On the radiation emitted from a superconducting tunnel junction
Superconducting tunnel junctions radiation emission, discussing superconductivity theory
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Superconducting tunnel junctions radiation emission, discussing superconductivity theory
MOS transistors and bipolar microcircuits mobile charge density, observing p-n junction effects
Forward biased asymmetric p-n junction diodes with arbitrary impurity distributions, measuring minority carrier lifetimes by refined step recovery technique
Electrons interaction with impurities and longitudinal optical phonon in metal-insulator- semiconductor tunnel junctions
The internal physical mechanism that governs the current conduction in junction-gate field effect transistors is studied. A numerical method of analyzing the devices with different length-to-width ratios and doping profiles is developed. This method takes into account the two dimensional character of the electric field and the field dependent mobility. Application of the method to various device models shows that the channel width and the carrier concentration in the conductive channel decrease with increasing drain-to-source voltage for conventional devices. It also shows larger differential drain conductances for shorter devices when the drift velocity is not saturated. The interaction of the source and the drain gives the carrier accumulation in the channel which leads to the space-charge-limited current flow. The important parameters for the space-charge-limited current flow are found to be the L/L sub DE ratio and the crossover voltage.
A theory is presented which, though too simple to explain quantitative details in the Josephson junction mixing response, is sufficient for explaining qualitatively the results observed. Crucial to the theory presented, and that which differentiates it from earlier ones, is the inclusion of harmonic voltages across the ideal Josephson element.
The detection mechanism(s) and design of a mechanically stable metal-oxide-metal point contact junction detector are considered. A prototype for a mechanically stable device has been constructed and tested. A technique has been developed which accurately predicts microwave video detector and heterodyne mixer SIM (semiconductor-insulator-metal) diode performance from low dc frequency volt-ampere curves. The difference in contact potential between the two metals and geometrically induced rectification constitute the detection mechanisms.
Gamma-ray irradiation with doses up to 8 megarad produces no significant change on either the C(V) or the G(V) characteristics of MOS tunnel junctions with intermediate oxide thicknesses (40-60 A), whereas the expected flat-band shift toward negative electrode voltages occurs in control thick oxide capacitors. A simple tunneling model would explain the results if the radiation-generated hole traps are assumed to lie below the valence band of the silicon. The experiments also suggest that the observed radiation-generated interface states in conventional MOS devices are not due to the radiation damage of the silicon surface.
Static friction experiments were performed in ultrahigh vacuum at room temperature on copper, iron, and steel contacts selectively contaminated with oxygen and chlorine in submonolayer amounts. The concentration of the adsorbates was determined with Auger electron spectroscopy and was measured relative to the saturation concentration of oxygen on iron (concentration 1.0). The coefficient of static friction decreased with increasing adsorbate concentration. It was independent of the metal and the adsorbate. The results compared satisfactorily with an extension of the junction growth theory to heterogeneous interfaces. The reduction in interfacial shear strength was measured by the ratio sub a/sub m where sub a is the shear strength of the interface with an adsorbate concentration of 1.0, and sub m is the strength of the clean metal interface. This ratio was 0.835 + or - 0.012 for all the systems tested.
The bias dependence of the nonlinear mixing characteristics of metal-barrier-metal junction currents is deduced assuming an electron tunneling model. The difference-frequency beat voltage at frequency omega sub 1 - (n x omega sub 2), when n is an integer and omega sub 1 and omega sub 2 are the assumed frequencies of two induced currents, is found to have n zeros as the diode bias is varied. Recent experimental observations have demonstrated such characteristics.
The mixing properties of a current-biased resistively-shunted Josephson junction irradiated at two frequencies are calculated by a perturbation technique, treating both signals as perturbations. The size of the mixing steps is obtained from second-order calculations. It is shown that subharmonic mixing steps are absent in the case of a single frequency. The amplitude of the voltage oscillations at the difference and sum frequencies is shown to be nonzero at all voltages. The microwave resistance is calculated for one frequency to third order in the perturbation.
The energy stored in the magnetic and electric field near a superconducting point contact is typically the same magnitude as the coupling energy which produces the Josephson effect in the weakly coupled superconductors. One consequence of energy storage in both the electric and magnetic field is that the junction can oscillate at a fundamental frequency. The dynamics of these subharmonic oscillations have been studied for a model in which the magnetic and electric energies are represented as being stored in an inductance and a capacitance respectively. The model was studied numerically for various biasing conditions, and the behavior compared to experimental data. A simple analytic approximation was developed that gives physical insight into the mechanism that creates the subharmonic oscillations.
The theory of parametric amplification by a series of unbiased Josephson junctions is presented. The various regimes of operation are explored. This device is different in many ways from the usual varactor parametric amplifier. In particular, a very small pump power is required, and a large bandwidth is obtained. Comparison with experimental data is made.
Fundamental limitations imposed on the performance of silicon junction solar cells by physical mechanisms accompanying high doping are described. The one-dimensional mechanisms divide into two broad categories: those associated with band-gap shrinkage and those associated with interband transition rates. By extending the traditional method of analysis and comparing with measurement, it is shown that the latter kind of mechanism dominates in determining the open-circuit voltage in a one-dimensional model of a 0.1 ohm-cm cell at 300 K. As an alternative dominant mechanism, a three-dimensional model involving thermodynamically stable clusters of impurities in the highly-doped diffused layer is suggested.
Static-friction experiments were performed in ultrahigh vacuum at room temperature on copper, iron, and steel contacts selectively contaminated with oxygen and chlorine in submonolayer amounts. The concentration of the adsorbates was determined with Auger electron spectroscopy and was measured relative to the saturation concentration of oxygen on iron (concentration, 1.0). The coefficient of static friction decreased with increasing adsorbate concentration; however, it was independent of the type of metal and the adsorbate species. The results compared satisfactorily with an extension of the junction growth theory to heterogeneous interfaces. The reduction in interfacial shear strength was measured by the ratio of the shear strength of the interface with an adsorbate concentration of 1.0 and the strength of the clean metal interface. This ratio was about 0.835 for all the systems tested.
The greatest gains in solar energy conversion efficiency of p-n-junction silicon solar cells come from increasing the open-circuit voltage V sub OC; it is important to understand and characterize the material parameters that limit the V sub OC. Strong experimental evidence exists to support the assertion that either an anomalously large minority carrier charge storage or an anomalously small minority carrier lifetime in the quasi-neutral emitter region limits the open circuit voltage. A method is presented for measuring charge storage and effective lifetime. Static and transient measurements are analyzed using physical models of the solar cell characteristics. This analysis yields the emitter charge storage and life-time, which then can be related to the various physical mechanisms, such as energy band gap shrinkage, that have been proposed earlier as responsible for limiting V sub OC.
The Josephson junction shows great promise as a millimeter wave mixer element. This paper discusses the physical mixing process from a first-order mathematical approach. Design and fabrication of such structures tailored for use in a 80-120 GHz mixer application is presented. Testing of the structures and a discussion of their interpretation is presented.
It is shown that the quasi-equilibrium theory for p-n junctions, as originally proposed by Shockley (1949), does not apply under conditions involving an application of comparatively low external voltages. A numerical example indicates that the quasi-equilibrium assumption must be discarded as soon as the voltage is increased beyond a certain critical value, although the system may still be in a low-level injection regime. It is currently not known which set of simplifying assumptions may replace the quasi-equilibrium assumptions. Possible analytic simplification relations applicable to moderate or high injection levels can, perhaps, be based on an approach considered by Mari (1968) and Choo (1971, 1972).