Olivier Simonetti

Characterization of ultrathin metal-oxide-semiconductor structures using coupled current and capacitance-voltage models based on quantum calculation

We have developed a capacitance–voltage (C–V) and a current–voltage (I–V) quasistatic quantum model of ultrathin metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures based on the self-consistent solution of the Schrodinger and Poisson equations. The direct tunneling current takes into account the carrier distribution in energy subbands and uses the notions of corrected tunnel transparency and of impact frequency at the injecting electrode. These models are used to obtain the main physical parameters of n+-polysilicon/SiO2/〈100〉 p-Si MOS structures, with oxide thickness ranging from 1.2 to 3.5 nm. The extracted parameters are the oxide thickness (TOX), the substrate doping, both at the Si/SiO2 interface [NS(0)] and deep in the bulk [NS(∞)], and the polysilicon gate doping (NP) near the polysilicon/SiO2 interface. For this range of oxide thickness, the direct tunneling current strongly perturbs the C–V measurements, which must be corrected. Down to 1.5 nm oxide thickness, these parameters are obtained by C–V characte...

Characterizations of Ohmic and Schottky-behaving contacts of a single ZnO nanowire

Current-voltage and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) measurements were performed on single ZnO nanowires. Measurements are shown to be strongly correlated with the contact behavior, either Ohmic or diode-like. The ZnO nanowires were obtained by metallo-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and contacted using electronic-beam lithography. Depending on the contact geometry, good quality Ohmic contacts (linear I-V behavior) or non-linear (diode-like) contacts were obtained. Current-voltage and KPFM measurements on both types of contacted ZnO nanowires were performed in order to investigate their behavior. A clear correlation could be established between the I-V curve, the electrical potential profile along the device and the nanowire geometry. Some arguments supporting this behavior are given based on technological issues and on depletion region extension. This work will help to better understand the electrical behavior of Ohmic contacts on single ZnO nanowires, for future applications in nanoscale field-effect transistors and nano-photodetectors.

Tailoring the microstructure and charge transport in conjugated polymers by alkyl side-chain engineering

Charge transport in conjugated polymers is critical to most optoelectronic devices and depends strongly on the polymer structure and conformation in the solid state. Understanding the correlations between charge carrier mobility, energy disorder and molecular assembly is therefore essential to improve device performances. Alkyl side-chains contribute to intermolecular interactions and are key to controlling the polymer microstructure and electronic properties. Investigating a set of polymers with common conjugated units but different side-chain functionalization provides new insights into the complex structure–transport relationship. Here, field-effect transistors and space-charge-limited current devices are used together with in situ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering to study charge transport and morphology in a series of donor–acceptor copolymers. Probing hole mobility as a function of carrier density and orientation permits us to assess energy disorder and hopping rate anisotropy, while X-ray diffraction allows us to link transport properties to the polymer microstructure. We show that branched side-chains enhance structural and energy disorder and lead to isotropic transport, whereas linear chains induce either a common lamellar structure or a more exceptional pseudo-hexagonal columnar phase with a helicoidal polymer conformation. The latter enhances out-of-plane mobility but increases energy disorder possibly due to larger interring torsion angles.

New anthracene-based soluble polymers: optical and charge carrier transport properties

A series of anthracene-based polymers (P1–3) have been synthesized via the Wittig polycondensation. These organic materials were soluble in common organic solvents and show good film-forming abilities. Their macromolecular structures were characterized by NMR, FT-IR spectroscopies and steric exclusion chromatography, their thermal behaviors were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and their HOMO-LUMO energy levels were estimated by cyclic voltammetry. The optical properties of these π-conjugated systems were investigated by UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The effect of the spacer-group structure on the photo-physical behavior, π-π stacking ability and charge carrier transport properties of the polymer has been studied.

High voltage surface potential measurements in ambient conditions: Application to organic thin-film transistor injection and transport characterization

A scanning surface potential measurement technique suited for thin-film devices operating under high voltages is reported. A commercial atomic force microscope has been customized to enable a feedback-controlled and secure surface potential measurement based on phase-shift detection under ambient conditions. Measurements of the local potential profile along the channel of bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) are shown to be useful to disentangle the contributions from the channel and contacts to the device performance. Intrinsic contact current-voltage characteristics have been measured on bottom-gate, top-contact (staggered) TFTs based on the small-molecule semiconductor dinaphtho[2,3-b:2′,3-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) and on bottom-gate, bottom-contact (coplanar) TFTs based on the semiconducting polymer polytriarylamine (PTAA). Injection has been found to be linear in the staggered DNTT TFTs and nonlinear in the coplanar PTAA TFTs. In both types of TFT, the injection efficiency has been ...

Development of an improved Kelvin probe force microscope for accurate local potential measurements on biased electronic devices

An improved setup for accurate near‐field surface potential measurements and characterisation of biased electronic devices using the Kelvin Probe method has been developed. Using an external voltage source synchronised with the raster‐scan of the KPFM‐AM, this setup allows to avoid potential measurement errors of the conventional Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in the case of in situ measurements on biased electronic devices. This improved KPFM‐AM setup has been tested on silicon‐based devices and organic semiconductor‐based devices such as organic field effect transistors (OFETs), showing differences up to 25% compared to the standard KPFM‐AM lift‐mode measurement method.