Semiconductor and Optical Materials Commons^™

Epitaxial Quantum Dot Scintillators With Monolithic Photodetector Integration: Physics, Fabrication And Characterization Of Materials And Devices, Allan Oreave Minns

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation discloses the physics, fabrication, and characterization of high-performance scintillator detectors based on epitaxial InAs quantum dots (QDs) in GaAs. The detector crystals grown include monolithically integrated In_0.35GaAs photodetectors with Al_0.92-0.6In_0.03-0.35Ga_0.05As metamorphic buffer layers (MBL). A device fabrication process was developed for the lithographic patterning, chemical etching, contact metallization and readout integration of materials grown by means of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on 3-inch GaAs (001) wafers. Low capacitance integration with readout electronics was achieved through wire bonds to custom printed circuit boards (PCBs) with commercial components.

The relationship between device …

Mechanochemical Synthesis Of Halide Perovskite Microcrystals, Xuan Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Halide perovskites have emerged as a promising class of materials for various optoelectronic applications, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, photodetectors, and lasers, owing to their exceptional photophysical properties and ease of synthesis. Lead-based halide perovskites, despite their success, raise concerns regarding environmental toxicity, necessitating the exploration of lead-free alternatives. This thesis explores the synthesis and characterization of lead-free halide perovskites, focusing on tin-based variants, using a mechanochemical approach, which eliminates the use of toxic solvents and offers a sustainable synthesis route.

By employing a solventless mechanochemical method, lead-free tin-based halide perovskite microcrystals were successfully synthesized. This approach not only …

Two-Dimensional Black Phosphorus For Terahertz Emission And Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer, Mahmudul Hasan Doha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of this work is to investigate two potential optical and optoelectronic applications of black phosphorus (BP): the near-field radiative heat transfer in plasmonic heterostructures with graphene and terahertz emission from multi-layer BP photoconductive antennas. When the separation distance between graphene-black phosphorene is much smaller than or comparable to the thermal wavelength at different temperatures, a near-field radiation heat transfer breaks the Planck blackbody limit. The magnitude of the near-field radiation enhancement acutely depends on the gate voltage, doping, and vacuum gap of the graphene and BP pair. The strong near-field radiation heat transfer enhancement of the specific …

High-Temperature Optoelectronic Device Characterization And Integration Towards Optical Isolation For High-Density Power Modules, Syam Madhusoodhanan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power modules based on wide bandgap (WBG) materials enhance reliability and considerably reduce cooling requirements that lead to a significant reduction in total system cost and weight. Although these innovative properties lead power modules to higher power density, some concerns still need to be addressed to take full advantage of WBG-based modules. For example, the use of bulky transformers as a galvanic isolation system to float the high voltage gate driver limits further size reduction of the high-temperature power modules. Bulky transformers can be replaced by integrating high-temperature optocouplers to scale down power modules further and achieve disrupting performance in …

Structure And Properties Of Zno-Zns Heterostructures, Sanchali Das

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Heterostructures consisting of at least two layers of dissimilar materials have always been well studied due to potential applications in nano-electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, I have investigated the structural and physical properties of zinc oxide -zinc sulfide (ZnO-ZnS) based heterostructures of thin films and core-shell nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition technique was employed to grow ZnO thin film on sapphire substrate. ZnO-ZnS heterostructures were obtained using hydrothermal synthesis where thiourea has served as a precursor solution for the source of sulfur. X-ray diffraction analysis on the parent and the sulfidized samples gives the information about the crystallinity and …

Modeling Recombination In Solar Cells, Paul Chery

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Solar cells are a competitive alternative to nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. However, the efficiency of these devices is limited by photogenerated carrier recombination. We use a finite difference numerical model to study recombination phenomena in the absorber layer of solar cells including alternate recombination models and the effects of spatial distribution of recombination centers. We compare the effect of using the constant lifetime approximation for recombination to the full Shockley-Read-Hall expression in Silicon solar cells and find that the constant lifetime approximation holds for high defect densities but not for high photon flux densities. Finally, we simulate …

Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Novel Optoelectronic Devices For Near-Infrared Detection, Ahmad Nusir

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating semiconductor materials and devices at the nanoscale has become crucial in order to maintain the exponential development in today’s technology. There is a critical need for making devices lower in power consumption and smaller in size. Nanoscale semiconductor materials provide a powerful platform for optoelectronic device engineers. They own interesting properties which include enhanced photoconductivity and size-tunable interband transitions.

In this research, different types of nanostructures were investigated for optoelectronic devices: nanocrystals, nanowires, and thin-films. First, lead selenide nanocrystals with narrow bandgap were synthesized, size-tailored, and functionalized with molecular ligands for the application of uncooled near-infrared photodetectors. The devices …

Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of All-Inorganic Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes, Ramesh Vasan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantum dot light emitting diodes are investigated as a replacement to the existing organic light emitting diodes that are commonly used for thin film lighting and display applications. In this, all-inorganic quantum dot light emitting diodes with inorganic quantum dot emissive layer and inorganic charge transport layers are designed, fabricated, and characterized. Inorganic materials are more environmentally stable and can handle higher current densities than organic materials. The device consists of CdSe/ZnS alloyed core/shell quantum dots as the emissive layer and metal oxide charge transport layer. The charge transport in these devices is found to occur through resonant energy transfer …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Fabrication Of All Inorganic Quantum Dot Leds, Haider Baqer Salman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantum Dot LEDs with all inorganic materials are investigated in this thesis. The research was motivated by the potential disruptive technology of core shell quantum dots in lighting and display applications. These devices consisted of three main layers: hole transport layer (HTL), electron transport layer (ETL), and emissive layer where the emission of photons occurs. The latter part was formed of CdSe / ZnS core-shell quantum dots, which were synthesized following hot injection method. The ETL and the HTL were formed of zinc oxide nanocrystals and nickel oxide, respectively. Motivated by the low cost synthesis and deposition, NiO and ZnO …

A Systematic Study Of The Optical And Electrical Properties Of Ge1-YSnY And Ge1-X-YSiXSnY Semiconductor Alloys, Thomas R. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

In order to fully utilize newly developed Ge_1-ySn_y and Ge_1-x-ySi_xSn_y materials for new novel optoelectronic devices, the optical and electrical properties of these alloys were investigated using photoluminescence (PL) and Hall-effect measurements. Direct bandgap PL emission was observed from almost all the samples, making them very promising candidates for Si-based light emitting devices. T-dependent PL studies also indicate that the indirect-to-direct bandgap transition of Ge_1-ySn_y alloys might take place at a much lower Sn content than the theory predicts. T-dependent Hall-effect measurements showed both degenerate parallel conducting layers as …