A. D. Barros

Ambipolar acoustic transport in silicon

We have investigated the ambipolar transport of electrons and holes by electrically generated surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on silicon wafers coated with a piezoelectric ZnO film. The transport experiments were carried out by using a focused laser beam to optically excite carriers. The carriers are then captured by the moving SAW piezoelectric field and then transported towards a lateral p-i-n junction, where they are electrically detected. The piezoelectric modulation modifies the current vs. voltage characteristics of the lateral p-i-n junction. This behavior is accounted for by a simple model for the change of the junction potential by the SAW fields. We demonstrate that electrons and holes can be acoustically transported over distances approaching 100 μm, the transport efficiency being limited by the low mobility of holes in the material. These results open the way for silicon-based acousto-electric devices using ambipolar transport such as photo-detectors and solar cells.