Antennas With Comparison To Measured Data And Fabrication Of Samples, Darren Ray Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The frequency demands of radiating systems are moving into the terahertz band with potential applications that include sensing, imaging, and extremely broadband communication. One commonly used method for generating and detecting terahertz waves is to excite a voltage-biased photoconductive antenna with an extremely short laser pulse. The pulsed laser generates charge carriers in a photoconductive substrate which are swept onto the metallic antenna traces to produce an electric current that radiates or detects a terahertz band signal. Therefore, analysis of a photoconductive antenna requires simultaneous solutions of both semiconductor physics equations (including drift-diffusion and continuity relations) and Maxwell’s equations. A …

Copper Indium Diselenide Nanowire Arrays In Alumina Membranes Deposited On Molybdenum And Other Back Contact Substrates, Bhavananda R. Nadimpally

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Heterojunctions of CuInSe₂ (CIS) nanowires with cadmium sulfide (CdS) were fabricated demonstrating for the first time, vertically aligned nanowires of CIS in the conventional Mo/CIS/CdS stack. These devices were studied for their material and electrical characteristics to provide a better understanding of the transport phenomena governing the operation of heterojunctions involving CIS nanowires. Removal of several key bottlenecks was crucial in achieving this. For example, it was found that to fabricate alumina membranes on molybdenum substrates, a thin interlayer of tungsten had to be inserted. A qualitative model was proposed to explain the difficulty in fabricating anodized aluminum oxide …

Multi-Mode Self-Referencing Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors, Jing Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) sensors are widely used in biological, chemical, medical, and environmental sensing. This dissertation describes the design and development of dual-mode, self-referencing SPR sensors supporting two surface-plasmon modes (long- and short-range) which can differentiate surface binding interactions from bulk index changes at a single sensing location. Dual-mode SPR sensors have been optimized for surface limit of detection (LOD). In a wavelength interrogated optical setup, both surface plasmons are simultaneously excited at the same location and incident angle but at different wavelengths. To improve the sensor performance, a new approach to dual-mode SPR sensing is presented that offers improved differentiation …

Materials Selection And Processing Techniques For Small Spacecraft Solar Cell Arrays, Naseem M. Torabi

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Body mounted germanium substrate solar cell arrays form the faces of many small satellite designs to provide the primary power source on orbit. High efficiency solar cells are made affordable for university satellite programs as triangular devices trimmed from wafer scale solar cells. The smaller cells allow array designs to pack tightly around antenna mounts and payload instruments, giving the board design flexibility. One objective of this work is to investigate the reliability of solar cells attached to FR-4 printed circuit boards. FR-4 circuit boards have significantly higher thermal expansion coefficients and lower thermal conductivities than germanium. This thermal expansion …

Investigation Of Cds Nanowires And Planar Films For Enhanced Performance As Window Layers In Cds-Cdte Solar Cell Devices, Jianhao Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are two leading semiconductor materials used in the fabrication of thin film solar cells of relatively high power conversion efficiency and low manufacturing cost. In this work, CdS/CdTe solar cells with a varying set of processing parameters and device designs were fabricated and characterized for comparative evaluation. Studies were undertaken to elucidate the effects of (i) each step in fabrication and (ii) parameters like thickness, sheet resistance, light absorptivity solution concentration, inert gas pressure etc. Best results were obtained when the thickness of CdS planar film for the window layer was in the …

Feedback Control For Electron Beam Lithography, Yugu Yang

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Scanning-electron-beam lithography (SEBL) is the primary technology to generate arbitrary features at the nano-scale. However, pattern placement accuracy still remains poor compared to its resolution due to the open-loop nature of SEBL systems. Vibration, stray electromagnetic fields, deflection distortion and hysteresis, substrate charging, and other factors prevent the electron-beam from reaching its target position and one has no way to determine the actual beam position during patterning with conventional systems. To improve the pattern placement accuracy, spatial-phase-locked electron-beam lithography (SPLEBL) provides feedback control of electron-beam position by monitoring the secondary electron signal from electron-transparent fiducial grids on the substrate. While …