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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of boron concentration on recombination at the p-Si–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface

We examine the surface passivation properties of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} deposited on boron-doped planar 〈100〉 crystalline silicon surfaces as a function of the boron concentration. Both uniformly doped and diffused surfaces are studied, with surface boron concentrations ranging from 9.2 × 10{sup 15} to 5.2 × 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}. Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition and thermal atomic layer deposition are used to deposit the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films. The surface recombination rate of each sample is determined from photoconductance measurements together with the measured dopant profiles via numerical simulation, using the latest physical models. These values are compared with calculations based on the interface properties determined from capacitance–voltage and conductance measurements. It is found that the fundamental surface recombination velocity of electrons, S{sub n0}, which describes the chemical passivation of the interface, is independent of the surface boron concentration N{sub s} for N{sub s} ≤ 3 × 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}, and in excellent agreement with values calculated from the interface state density D{sub it} and capture coefficients c{sub n} and c{sub p} measured on undiffused boron-doped surfaces. We conclude that the physical properties of the Si–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface are independent of the boron dopant concentration over this range.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Scattering matrix approach to the dissociative recombination of HCO{sup +} and N{sub 2}H{sup +}

We present a theoretical study of the indirect dissociative recombination of linear polyatomic ions at low collisional energies. The approach is based on the computation of the scattering matrix just above the ionization threshold and enables the explicit determination of all diabatic electronic couplings responsible for dissociative recombination. In addition, we use the multi-channel quantum-defect theory to demonstrate the precision of the scattering matrix by reproducing accurately ab initio Rydberg state energies of the neutral molecule. We consider the molecular ions N{sub 2}H{sup +} and HCO{sup +} as benchmark systems of astrophysical interest and improve former theoretical studies, which had repeatedly produced smaller cross sections than experimentally measured. Specifically, we demonstrate the crucial role of the previously overlooked stretching modes for linear polyatomic ions with large permanent dipole moment. The theoretical cross sections for both ions agree well with experimental data over a wide energy range. Finally, we consider the potential role of the HOC{sup +} isomer in the experimental cross sections of HCO{sup +} at energies below 10 meV.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Advantage of suppressed non-Langevin recombination in low mobility organic solar cells

Photovoltaic performance in relation to charge transport is studied in efficient (7.6%) organic solar cells (PTB7:PC{sub 71}BM). Both electron and hole mobilities are experimentally measured in efficient solar cells using the resistance dependent photovoltage technique, while the inapplicability of classical techniques, such as space charge limited current and photogenerated charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage is discussed. Limits in the short-circuit current originate from optical losses, while charge transport is shown not to be a limiting process. Efficient charge extraction without recombination can be achieved with a mobility of charge carriers much lower than previously expected. The presence of dispersive transport with strongly distributed mobilities in high efficiency solar cells is demonstrated. Reduced non-Langevin recombination is shown to be beneficial for solar cells with imbalanced, low, and dispersive electron and hole mobilities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Recombination dynamics of excitons with low non-radiative component in semi-polar (10-11)-oriented GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells

Optical properties of GaN/Al{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.8}N multiple quantum wells grown with semi-polar (10-11) orientation on patterned 7°-off Si (001) substrates have been investigated. Studies performed at 8 K reveal the in-plane anisotropic behavior of the QW photoluminescence (PL) intensity for this semi-polar orientation. The time resolved PL measurements were carried out in the temperature range from 8 to 295 K to deduce the effective recombination decay times, with respective radiative and non-radiative contributions. The non-radiative component remains relatively weak with increasing temperature, indicative of high crystalline quality. The radiative decay time is a consequence of contribution from both localized and free excitons. We report an effective density of interfacial defects of 2.3 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2} and a radiative recombination time of τ{sub loc} = 355 ps for the localized excitons. This latter value is significantly larger than those reported for the non-polar structures, which we attribute to the presence of a weak residual electric field in the semi-polar QW layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spin-dependent recombination at arsenic donors in ion-implanted silicon

Spin-dependent transport processes in thin near-surface doping regions created by low energy ion implantation of arsenic in silicon are detected by two methods, spin-dependent recombination using microwave photoconductivity and electrically detected magnetic resonance monitoring the direct current through the sample. The high sensitivity of these techniques allows the observation of the magnetic resonance, in particular, of As in weak magnetic fields and at low resonance frequencies (40–1200 MHz), where high-field-forbidden transitions between the magnetic sublevels can be observed due to the mixing of electron and nuclear spin states. Several implantation-induced defects are present in the samples studied and act as spin readout partner. We explicitly demonstrate this by electrically detected electron double resonance experiments and identify a pair recombination of close pairs formed by As donors and oxygen-vacancy centers in an excited triplet state (SL1) as the dominant spin-dependent process in As-implanted Czochralski-grown Si.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Role of recombination, dissociation, and competition between exciton-charge reactions in magnetoconductance of polymeric semiconductor device

Magnetoelectrical measurements were performed on a diode structure, based on an anthracene-containing poly(arylene-ethynylylene)-alt-poly(arylene-vinylene) denoted AnE-PVstat, to clarify the role of the recombination and dissociation of electron-hole (e-h) pairs in the magnetoconductance (MC). We report the observed MC under a weak magnetic field (<1 T) at room and low temperatures. Positive MC is observed and reaches up to 2% at a magnetic field of 450 mT at room temperature. It is found that with the increase of the voltage, the MC effect decreases. We also report the difference in MC between perpendicular (θ = 90°) and parallel (θ = 0°) alignment of magnetic field with respect to the current direction. The experimental data were analyzed in the context of the e-h pair model, based on the Stochastic Liouville Equation. To interpret the experimental results on magnetoconductance measurements, anisotropic hyperfine interaction has been introduced through an anisotropic hyperfine field. The dissociation rates q{sub S} and q{sub T} of the singlet and triplet e-h pairs were determined from the best fit with experimental curves and are about 10{sup 5 }s{sup −1}, while the recombination rates of the singlet and triplet e-h pairs are k{sub S} ∼ 10{sup 9 }s{sup −1} and k{sub T} ∼ 10{sup 5 }s{sup −1}, respectively. At low temperatures (T < 60 K), an unexpected “sign-reversal phenomenon” of the magnetoconductance is observed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

The vibrational dependence of dissociative recombination: Rate constants for N{sub 2}{sup +}

Dissociative recombination rate constants are reported with electron temperature dependent uncertainties for the lowest 5 vibrational levels of the N{sub 2}{sup +} ground state. The rate constants are determined from ab initio calculations of potential curves, electronic widths, quantum defects, and cross sections. At 100 K electron temperature, the rate constants overlap with the exception of the third vibrational level. At and above 300 K, the rate constants for excited vibrational levels are significantly smaller than that for the ground level. It is shown that any experimentally determined total rate constant at 300 K electron temperature that is smaller than 2.0 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 3}/s is likely to be for ions that have a substantially excited vibrational population. Using the vibrational level specific rate constants, the total rate constant is in very good agreement with that for an excited vibrational distribution found in a storage ring experiment. It is also shown that a prior analysis of a laser induced fluorescence experiment is quantitatively flawed due to the need to account for reactions with unknown rate constants. Two prior calculations of the dissociative recombination rate constant are shown to be inconsistent with the cross sections upon which they are based. The rate constants calculated here contribute to the resolution of a 30 year old disagreement between modeled and observed N{sub 2}{sup +} ionospheric densities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Minority carrier lifetime in mid-wavelength infrared InAs/InAsSb superlattices: Photon recycling and the role of radiative and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination mechanisms

The influence of radiative recombination on the minority carrier lifetime in mid-wavelength InAs/InAsSb superlattices was investigated. From the lifetime's dependence on temperature, photon recycling, and carrier concentration, it was demonstrated that radiative lifetime dominates for carrier concentrations >5 × 10{sup 14} cm{sup −3}, and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination starts to dominate the minority carrier lifetime for carrier concentrations <5 × 10{sup 14} cm{sup −3}. An observed increase of the minority carrier lifetime with increasing superlattice thickness was attributed to photon recycling, and good agreement between measured and theoretical values of the photon recycling factor was obtained.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Origin of radiative recombination and manifestations of localization effects in GaAs/GaNAs core/shell nanowires

Radiative carrier recombination processes in GaAs/GaNAs core/shell nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a Si substrate are systematically investigated by employing micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) and μ-PL excitation (μ-PLE) measurements complemented by time-resolved PL spectroscopy. At low temperatures, alloy disorder is found to cause localization of photo-excited carriers leading to predominance of optical transitions from localized excitons (LE). Some of the local fluctuations in N composition are suggested to lead to strongly localized three-dimensional confining potential equivalent to that for quantum dots, based on the observation of sharp and discrete PL lines within the LE contour. The localization effects are found to have minor influence on PL spectra at room temperature due to thermal activation of the localized excitons to extended states. Under these conditions, photo-excited carrier lifetime is found to be governed by non-radiative recombination via surface states which is somewhat suppressed upon N incorporation.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Auger recombination in In(Ga)Sb/InAs quantum dots

We report on the epitaxial formation of type II In{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}Sb/InAs and InSb/InAs quantum dot ensembles using metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. Employing scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we determine spatial quantum dot dimensions smaller than the de Broglie wavelength of InGaSb, which strongly indicates a three dimensional hole confinement. Photoluminescence spectroscopy at low temperatures yields an enhanced radiative recombination in the mid-infrared regime at energies of 170–200 meV. This luminescence displays a strong excitation power dependence with a blueshift indicating a filling of excited quantum dot hole states. Furthermore, a rate equation model is used to extract the Auger recombination coefficient from the power dependent intensity at 77 K yielding values of 1.35 × 10{sup −28} cm{sup 6}/s for In{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}Sb/InAs quantum dots and 1.47 × 10{sup −27} cm{sup 6}/s for InSb/InAs quantum dots, which is about one order of magnitude lower as previously obtained values for InGaSb superlattices.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Direct observation of electron emission and recombination processes by time domain measurements of charge pumping current

To analyze the charge pumping (CP) sequence in detail, the source/drain electron current and the substrate hole current under the CP mode of transistors are simultaneously monitored in the time domain. Peaks are observed in both the electron and hole currents, which are, respectively, attributed to the electron emission from the interface defects and to the recombination with holes. The peak caused by the electron emission is found to consist of two components, strongly suggesting that the present time-domain measurement can enable us to resolve different kinds of interface defects. Investigating the correlation between the number of emitted and recombined electrons reveals that only one of the two components contributes to the CP current for the gate-pulse fall time from 6.25 × 10{sup −4} to 1.25 × 10{sup −2} s.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Recombination and thin film properties of silicon nitride and amorphous silicon passivated c-Si following ammonia plasma exposure

Recombination at silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) and amorphous silicon (a-Si) passivated crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces is shown to increase significantly following an ammonia (NH{sub 3}) plasma exposure at room temperature. The effect of plasma exposure on chemical structure, refractive index, permittivity, and electronic properties of the thin films is also investigated. It is found that the NH{sub 3} plasma exposure causes (i) an increase in the density of Si≡N{sub 3} groups in both SiN{sub x} and a-Si films, (ii) a reduction in refractive index and permittivity, (iii) an increase in the density of defects at the SiN{sub x}/c-Si interface, and (iv) a reduction in the density of positive charge in SiN{sub x}. The changes in recombination and thin film properties are likely due to an insertion of N–H radicals into the bulk of SiN{sub x} or a-Si. It is therefore important for device performance to minimize NH{sub 3} plasma exposure of SiN{sub x} or a-Si passivating films during subsequent fabrication steps.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Limiting efficiency calculation of silicon single-nanowire solar cells with considering Auger recombination

Single-nanowire solar cells (SNSCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique light-harvesting capability mediated by the optical antenna effect and the high photoconversion efficiency due to the orthogonalization of the carrier collection to the photon incidence. We present a detailed prediction of the light-conversion efficiency of Si SNSCs based on finite-element simulation and thermodynamic balance analysis, with especially focusing on the comparison between SNSCs and film systems. Carrier losses due to radiative and Auger recombinations are introduced in the analysis of the limiting efficiency, which show that the Auger recombination plays a key role in accurately predicting the efficiency of Si SNSCs, otherwise, the device performance would be strongly overestimated. The study paves a more realistic way to evaluate the nanostructured solar cells based on indirect-band photoactive materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quantification of the internal quantum efficiency in GaN via analysis of the heat generated by non-radiative recombination processes

The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in a GaN epilayer is quantified using transient lens (TL) spectroscopy and numerical simulations. TL spectroscopy can optically detect temperature and carrier changes induced in a photo-pumped GaN layer, and the observed temperature change is closely associated with non-radiative recombination processes that create heat. Then numerically solving diffusion equations, which represent the diffusion processes of the photo-generated heat and carriers, provide the spatiotemporal distributions. These distributions are subsequently converted into the refractive index distributions, which act as transient convex or concave lenses. Finally, ray-tracing simulations predict the TL signals. Comparing the experimentally obtained and simulated TL signals quantifies the generated heat and the IQE without the often-adopted assumption that non-radiative recombination processes are negligible at low temperatures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Magnetic field enhancement of generation-recombination and shot noise in organic light emitting diodes

We have studied the effect of magnetic field on noise in series of 2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene-based organic light emitting diodes with dominant hole injection, dominant electron injection, and balanced electron and hole injection. The noise spectra of the balanced devices revealed the generation-recombination (g-r) noise term, which we associated with bimolecular electron-hole recombination. The presence of the g-r noise term is correlated with the strong organic magnetoresistance (up to 25%) observed in the balanced devices. The noise spectra also have the shot noise contribution with the Fano factor 0.25–0.4. We found that time constant of the g-r term decreases and the magnitude of shot noise increases when magnetic field is applied. This behavior can be consistently explained within the polaron-polaron model of organic magnetoresistance. We have not found any evidence that the magnetoresistance in studied devices is affected by traps.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the uncertainty of the Auger recombination coefficient extracted from InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode efficiency droop measurements

III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from a severe efficiency reduction with increasing injection current (droop). Auger recombination is often seen as primary cause of this droop phenomenon. The corresponding Auger recombination coefficient C is typically obtained from efficiency measurements using mathematical models. However, C coefficients reported for InGaN active layers vary over two orders of magnitude. We here investigate this uncertainty and apply successively more accurate models to the same efficiency measurement, thereby revealing the strong sensitivity of the Auger coefficient to quantum well properties such as electron-hole ratio, electric field, and hot carrier escape.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dramatic impact of the giant local magnetic fields on spin-dependent recombination processes in gadolinium based garnets

A giant magnetic field effect on spin-dependent recombination of the radiation-induced defects has been found in cerium doped gadolinium based garnet crystals and ceramics, promising materials for scintillator applications. A sharp and strong increase in the afterglow intensity stimulated by external magnetic field and an evidence of the magnetic field memory have been discovered. The effect was ascribed to huge Gd-induced internal magnetic fields, which suppress the recombination, and cross-relaxation with Gd{sup 3+} ions leading to reorientation of the spins of the electron and hole centers. Thus, the spin system of radiation-induced defects in gadolinium garnet based scintillator materials was shown to accumulate significant energy which can be released in external magnetic fields.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Time-resolved measurements of Cooper-pair radiative recombination in InAs quantum dots

We studied InAs quantum dots (QDs) where electron Cooper pairs penetrate from an adjacent niobium (Nb) superconductor with the proximity effect. With time-resolved luminescence measurements at the wavelength around 1550 nm, we observed luminescence enhancement and reduction of luminescence decay time constants at temperature below the superconducting critical temperature (T{sub C}) of Nb. On the basis of these measurements, we propose a method to determine the contribution of Cooper-pair recombination in InAs QDs. We show that the luminescence enhancement measured below T{sub C} is well explained with our theory including Cooper-pair recombination.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗