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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

High-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion. II - Materials survey

The current status of materials research for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion is reviewed. Two general classes of materials show promise for high temperature figure of merit (Z) values, viz, the rare-earth chalcogenides and the boron-rich borides. The electronic transport properties of the rare-earth chalcogenides are explicable on the basis of degenerate or partially degenerate n-type semiconductors. Boron and boron-rich borides exhibit p-type hopping conductivity, with detailed explanations proposed for the transport differing from compound to compound. Some discussion is presented on the reasons for the low thermal conductivities in these materials. Also, ZTs greater than one appear to have been realized at high temperature in many of these compounds.

Wood, C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ohmic contact to GaAs semiconductor

Multimetallic layers produce stable, low-resistance contacts for p-type GaAs and p-type GaAlAs devices. Contacts present no leakage problems, and their series resistance is too small to measure at 1 Sun intensity. Ohmic contacts are stable and should meet 20-year-life requirement at 150 C for GaAs combined photothermal/photovoltaic concentrators.

Hovel, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Diamondlike carbon films on semiconductors for insulated-gate technology

MIS structures are fabricated on p-type InP, GaAs, and Si substrated by direct ionization of 25-percent CH4 in Ar and ion-beam deposition of 70-nm-thick diamondlike films, followed by application of Al gate electrodes and ohmic contacts. The films are found to have bandgap 0.9-1.1 eV, resistivity 8.1 Mohm cm, breakdown field strength 1 MV/cm, and density 1.8 g/cu cm, to be thermally stable up to 400 C, and to undergo rapid decomposition above 450 C. The electrical properties of the MIS structures are significantly improved by sputter cleaning the substrates with a 1-keV 2-mA/sq cm Ar beam for 2 min at 300 microtorr prior to C-film deposition. The resulting structures have fixed insulator charge number densities 4 x 10 to the 12th/sq cm (InP), 7.5 x 10 to the 12th/sq cm (GaAs), and 9 x 10 to the 11th/sq cm (Si) and interface state densities (5, 200, and 0.5) x 10 to the 12th/ sq cm eV, respectively. It is suggested that the low optical bandgap and resistivity of the C films and the high insulator-charge and interface-state densities make them unstable as gate dielectrics for microelectronics.

Kapoor, V. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Refractory materials for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion

Theoretical work of two decades ago adequately explained the transport behavior and effectively guided the development of thermoelectric materials of high conversion efficiencies of conventional semiconductors (e.g., SiGe alloys). The more significant contributions involved the estimation of optimum doping concentrations, the reduction of thermal conductivity by solid solution doping and the development of a variety of materials with ZT approx. 1 in the temperature range 300 K to 1200 K. ZT approx. 1 is not a theoretical limitation although, experimentally, values in excess of one were not achieved. Work has continued with emphasis on higher temperature energy conversion. A number of promising materials have been discovered in which it appears that ZT 1 is realizable. These materials are divided into two classes: (1) the rare-earth chalcogenides which behave as itinerant highly-degenerate n-type semiconductors at room-temperature, and (2) the boron-rich borides, which exhibit p-type small-polaronic hopping conductivity.

Wood, C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Refractory materials for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion

Theoretical work of two decades ago adequately explained the transport behavior and effectively guided the development of thermoelectric materials of high conversion efficiencies of conventional semiconductors (e.g., SiGe alloys). The more significant contributions involved the estimaiation of optimum doping concentrations, the reduction of thermal conductivity by solid solution doping and the development of a variety of materials with ZT approx. 1 in the temperature range 300 K to 1200 K. ZT approx. 1 is not a theoretical limitation although, experimentally, values in excess of one were not achieved. Work has continued with emphasis on higher temperature energy conversion. A number of promising materials have been discovered in which it appears that ZT 1 is realizable. These materials are divided into two classes: (1) the rare-earth chalcogenides which behave as itinerant highly-degenerate n-type semiconductors at room-temperature, and (2) the boron-rich borides, which exhibit p-type small-polaronic hopping conductivity.

Wood, C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Metal-insulator-semi-conductor studies of lead telluride

The capacitance and conductance-voltage characteristics were measured on metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors fabricated with zirconium dioxide films on single-crystal lead telluride. At 77 K, on both n- and p-type substrates, evidence of surface potential control was obtained. Comparison of the measured capacitance-voltage characteristics with those calculated from the equilibrium solution of the one-dimensional Poisson equation indicated qualitative agreement, although the slope of the measured capacitance in the region near the capacitance minimum was less steep than calculated.

Lilly, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Fabrication of OSOS cells by neutral ion beam sputtering

Oxide semiconductor on silicon (OSOS) solar cells have been fabricated from various indium tin oxide (In2O3)x(SnO2)1-x compositions sputtered onto p-type single crystal silicon substrates with a neutralized argon ion beam. High temperature processing or annealing was not required. The highest efficiency was achieved with x = 0.91 and was 12 percent. The cells are environmentally rugged, chemically stable, and show promise for still higher efficiencies. Moreover, the ion beam sputtering fabrication technique is amenable to low cost, continuous processing.

Burk, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

CdInP semiconductor alloy

Semiconductor alloy of CdSInP deposited onto CdS substrate using liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) employed in solvent is replacement for InP n- and p-type heterojunction layers contained in GaAsp laser devices. Alloy will aid in lowering current density of laser and enhance its longevity and CW operation at room temperature.

Hawrylo, F. Z.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Low-Noise Submillimeter-Wave Diode

Low noise achieved without usual high resistance. Barrier of p-type material placed between metal anode and heavily-doped gallium arsenide. Ntype epitaxial layer eliminated. Barrier prevents quantum tunneling of electrons between semiconductor and metal. Higher breakdown structure provided.

Mattauch, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Heavy doping effects in high efficiency silicon solar cells

A model for bandgap shrinkage in semiconductors is developed and applied to silicon. A survey of earlier experiments, and of new ones, give an agreement between the model and experiments on n- and p-type silicon which is good as far as transport measurements in the 300 K range. The discrepancies between theory and experiment are no worse than the discrepancies between the experimental results of various authors. It also gives a good account of recent, optical determinations of band gap shrinkage at 5 K.

Lindholm, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Semiconductor technology program. Progress briefs

The current status of NBS work on measurement technology for semiconductor materials, process control, and devices is reported. Results of both in-house and contract research are covered. Highlighted activities include modeling of diffusion processes, analysis of model spreading resistance data, and studies of resonance ionization spectroscopy, resistivity-dopant density relationships in p-type silicon, deep level measurements, photoresist sensitometry, random fault measurements, power MOSFET thermal characteristics, power transistor switching characteristics, and gross leak testing. New and selected on-going projects are described. Compilations of recent publications and publications in press are included.

Bullis, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

High-efficiency thin-film GaAs solar cells, phase2

Thin GaAs epi-layers with good crystallographic quality were grown using a (100) Si-substrate on which a thin Ge epi-interlayer was grown by CVD from germane. Both antireflection-coated metal oxide semiconductor (AMOS) and n(+)/p homojunction structures were studied. The AMOS cells were fabricated on undoped-GaAs epi-layers deposited on bulk poly-Ge substrates using organo-metallic CVD film-growth, with the best achieved AM1 conversion efficiency being 9.1%. Both p-type and n(+)-type GaAs growth were optimized using 50 ppm dimethyl zinc and 1% hydrogen sulfide, respectively. A direct GaAs deposition method in fabricating ultra-thin top layer, epitaxial n(+)/p shallow homojunction solar cells on (100) GaAs substrates (without anodic thinning) was developed to produce large area (1 sq/cm) cells, with 19.4% AM1 conversion efficiency achieved. Additionally, an AM1 conversion efficiency of 18.4% (17.5% with 5% grid coverage) was achieved for a single crystal GaAs n(+)/p cell grown by OM-CVD on a Ge wafer.

Yeh, Y. C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Photoelectrolysis of water at high current density - Use of laser light excitation of semiconductor-based photoelectrochemical cells

In the present paper, some results are given for UV laser light irradiation of the photoanode (SnO2, SrTiO3, or TiO2) in a cell for the light-driven electrolysis of H2O, at radiation intensities of up to 380 W/sq cm. The properties of the anode material are found to be independent of light intensity. Conversion of UV light to stored chemical energy in the form of 2H2/O2 from H2O was driven at a rate of up to 30 W/sq cm. High O2 evolution rates at the irradiated anodes without changes in the current-voltage curves are attributed to the excess oxidizing power associated with photogenerated holes. A test for this sort of hypothesis for H2 evolution at p-type materials is proposed.

Wrighton, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Low cost silicon solar array project silicon materials task: Establishment of the feasibility of a process capable of low-cost, high volume production of silane (step 1) and the pyrolysis of silane to semiconductor-grade silicon (step 2)

A quartz fluid bed reactor capable of operating at temperatures of up to 1000 C was designed, constructed, and successfully operated. During a 30 minute experiment, silane was decomposed within the reactor with no pyrolysis occurring on the reactor wall or on the gas injection system. A hammer mill/roller-crusher system appeared to be the most practical method for producing seed material from bulk silicon. No measurable impurities were detected in the silicon powder produced by the free space reactor, using the cathode layer emission spectroscopic technique. Impurity concentration followed by emission spectroscopic examination of the residue indicated a total impurity level of 2 micrograms/gram. A pellet cast from this powder had an electrical resistivity of 35 to 45 ohm-cm and P-type conductivity.

Breneman, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of the electron-beam-induced current of a polycrystalline p-n junction when the diffusion lengths of the material on either side of a grain boundary differ

The short circuit current generated by the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope in p-n junctions is reduced by enhanced recombination at grain boundaries in polycrystalline material. Frequently, grain boundaries separate the semiconductor into regions possessing different minority carrier life times. This markedly affects the short circuit current I(sc) as a function of scanning distance from the grain boundary. It will be shown theoretically that (1) the minimum of the I(sc) in crossing the grain boundary with the scanning electron beam is shifted away from the grain boundary toward the region with smaller life time (shorter diffusion length), (2) the magnitude of the minimum differs markedly from those calculated under the assumption of equal diffusion lengths on either side of the grain boundary, and (3) the minimum disappears altogether for small surface recombination velocities (s less than 10,000 cm/s). These effects become negligible, however, for large recombination velocities s at grain boundaries. For p-type silicon this happens for s not less than 100,000 cm/s.

Von Roos, O.↗
NASA NTRS1967

Process controls introduction of selected impurities into semiconductor wafers

Modified three-step process controls the concentration of lithium diffused as a dopant into the base region of a diffused n-on-p silicon solar cell wafer. Part of the surface layer of the base region of the p-type silicon containing the diffused dopant is removed, prior to redistributing the remaining portion of the dopant into the bulk of the wafer.

Bartholomay, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Gravitational effects of process-induced dislocations in silicon

Matters pertaining to semiconductor device fabrication were studied in terms of the influence of gravity on the production of dislocations in silicon wafers during thermal cycling in a controlled ambient where no impurities are present and oxidation is minimal. Both n-type and p-type silicon wafers having a diameter of 1.25 in to 1.5 in, with fixed orientation and resistivity values, were used. The surface dislocation densities were measured quantitatively by the Sirtl etch technique. The results show two significant features of the plastic flow phenomenon as it is related to gravitational stress: (1) the density of dislocations generated during a given thermal cycle is directly related to the duration of the cycle; and (2) the duration of the thermal cycle required to produce a given dislocation density is inversely related to the equilibrium temperature. Analysis of the results indicates that gravitational stress is instrumental in process-induced defect generation.

Porter, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Effect of reabsorbed recombination radiation on the saturation current of direct gap p-n junctions

The application of the radiative transfer theory for semiconductors to p-n homojunctions subject to low level injection conditions is discussed. By virtue of the interaction of the radiation field with free carriers across the depletion layer, the saturation current density in Shockley's expression for the diode current is reduced at high doping levels. The reduction, due to self-induced photon generation, is noticeable for n-type material owing to the small electron effective mass in direct band-gap III-V compounds. The effect is insignificant in p-type material. At an equilibrium electron concentration of 2 x 10 to the 18th/cu cm in GaAs, a reduction of the saturation current density by 15 percent is predicted. It is concluded that realistic GaAs p-n junctions possess a finite thickness.

Von Roos, O.↗