Semiconductor and Optical Materials Commons^™

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Copper Indium Sulfide And Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystals And Their Applications In Photodetectors, Zachary T. Bever

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Semiconductor nanocrystals are a topic of much interest in electrical engineering. Their use has been explored for many applications. This paper investigates the synthesis and characterization of CuInS2 and CdSe nanocrystals. As the nanocrystals were left in reaction for increasing amounts of time, the bandgap of the material decreased as the nanocrystal size increased due to the quantum confinement effect. The CdSe nanocrystals were then investigated in a photodetector application which achieved a detectivity on the order of 10^9 cmHz^(1/2)W^(-1).

Fabrication And Characterization Of Amorphous/Nanocrystalline Thin Film Composite, Benjamin Seth Newton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Combining the absorption abilities of amorphous silicon and the electron transport capabilities of crystalline silicon would be a great advantage to not only solar cells but other semiconductor devices. In this work composite films were created using molecular beam epitaxy and electron beam deposition interchangeably as a method to create metallic precursors. Aluminum induced crystallization techniques were used to convert an amorphous silicon film with a capping layer of aluminum nanodots into a film composed of a mixture of amorphous silicon and nanocrystalline silicon. This layer was grown into the amorphous layer by cannibalizing a portion of the amorphous silicon …

Investigation Of The Effects Of Rapid Thermal Annealing On Mbe Grown Gaasbi/Gaas Heterostructures For Optoelectronic Devices, Perry C. Grant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High efficiency optoelectronic devices rely on high quality materials making up the device structure. The scope of this thesis investigates the effectiveness of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at improving the material quality of GaAsBi/GaAs heterostructures. During the fabrication of a device, the contacts of the device had the rapid thermal annealing process accomplished to produce ohmic contacts and this research explored if this annealing treatment degraded the quantum wells that made up the active region of a device. To investigate these effects, a system to measure the photoluminescence of the material system was constructed utilizing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The …

Zinc Oxide Nanorod Based Ultraviolet Detectors With Wheatstone Bridge Design, Arun Vasudevan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research work, for the first time, investigated metal semiconductor-metal (MSM) zine oxide (ZnO) nanorod based ultra-violet (UV) detectors having a Wheatstone bridge design with a high

responsivity at room temperature and above, as well as a responsivity that was largely independent of the change in ambient conditions. The ZnO nanorods which acted as the sensing element of the detector were grown by a chemical growth technique. Studies were conducted to determine the effects on ZnO nanorod properties by varying the concentration of the chemicals used for the rod growth. These studies showed how the rod diameter and the deposition …

Monodentate, Bidentate And Photocrosslinkable Thiol Ligands For Improving Aqueous Biocompatible Quantum Dots, Hiroko Takeuchi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water-soluble Quantum Dots (QDs) are highly sensitive fluorescent probes that are often used to study biological species. One of the most common ways to render QDs water-soluble for such applications is to apply hydrophilic thiolated ligands to the QD surface. However, these ligands are labile and can be easily exchanged on the QD surface, which can severely limit their application. As one way to overcome this limitation while maintaining a small colloidal size of QDs, we developed a method to stabilize hydrophilic thiolated ligands on the surface of QDs through the formation of a crosslinked shell using a photocrosslinking approach. …

Iii-V Bismide Optoelectronic Devices, Dongsheng Fan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores modeling, molecular beam epitaxy growth, and fabrication of III-V bismide optoelectronic devices, which are of great importance in modern applications of telecommunication, gas sensing, environment monitoring, etc. In the current room-temperature continuous-wave operational GaSb-based type-I InGaAsSb/AlGaInAsSb quantum well laser diodes in 3-4 um mid-wavelength range, the lasing wavelength and performance of the devices are limited due to the lack of hole confinement in the active regions. In this dissertation, a novel GaSb-based GaInAsSbBi material is proposed to replace the conventional InGaAsSb material in the quantum well region, which enables the laser diodes achieve up to 4 µm …

Device Characterization And Compact Modeling Of The Sige Hbt In Extreme Temperature Environments, Beth Olivia Woods

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The silicon germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor, SiGe HBT, has very high frequency response but limited voltage range. Commercial communication applications in wireless and system integration have driven the development of the SiGe HBT. However, the device's excellent electrical performance goes beyond the commercial environment. The SiGe HBT performs exceptionally at low temperatures. The device DC current gain and AC small-signal gain significantly increase in the cryogenic temperature range. Applications at low temperatures with expansive temperature range specifications need an HBT compact model to accurately represent the device's performance.

In this work, a compact model referenced at 300K was developed to …

A Silicon Carbide Based Solid-State Fault Current Limiter For Modern Power Distribution Systems, Erik Darnell Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fault current limiter represents a developing technology which will greatly improve the reliability and stability of the power grid. By reducing the magnitude of fault currents in distribution systems, fault current limiters can alleviate much of the damage imposed by these events. Solid-state fault current limiters in particular offer many improved capabilities in comparison to the power system protection equipment which is currently being used for fault current mitigation. The use of silicon carbide power semiconductor devices in solid-state fault current limiters produces a system that would help to advance the infrastructure of the electric grid.

A solid-state fault …

Semiconductor Nanocrystals: From Quantum Dots To Quantum Disks, Zheng Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The bottom-up colloidal synthesis opened up the possibility of finely tuning and tailoring the semiconductor nanocrystals. Numerous recipes were developed for the preparation of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, especially the traditional quantum dots. However, due to the lack of thorough understanding to those systems, the synthesis chemistry is still on the empirical level. CdS quantum dots synthesis in non-coordinating solvent were taken as a model system to investigate its molecular mechanism and formation process, ODE was identified as the reducing agent for the preparation of CdS nanocrystals, non-injection and low-temperature synthesis methods developed. In this model system, we not only proved …

A Silicon Carbide Linear Voltage Regulator For High Temperature Applications, Javier Antonio Valle Mayorga

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current market demands have pushed the capabilities of silicon to the edge. High temperature and high power applications require a semiconductor device to operate reliably in very harsh environments. This situation has awakened interests in other types of semiconductors, usually with a higher bandgap than silicon's, as the next venue for the fabrication of integrated circuits (IC) and power devices. Silicon Carbide (SiC) has so far proven to be one of the best options in the power devices field.

This dissertation presents the first attempt to fabricate a SiC linear voltage regulator. This circuit would provide a power management option …

Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth Of Indium Nitride For Future Device Fabrication, Steven Paul Minor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need for energy conservation has heightened the search for new materials that can reduce energy consumption or produce energy by the means of photovoltaic cells. III-nitride alloys show promise for these applications due to their generally good transport properties and ability to withstand high power applications. Along with these, this family of semiconductor alloys has a direct bandgap energy range (0.7-6.2 eV) which spans the entire visible spectrum and encompasses a large portion of the available solar spectrum. Of the three root III-nitride semiconductors, AlN, GaN, and InN, InN has only recently become attainable epitaxially with qualities good enough …

Mott Transition And Electronic Structure In Complex Oxide Heterostructures, Jian Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Strongly correlated electron systems, particularly transition metal oxides, have been a focus of condensed matter physics for more than two decades since the discovery of high-temperature superconducting cuprates. Diverse competing phases emerge, spanning from exotic magnetism to unconventional superconductivity, in proximity to the localized-itinerant transition of Mott insulators. While studies were concentrated on bulk crystals, the recent rapid advance in synthesis has enabled fabrication of high-quality oxide heterostructures, offering a new route to create novel artificial quantum materials.

This dissertation details the investigation on ultrathin films and heterostructures of 3d⁷(t_2g⁶e_g¹) systems with …

Fabrication Of Vertical Silicon Nanowires Through Metal Assisted Deposition, Matthew Garett Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Controlled and ordered growth of Si nanowires through a low temperature fabrication method compatible with CMOS processing lines is a highly desirable replacement to future electronic fabrication technologies as well as a candidate for a low cost route to inexpensive photovoltaics. This stems from the fact that traditional CMOS based electronics are hitting physical barriers that are slowing the Moore's Law trend as well as the demand for an inexpensive solar cell technology that can obtain grid parity. A fractional factorial growth study is presented that compares the growth of Au and Al catalyzed Si nanowires at temperatures ranging from …

Fabrication Of Horizontal Silicon Nanowires Using A Thin Aluminum Film As A Catalyst, Khaja Hafeezuddin Mohammed

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon nanowires have been the topic of research in recent years for their significant attention from the electronics industry to grow even smaller electronic devices. The semiconductor industry is built on silicon. Silicon nanowires can be the building blocks for future nanoelectronic devices. Various techniques have also been reported in fabricating the silicon nanowires. But most of the techniques reported, grow vertical silicon nanowires. In the semiconductor industry, integrated circuits are designed and fabricated in a horizontal architecture i.e. the device layout is flat compared to the substrate. When vertical silicon nanowires are introduced in the semiconductor industry, a whole …

Photodetectors And Photovoltaic Devices Based On Semiconductor Nanomaterials, Jiang Wu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photodetectors based various nanostructures and plasmon enhanced solar cells are investigated in this dissertation. The motivation of the dissertation rise is driven by urgent need of both high efficiency photodetectors and solar cells.

First, quantum dot infrared photodetectors have been intensely investigated due to their promise in high performance photodetectors. However, the strain-driven growth of quantum dots has hindered the progress of quantum dot photodetectors. The presence of strain in the device presents complexity in designing as well as defects. Therefore, in this project, new designs of quantum dot photodetector structures are presented to improve the control over detection wavelength. …

Plasmonic Effect On The Photoluminescence Of Inas Quantum Dot Nanostructures, David Fryauf

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

New materials for thin film photovoltaic applications are being explored worldwide, and one of the most popular new implementations is the introduction of an intermediate band gap in the semiconductor energy structure. Careful manipulation of semiconductor lattice material can form nanostructures such as quantum dots, which can be tuned to control specific intermediate energy levels. The introduction of an intermediate band in photovoltaic devices has a theoretical potential sunlight-toelectricity efficiency of roughly 63%. However, a specific material challenge of these thin film devices is limited absorption of long wavelengths of light. To increase absorption of the sun's visible spectrum, plasmonic …

Morphology Of Ingaas Multilayer Nanostructure On Gaas High-Index Surfaces, Yanze Xie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work aimed to explore nanostructure configuration by growing multiple layers of strained InGaAs on GaAs high index surface. The knowledge learned would help to achieve a comprehensive picture of strain-driven nanostructure evolution. Ordered arrays of InGaAs quantum dots were demonstrated on GaAs(311)B. The ordering patterns depended on the thickness of GaAs interlayer between InGaAs Quantum Dots (QDs). With an increased interfacial thickness, a transition from two dimensional (2D) lateral ordering to 1D dot chains was observed. InGaAs growth on GaAs(311)A and GaAs(331)A ended up with 1D quantum wires (QWRs). Straight InGaAs QWRs were uniformly distributed across the surfaces owing …

Proton Irradiation Effects On Semiconductor Cdse/Zns Core/Shell Nanocrystals, Stephen Graham Charter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The absorbance and photoluminescence measurement of semiconductor CdSe/ZnS core shell nanocrystals were reviewed and investigated after they were exposed to proton irradiation. The CdSe/ZnS core shell nanocrystals of 3.2nm and 4.4nm were commercially purchased and investigated. These nanocrystals were embedded in UV resin. Proton irradiation of energy 2MeV was applied at doses from 3 x 1013 protons cm-2 to 1.47 x 1015 protons cm-2 for both nanocrystal sizes. Absorbance measurements were conducted at 300K. Results from absorbance measurements showed slight broadening of the first exciton peak of both samples but was most noticeable in the 3.2nm nanocrystal sample. UV resin …

Droplet Assisted Self-Assembly Of Semiconductor Nanostructures, Kimberly Annosha Sablon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is increasing interest in quantum dot (QD) structures for a plethora of applications, including optoelectronic devices, quantum computing and energy harvesting. While strain driven surface diffusion via stranski-krastanow (SK) method has been commonly used to fabricate these structures, a more recent technique, droplet epitaxy (DE) does not require mismatch strain and is therefore much more flexible in the combination of materials utilized for the formation of QDs.

As reported in this work, a hybrid approach that combines DE and SK techniques for realizing lateral ordering of QDs was explored. First, the droplet formation of various materials was discussed and …

Optical Properties Of Colloidal Core/Shell Nanocrystals, Abhishek Joshi

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recently, colloidal core/shell nanocrystals have found use in several applications such as solar cells, light emitting diodes, fluorescent dies, etc. In this thesis, optical properties of colloidal CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals were studied. The samples were prepared such that the nanocrystals were embedded in a UV curable resin. Once the samples were cured, they were placed in different spectrophotometers to measure the absorbance and the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The effect on the absorbance and PL spectra was investigated by using nanocrystal samples of different quantum dot sizes and by changing the temperature of the samples. It was found that the energy …

Development Of Low Temperature Alpha Alumina Coatings By Ac Magnetron Sputtering, Andrew Cloud

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alpha-phase aluminum oxide thin films were created using an Isoflux ICM-10 dual target inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering system using mid-frequency AC power supplies. Alpha alumina films were deposited at a magnetron power of 6 kW, 50% oxygen partial pressure by volume, and -35 V DC bias. Film thickness, substrate material, and position and orientation within the deposition chamber were varied. To ensure the deposition conditions are suitable for alloys, the substrate temperature was measured using temperature indicating liquids. The experimental results, supported by Explicit Euler numerical analysis, revealed a steady state temperature of ~480°C at 6kW. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) …

Growth Rate Calculations For Epitaxially Grown Thin Films, D. Bullock

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Stability And Optimization Of Photoconductivity In Thermally Vacuum Evaporated Indium (Iii) Sulfide Thin Films, Gustavo Rehder, Robert Engelken, Randy Stidham, Richard Tanner, Lee Ketchum, Anil Baral

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Long term stability of photosensitivity versus time in indium (III) sulfide thin films thermally vacuum evaporated onto photocell-patterned printed circuit boards varies sensitively with several factors including contact metal type, contact metal diffusion and electromigration into the semiconductor, doping, and encapsulation method. Because of the significant photoconductivity and relative low toxicity and environmental impact of this compound semiconductor, it is important to better characterize these dependences toward commercial applications. We will report on measurements of photoconductivity vs. time as functions of such factors and evolving methods to stabilize this photoconductivity.

Thin Film Deposition Of Silicon For Solar Cell Applications, Sailesh Kumar, Roger M. Hawk

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Thin films of silicon have been formed using a patented electrostatic deposition method which utilizes charged particle motion in an electric field. After deposition, the films are heat treated for varying times and temperatures in a programmable furnace maintained under a purified argon atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that these films were polycrystalline in nature. These films were found to have grain sizes of about 50 microns. Solar cells were fabricated using these large grained polycrystalline silicon films by sputtering pure gold as both front and back contacts. The cells have shown efficiencies of 1.8%. This paper reports on the …

Preparation Of Powder Precursors And Evaporation Of Photoconductive Indium Sulfide Films, Chris Barber, Robert Engelken, Brandon Kemp, Wasim Aleem, Imran Khan, Chris Edrington, Michael Buck, Clayton Workman, Anup Thapa, Tom Jakobs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We have demonstrated significant photoconductance in indium sulfide thin films prepared by thermal vacuum evaporation ofIn2$3 powders synthesized in-house by chemical precipitation ofInCl3 or In(CH3COO)3, and (NH4)2S or Na2S. The Delta G lambda/Gdark values have been as high as 0.1 in the initial unoptimized films. Excess sulfur (via a mixture of polysulfide and sulfide ions in the synthesis bath) appears to be important in achieving reproducible and large photoconductivities. In2S3 is particularly attractive as a lower toxicity alternative to CdS in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaic and photoconductive cells.

Molten Salt Electrolytes For Electrodeposition Of Cdte Films, Arif Raza, Robert Engelken, Brandon Kemp, Arees Siddiqui, Omer Mustafa

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We report preliminary investigation of several molten salt electrolytes containing CdCl2 and TeCl4 for the electrodeposition of CdTe films at temperatures well above (>250 °C) those used with aqueous and organic electrolytes. These high temperatures have potential todramatically increase the crystallite size (Poole, Engelken, et al., 1994), as is important for optoelectronic device applications of CdTe, a leading II-VIsemiconductor. This paper willsurvey the results obtained withelectrolytes such as B2O,/HBO2 (m.p. - 230'C), NaCH3COO (m.p. » 324°C), ZnCl2 (m.p. - 283*C), and LiCl/KCl (m.p. * 350 °C), with an emphasis on the latter two. Key material to be presented includes …

Diagnostics Of Cdte Electrodeposition By Rest Potential Voltammetry, Brandon Kemp, Robert Engelken, Arif Raza, Arees Siddiqui, Omer Mustafa

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Due to the extreme sensitivity of the partial elemental currents (i.e.,iCd, iTe) and, hence, stoichiometry to deposition voltage, temperature, mass transport, and ambient light intensity during electrodeposition of semiconductor films, it is important to implement in-situ methods for monitoring the stoichiometry and related semiconductor efficacy of the growing film. We report investigation of open circuit rest potential (Eoc) voltammetry as one such method during electrodeposition of CdTe from aprotic electrolytes such as ethylene glycol. Plots of transient open circuit potential versus sweep voltage exhibit distinct transition and plateau structures corresponding to Te, CdTe, and Cd phases and correlating with the …

Solid State Nmr Of Hydrogen In Thin Film Synthetic Diamond, G. Burnside, Roger M. Hawk, Richard A. Komoroski, W. D. Brown

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Thin film synthetic diamond promises to be the next semiconductor material, if the manufacturing processes which produce it can be controlled. Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) using magic angle spinning (MAS) is used to measure the content of hydrogen in diamond which controls the resistivity of the diamond thin films. Spectral results are presented for proton NMR of thin film synthetic diamond. Experimental calibration techniques using BaF2 as the hydrogen standard will be discussed, as well as acquisition times, pulsing sequences, spinning rates, and rotor composition.

Reaction Of Titanocene Dichloride With Acetylenedicarboxylate, Tanya L. Hagler, Mark Draganjac, Paul M. Nave, J. Ed Bennett, Farooq Kahn, Robert Engelken, Gerard Williams, Chris Poole, Kwok Fai Yu

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The reaction of Cp2TiCl2 with either the mono- or dipotassium salt of acetylenedicarboxylic acid (ADC) gives high yields of an insoluble orange product. The insoluble compound shows potential semiconductor behavior, as evidenced by an apparent bandgap in the orange region of the visible spectrum. Under N2 ,the compound decomposes at 238° C, eventually losing approximately 46% total mass up to 1350° C. The exothermic decomposition in air, beginning at 235° C, results in the formation of titanium oxides.

Tetraethylene Gycol-Based Electrolytes For High Temperature Electrodeposition Of Compound Semiconductors, Chris Poole, Robert Engelken, Brandon Kemp, Jason Brannen

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We report an investigation of tetraethylene glycol (TEG) solutions of chloride salts (CdCl2 ,TeCl4 ,and HgCl2 ) for electrodeposition of films of CdTe and Hg1.xCdxTe, leading II-VI semiconductors. The high boiling point (314°C), below-room temperature (T) (-6°C) melting point, adequate metal chloride solubilities, and low toxicity of TEG make it a good candidate for electrodeposition at T > 200°C. Such temperatures tend to activate growth of larger crystallites than with aqueous electrolytes at T< 100 °C, as are advantageous in optoelectronic applications. Initial results do, indeed, indicate a dramatic increase in crystallinity with deposition temperature, especially for the CdTe films which are nearly amorphous when grown at room temperature. Hg1.xCdxTe films (x< 0.5) are marginally polycrystalline when grown at room temperature but also improve in crystallinity at higher growth temperatures. There appears to be a strong decrease in film adherence and uniformity as growth temperature increases for both materials probably because the greatly increased carrier concentrations at higher temperatures increase film conductivity which, in turn, supports easy electroplating of protruding loose dendritic and/or columnar crystallites, instead of the monolayer-by monolayer growth of lower conductivity material as occurs at lower temperatures, especially in the higher bandgap/lower conductivity CdTe. The same increase in film conductivity with temperature is responsible for the decrease in the relative photosensitivity of both the CdTe and Hg1.x CdxTe with temperature. At all temperatures, the inferior adherence, uniformity, and photosensitivity as well as the superior crystallinity of Hg1.xCd xTe over that of the CdTe are also explained by its lower bandgap and higher conductivity. On balance, however, the initial results prove the utility of high temperature TEG electrolytes for electrodepositing CdTe and Hg1.xCdxTe films with much better crystallinity than for those grown at lower temperatures, notably in aqueous baths.