Holger von Wenckstern

Mean barrier height of Pd Schottky contacts on ZnO thin films

We have investigated the temperature dependence of the barrier height of high-quality Pd Schottky contacts on (0001)-oriented ZnO thin films by temperature-dependent current-voltage and capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements. The films have been grown by pulsed-laser deposition. The effective Schottky barrier height ΦB,eff deduced from the current-voltage measurements was evaluated by considering a Gaussian barrier height distribution with a standard deviation σ around a mean barrier height ΦB,m. We determined ΦB,m=(1.16±0.04)eV which agrees well with the value of 1.14eV determined by CV measurements. The standard deviation is determined to be (134±10)meV.

Recent Progress on ZnO‐Based Metal‐Semiconductor Field‐Effect Transistors and Their Application in Transparent Integrated Circuits

Metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) are widely known from opaque high-speed GaAs or high-power SiC and GaN technology. For the emerging field of transparent electronics, only metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs) were considered so far. This article reviews the progress of high-performance MESFETs in oxide electronics and reflects the recent advances of this technique towards transparent MESFET circuitry. We discuss design prospects as well as limitations regarding device performance, reliability and stability. The presented ZnO-based MESFETs and inverters have superior properties compared to MISFETs, i.e., high channel mobilities and on/off-ratios, high gain, and low uncertainty level at comparatively low operating voltages. This makes them a promising approach for future low-cost transparent electronics.

Transparent p-CuI/n-ZnO heterojunction diodes

Transparent and electrically conducting p-type copper(I)-iodide thin-films form highly rectifying p-CuI/n-ZnO diodes. Sputtered copper thin films on glass were transformed into polycrystalline γ-CuI by exposing them to iodine vapor. The electrical parameters extracted from Hall effect are p=5×1018 cm−3, μh,Hall=6 cm2/Vs, and ρ=0.2 Ωcm for hole concentration, mobility, and electrical resistivity, respectively. Heterostructures consisting of p-CuI and pulsed-laser deposited n-ZnO were fabricated on a-plane sapphire substrates. The p-CuI/n-ZnO diode exhibits a current rectification ratio of 6×106 at ±2 V and an ideality factor of η=2.14.

Properties of reactively sputtered Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt Schottky contacts on n-type ZnO

Highly rectifying Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt Schottky contacts have been fabricated on heteroepitaxial pulsed-laser deposited ZnO-thin films by reactive sputtering. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed an oxidation of the Ag, Pd, and Pt contact material; the gold contacts are purely metallic. The necessity of a conductive capping of the oxidized contacts is proven by photocurrent measurements of AgxO contacts. The ideality factors and the effective barrier heights were determined by current-voltage measurements. Capacitance-voltage and temperature dependent current-voltage measurements were furthermore carried out to determine the mean barrier height, the standard deviation and the respective voltage dependencies taking lateral fluctuations of the barrier height into account.

Identification of pre-breakdown mechanism of silicon solar cells at low reverse voltages

The local breakdown of commercial silicon solar cells occurring at reverse voltages of only 3–4 V has been investigated by means of current-voltage measurements, dark lock-in thermography, and reverse-biased electroluminescence (ReBEL) with a spatial resolution on the micrometer-scale. It is shown that the origin of the local breakdown (so-called type I) can be traced back to a contamination of the wafer surface with Al particles prior to the phosphorous diffusion step. A model is presented explaining that the spectral maximum of ReBEL is within the visible range.

Low-temperature processed Schottky-gated field-effect transistors based on amorphous gallium-indium-zinc-oxide thin films

We have investigated the electrical properties of metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFET) based on amorphous oxide semiconductor channels. All functional parts of the devices were sputter-deposited at room temperature. The influence on the electrical properties of a 150 °C annealing step of the gallium-indium-zinc-oxide channel is investigated. The MESFET technology offers a simple route for processing of the transistors with excellent electrical properties such as low subthreshold swing of 112 mV/decade, gate sweep voltages of 2.5 V, and channel mobilities up to 15 cm2/V s.

Highly rectifying p-ZnCo2O4/n-ZnO heterojunction diodes

We present oxide bipolar heterojunction diodes consisting of p-type ZnCo2O4 and n-type ZnO fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition. Hole conduction of ZnCo2O4 (ZCO) was evaluated by Hall and Seebeck effect as well as scanning capacitance spectroscopy. Both, ZCO/ZnO and ZnO/ZCO type heterostructures, showed diode characteristics. For amorphous ZCO deposited at room temperature on epitaxial ZnO/Al2O3 thin films, we achieved current rectification ratios up to 2 × 1010, ideality factors around 2, and long-term stability.

Tungsten Oxide as a Gate Dielectric for Highly Transparent and Temperature-Stable Zinc-Oxide-Based Thin-Film Transistors

Tungsten oxide is currently used as gate insulator in pH-sensing ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) and in electrochromic devices. Its great potential as a high-κ dielectric with high transparency and temperature stability is reported. Owing to the low gate voltage sweep necessary to turn the transistor on and off, a possible application could be as a low-voltage pixel driver in active-matrix displays in harsh environments.

Wavelength selective metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors based on (Mg,Zn)O-heterostructures

We report on the utilization of MgyZn1−yO/MgxZn1−xO heterostructures having two different Mg-contents (0 < y < x ≤ 0.5, wurtzite structure) for the construction of wavelength selective metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet photodetectors. The MgxZn1−xO thin film acts as an optical edge filter and the MgyZn1−yO layer is the active layer of the devices. A FWHM of only 7 nm was achieved for a photodetector operating around 3.4 eV and the center of band (370–325 nm) was shifted by different y:x-combinations. A maximum spectral photo response of about 1.8 A/W was achieved in visible-blind range. An internal gain mechanism in the device was observed and attributed to trapping of minority carriers at PdOz/(Mg,Zn)O-interface.

Lattice parameters and Raman-active phonon modes of β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3

We present X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy investigations of a (100)-oriented (AlxGa1–x)2O3 thin film on MgO (100) and bulk-like ceramics in dependence on their composition. The thin film grown by pulsed laser deposition has a continuous lateral composition spread allowing to determine precisely the dependence of the phonon mode properties and lattice parameters on the chemical composition. For x < 0.4, we observe the single-phase β-modification. Its lattice parameters and phonon energies depend linearly on the composition. We determined the slopes of these dependencies for the individual lattice parameters and for nine Raman lines, respectively. While the lattice parameters of the ceramics follow Vegards rule, deviations are observed for the thin film. This deviation has only a small effect on the phonon energies, which show a reasonably good agreement between thin film and ceramics.