Search results for "silicon"
showing 10 items of 1391 documents
Silicon carbide nanowires: synthesis and cathodoluminescence
2009
Silicon carbide nanowires have been synthesized via a combustion synthesis route. Structural studies showed that obtained SiC nanowires belong dominantly to 3C polytype with zinc-blend structure. Cathodoluminescence spectra from these nanostructures within the temperature range of 77...300 K, show obvious differences with respect to the bulk materials. The exciton band of the bulk 3C-SiC is significantly damped and the prevailing line is found to be at 1.99 eV (77 K), proving the key role of defect centers in optical properties of the investigated nanomaterial.
Investigation of the Impact of Neutron Irradiation on SiC Power MOSFETs Lifetime by Reliability Tests
2021
High temperature reverse-bias (HTRB), High temperature gate-bias (HTGB) tests and electrical DC characterization were performed on planar-SiC power MOSFETs which survived to accelerated neutron irradiation tests carried out at ChipIr-ISIS (Didcot, UK) facility, with terrestrial neutrons. The neutron test campaigns on the SiC power MOSFETs (manufactered by ST) were conducted on the same wafer lot devices by STMicroelectronics and Airbus, with different neutron tester systems. HTGB and HTRB tests, which characterise gate-oxide integrity and junction robustness, show no difference between the non irradiated devices and those which survived to the neutron irradiation tests, with neutron fluence…
The role of impurities in the irradiation induced densification of amorphous SiO(2).
2011
In a recent work (Buscarino et al 2009 Phys. Rev. B 80 094202), by studying the properties of the (29)Si hyperfine structure of the E'(γ) point defect, we have proposed a model able to describe quantitatively the densification process taking place upon electron irradiation in amorphous SiO(2) (a-SiO(2)). In particular, we have shown that it proceeds heterogeneously, through the nucleation of confined densified regions statistically dispersed into the whole volume of the material. In the present experimental investigation, by using a similar approach on a wider set of materials, we explore how this process is influenced by impurities, such as OH and Cl, typically involved in relevant concent…
Enhancement of photoconversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells exploiting pulsed laser deposited niobium pentoxide blocking layers
2015
Abstract Among all the photovoltaic technologies developed so far, dye-sensitized solar cells are considered as a promising alternative to the expensive and environmentally unfriendly crystalline silicon-based solar cells. One of the possible strategies employed to increase their photovoltaic efficiency is to reduce the charge recombination at the cell conductive substrate through the use of a compact blocking layer. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of dye-sensitized solar cells employing niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) thin film blocking layer deposited through the pulsed laser deposition technique on conductive substrates. The careful selection of the optimal…
Integrated plasmonic nanotweezers for nanoparticle manipulation.
2016
We numerically demonstrate that short gold nanoparticle chains coupled to traditional SOI waveguides allow conceiving surface plasmon-based nanotweezers. This configuration provides for jumpless control of the trapping position of a nano-object as a function of the excitation wavelength, allowing for linear repositioning. This novel feature can be captivating for the conception of compact integrated optomechanical nanoactuators.
Small Particles and Thin Films of Metals on Ceramic Oxides
1989
This paper is aimed at presenting some recent ideas and experimental results on characterization and properties of small particles and thin films of metals on oxide surfaces. Analysis is restricted to metallic films on well-defined surfaces, mainly monocrystalline surfaces and to ceramic oxides having a marked ionic character. The properties of metallic films obtained by chemical reduction of oxides and those of deposits are compared. Nucleation and growth modes are described. Interfacial properties are analysed in terms of size or thickness effect and in the general framework of the ceramic-metal bonding.
Oxide-based nanomaterials for fuel cell catalysis:the interplay between supported single Pt atoms and particles
2017
The concept of single atom catalysis offers maximum noble metal efficiency for the development of low-cost catalytic materials. Among possible applications are catalytic materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In the present review, recent efforts towards the fabrication of single atom catalysts on nanostructured ceria and their reactivity are discussed in the prospect of their employment as anode catalysts. The remarkable performance and the durability of the ceria-based anode catalysts with ultra-low Pt loading result from the interplay between two states associated with supported atomically dispersed Pt and sub-nanometer Pt particles. The occurrence of these two states is a co…
New process of silicon carbide purification intended for silicon passivation
2017
Abstract In this work, we report on a new, efficient and low cost process of silicon carbide (SiC) powder purification intended to be used in photovoltaic applications. This process consists on the preparation of porous silicon carbide layers followed by a photo-thermal annealing under oxygen atmosphere and chemical treatment. The effect of etching time on impurities removal efficiency was studied. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) results showed that the best result was achieved for an etching time of 10 min followed by gettering at 900 °C during 1 h. SiC purity is improved from 3N (99.9771%) to 4N (99.9946%). Silicon carbide thin films were deposited onto s…
HCl gas gettering for crystalline silicon thin film solar cells
2011
Crystalline silicon thin film (cSiTF) solar cells could be an attractive alternative for standard silicon solar cells. Only a small amount of the expensive high purity silicon is needed for the epitaxial deposition on a low-cost silicon substrate made from e.g. metallurgical grade (MG) or upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG) silicon. The resulting product is called epitaxial wafer equivalent (EpiWE) because it can be processed in a standard wafer cell production. MG-Si and UMG-Si still contain a huge amount of metallic impurities. These impurities have to be removed by gettering methods in order to prevent diffusion into the highly pure active silicon layer during the high-temperature deposit…
Minority Carrier Lifetime Variations in Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers with Temperature and Ingot Position
2017
The minority carrier lifetimes of multicrystalline silicon wafers are mapped using microwave photoconductive decay for different temperatures and ingot positions. Wafers from the top of the ingot display larger areas with lower lifetimes compared to wafers from the bottom. The lifetimes of low-lifetime areas are found to increase with the temperature, while the lifetimes of some high-lifetime areas decrease or remain unchanged. The relative improvement of the low-lifetime areas is considerably larger than the relative change in the high-lifetime areas. We suggest that the above-mentioned observations explain, at least partially, why previous studies have found the relative temperature coeff…