Review of My Research Work on Ferroelectric Films and Si-Based Device Applications: Opportunity and Challenge

Ferroelectric materials have many interesting physical properties such as ferroelectricity, pyroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and opto-electricity, and applying ferroelectric materials in the forms of thin and thick films and integrating them on the silicon substrate as electronic and MEMS devices is a very attractive research area and challenging. In this paper, we report our research works on ferroelectric MEMS and ferroelectric films for electronic device applications. Pyroelectric thin film infrared sensors have been made, characterized, and a 32×32 array with its size of 1cm×1cm has been obtained on Si membrane. Ferroelectric thin films in amorphous phase have been applied to make silicon based hydrogen gas sensors with the metal/amorphous ferroelectric film/metal device structure, and its turn-on voltage of about 4.5V at ～1000 ppm in air is about 7 times of the best value reported in the literature. For the application of electron emission flat panel display, ferroelectric BST thin films with excess Ti concentrations have been coated on Si tips, the threshold voltage of those ferroelectric film coated tips has been reduced about one order from ～70 V/μm to 4～10 V/μm for different Ti concentrations, and however, the electron emission current density has been increased at least 3～4 order for those coated tips compared to that of the bare Si tips. To fulfill in the thickness gap between thin film of typical ～1 μm made by PVD/CVD and polished ceramic wafer of ～50 μm from the bulk, piezoelectric films with thickness in a range of 1～30 μm have been successfully deposited on Si substrate at a low temperature of 650oC by a novel hybridized deposition technique, and piezoelectric MEMS ultrasonic arrays have been very recently obtained with the sound pressure level up to ～120 dB. More detailed results will be presented and mechanisms will be discussed.

Progress of Si-based Optoelectronic Devices

Si-based optoelectronics is becoming a very active research area due to its potential applications to optical communications.One of the major goals of this study is to realize all-Si optoelectronic integrated circuit.This is due to the fact that Si-based optoelectronic technology can be compatible with Si microelectronic technology.If Si-based optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits can be achieved,it will lead to a new informational technological revolution.In the article,the current developments of this exciting field are mainly reviewed in the recent years.The involved contents are the realization of various Si-based optoelectronic devices,such as light-emitting diodes,optical waveguides devices,Si photonic bandgap crystals,and Si laser,etc.Finally,the developed tendency of all-Si optoelectronic integrated technology are predicted in the near future.

Quantum Boltzmann equation solved by Monte Carlo method for nano-scale semiconductor devices simulation

A two-dimensional （2D） full band self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo （MC） method for solving the quantum Boltzmann equation, including collision broadening and quantum potential corrections, is developed to extend the MC method to the study of nano-scale semiconductor devices with obvious quantum mechanical （QM） effects. The quantum effects both in real space and momentum space in nano-scale semiconductor devices can be simulated. The effective mobility in the inversion layer of n and p channel MOSFET is simulated and compared with experimental data to verify this method. With this method 50nm ultra thin body silicon on insulator MOSFET are simulated. Results indicate that this method can be used to simulate the 2D QM effects in semiconductor devices including tunnelling effect.

FINITE DIFFERENCE FRACTIONAL STEP METHODS FOR THE TRANSIENT BEHAVIOR OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Characteristic finite difference fractional step schemes are put forward. The electric potential equation is described by a seven-point finite difference scheme, and the electron and hole concentration equations are treated by a kind of characteristic finite difference fractional step methods. The temperature equation is described by a fractional step method. Thick and thin grids are made use of to form a complete set. Piecewise threefold quadratic interpolation, symmetrical extension, calculus of variations, commutativity of operator product, decomposition of high order difference operators and prior estimates are also made use of. Optimal order estimates in l2 norm are derived to determine the error of the approximate solution. The well-known problem is thorongley and completely solred.

A SPARSE MATRIX TECHNIQUE FOR SIMULATING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND ITS ALGORITHMS

A novel sparse matrix technique for the numerical analysis of semiconductor devicesand its algorithms are presented.Storage scheme and calculation procedure of the sparse matrixare described in detail.The sparse matrix technique in the device simulation can decrease storagegreatly with less CPU time and its implementation is very easy.Some algorithms and calculationexamples to show the time and space characteristics of the sparse matrix are given.

The Advent of Wide Bandgap Green-Synthesized Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Nanoparticles for Applications in Optical and Electronic Devices

Power-electronic devices are widely used in various applications, such as voltage and frequency control for transmitting and converting electric power. As these devices are becoming increasingly important, there is a need to reduce their losses and improve their performance to reduce electric power consumption. Current power semiconductor devices, such as inverters, are made of silicon (Si), but the performance of these Si power devices is reaching its limit due to physical properties and energy bandgap. To address this issue, recent developments in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), offer the potential for a new generation of power semiconductor devices that can perform significantly better than silicon-based devices. In this research, a green synthesized copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) nanoparticle is proposed as a new WBG semiconductor material that could be used for optical and electronic devices. Its synthesis, consisting of the production methods and materials used, is discussed. The characterization is also discussed, and further research is recommended in the later sections to enable the continual advancement of this technology.

Advances in Rare Earth Application to Semiconductor Materials and Devices

The development of rare earths (RE) applications to semiconductor materials and devices is reviewed. The recent advances in RE doped silicon light emitting diodes (LED) and display materials are described. The various technologies of incorporating RE into semiconductor materials and devices are presented. The RE high dielectric materials, RE silicides and the phase transition of RE materials are also discussed. Finally, the paper describes the prospects of the RE application to semiconductor industry.

Progress in Antimonide Based III-V Compound Semiconductors and Devices

In recent years, the narrow bandgap antimonide based compound semiconductors (ABCS) are widely regarded as the first candidate materials for fabrication of the third generation infrared photon detectors and integrated circuits with ultra-high speed and ultra-low power consumption. Due to their unique bandgap structure and physical properties, it makes a vast space to develop various novel devices, and becomes a hot research area in many developed countries such as USA, Japan, Germany and Israel etc. Research progress in the preparation and application of ABCS materials, existing problems and some latest results are briefly introduced.

Overview of High Voltage SiC Power Semiconductor Devices: Development and Application

Research on high voltage(HV)silicon carbide(SiC)power semiconductor devices has attracted much attention in recent years.This paper overviews the development and status of HV SiC devices.Meanwhile,benefits of HV SiC devices are presented.The technologies and challenges for HV SiC device application in converter design are discussed.The state-of-the-art applications of HV SiC devices are also reviewed.

Effect of NO annealing on charge traps in oxide insulator and transition layer for 4H-SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor devices

The effect of nitric oxide（NO） annealing on charge traps in the oxide insulator and transition layer in n-type4H–Si C metal–oxide–semiconductor（MOS） devices has been investigated using the time-dependent bias stress（TDBS）,capacitance–voltage（C–V）,and secondary ion mass spectroscopy（SIMS）.It is revealed that two main categories of charge traps,near interface oxide traps（Nniot） and oxide traps（Not）,have different responses to the TDBS and C–V characteristics in NO-annealed and Ar-annealed samples.The Nniotare mainly responsible for the hysteresis occurring in the bidirectional C–V characteristics,which are very close to the semiconductor interface and can readily exchange charges with the inner semiconductor.However,Not is mainly responsible for the TDBS induced C–V shifts.Electrons tunneling into the Not are hardly released quickly when suffering TDBS,resulting in the problem of the threshold voltage stability.Compared with the Ar-annealed sample,Nniotcan be significantly suppressed by the NO annealing,but there is little improvement of Not.SIMS results demonstrate that the Nniotare distributed within the transition layer,which correlated with the existence of the excess silicon.During the NO annealing process,the excess Si atoms incorporate into nitrogen in the transition layer,allowing better relaxation of the interface strain and effectively reducing the width of the transition layer and the density of Nniot.

Multifunctional silicon-based light emitting device in standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology

A three-terminal silicon-based light emitting device is proposed and fabricated in standard 0.35 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. This device is capable of versatile working modes： it can emit visible to near infra-red （NIR） light （the spectrum ranges from 500 nm to 1000 nm） in reverse bias avalanche breakdown mode with working voltage between 8.35 V-12 V and emit NIR light （the spectrum ranges from 900 nm to 1300 nm） in the forward injection mode with working voltage below 2 V. An apparent modulation effect on the light intensity from the polysilicon gate is observed in the forward injection mode. Furthermore, when the gate oxide is broken down, NIR light is emitted from the polysilicon/oxide/silicon structure. Optoelectronic characteristics of the device working in different modes are measured and compared. The mechanisms behind these different emissions are explored.

Identifying the enhancement mechanism of Al/MoO_(3) reactive multilayered films on the ignition ability of semiconductor bridge using a one-dimensional gas-solid two-phase flow model

Energetic Semiconductor bridge(ESCB)based on reactive multilayered films(RMFs)has a promising application in the miniature and intelligence of initiator and pyrotechnics device.Understanding the ignition enhancement mechanism of RMFs on semiconductor bridge(SCB)during the ignition process is crucial for the engineering and practical application of advanced initiator and pyrotechnics devices.In this study,a one-dimensional(1D)gas-solid two-phase flow ignition model was established to study the ignition process of ESCB to charge particles based on the reactivity of Al/MoO_(3) RMFs.In order to fully consider the coupled exothermic between the RMFs and the SCB plasma during the ignition process,the heat release of chemical reaction in RMFs was used as an internal heat source in this model.It is found that the exothermal reaction in RMFs improved the ignition performance of SCB.In the process of plasma rapid condensation with heat release,the product of RMFs enhanced the heat transfer process between the gas phase and the solid charge particle,which accelerated the expansion of hot plasma,and heated the solid charge particle as well as gas phase region with low temperature.In addition,it made up for pressure loss in the gas phase.During the plasma dissipation process,the exothermal chemical reaction in RMFs acted as the main heating source to heat the charge particle,making the surface temperature of the charge particle,gas pressure,and gas temperature rise continuously.This result may yield significant advantages in providing a universal ignition model for miniaturized ignition devices.

IMPLICIT-EXPLICIT MULTISTEP FINITE ELEMENT-MIXED FINITE ELEMENT METHODS FOR THE TRANSIENT BEHAVIOR OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

The transient behavior of a semiconductor device consists of a Poisson equation for the electric potential and of two nonlinear parabolic equations for the electron density and hole density. The electric potential equation is discretized by a mixed finite element method. The electron and hole density equations are treated by implicit-explicit multistep finite element methods. The schemes are very efficient. The optimal order error estimates both in time and space are derived.

Preface to the Special Issue on Perovskite Semiconductor Optoelectronic Materials and Devices

Halide perovskite,a novel semiconductor material,was initially used in solar cells since 2009,and tremendous progresses have been witnessed in the last decade.The power conversion efficiency of the single perovskite solar cells has been incredibly increased up to 25.2%,and close to 30%efficiency was realized in perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.Recently,the application of perovskite has been extended to the light-emitting diodes and photo-detectors.

Analysis of a two-grid method for semiconductor device problem

The mathematical model of a semiconductor device is governed by a system of quasi-linear partial differential equations.The electric potential equation is approximated by a mixed finite element method,and the concentration equations are approximated by a standard Galerkin method.We estimate the error of the numerical solutions in the sense of the Lqnorm.To linearize the full discrete scheme of the problem,we present an efficient two-grid method based on the idea of Newton iteration.The main procedures are to solve the small scaled nonlinear equations on the coarse grid and then deal with the linear equations on the fine grid.Error estimation for the two-grid solutions is analyzed in detail.It is shown that this method still achieves asymptotically optimal approximations as long as a mesh size satisfies H=O(h^1/2).Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the efficiency of the two-grid method.

Electroluminescent Excitation Mechanism of Erbium－activated Zinc Sulfide Semiconductor Thin Film Devices

The electroluminescunce (EL) transient characteristics of erbium-doped zinc sulfide thin film (TF) devices excited by short rectangular pulses are studied, the luminescence delay after de-exciting and the relaxation luminance peaks during decay are observed. A model description for energy transfer has been proposed. The experimental results can be theoretically explained with the computer curve fittings.

A BLOCK-CENTERED UPWIND APPROXIMATION OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE PROBLEM ON A DYNAMICALLY CHANGING MESH

The numerical simulation of a three-dimensional semiconductor device is a fundamental problem in information science. The mathematical model is defined by an initialboundary nonlinear system of four partial differential equations: an elliptic equation for electric potential, two convection-diffusion equations for electron concentration and hole concentration, and a heat conduction equation for temperature. The first equation is solved by the conservative block-centered method. The concentrations and temperature are computed by the block-centered upwind difference method on a changing mesh, where the block-centered method and upwind approximation are used to discretize the diffusion and convection, respectively. The computations on a changing mesh show very well the local special properties nearby the P-N junction. The upwind scheme is applied to approximate the convection, and numerical dispersion and nonphysical oscillation are avoided. The block-centered difference computes concentrations, temperature, and their adjoint vector functions simultaneously.The local conservation of mass, an important rule in the numerical simulation of a semiconductor device, is preserved during the computations. An optimal order convergence is obtained. Numerical examples are provided to show efficiency and application.

A Finite Difference Scheme for a Semiconductor Device Problem on Grids with Local Refinement in Time and Space

The momentary state of a semiconductor device is described by a system of three nonlinear partial differential equations. A finite difference scheme for simulating transient behaviors of a semiconductor device on grids with local refinement in time and space is constructed and studied. Error analysis is presented and is illustrated by numerical examples.

Infrastructure of Synchrotronic Biosensor Based on Semiconductor Device Fabrication for Tracking, Monitoring, Imaging, Measuring, Diagnosing and Detecting Cancer Cells

Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide(CZAS)is derived from Copper Antimony Sulfide(CAS),a famatinite class of compound.In the current paper,the first step for using Copper,Zinc,Antimony and Sulfide as materials in manufacturing synchrotronic biosensor-namely increasing the sensitivity of biosensor through creating Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide,CZAS(Cu1.18Zn0.40Sb1.90S7.2)semiconductor and using it instead of Copper Tin Sulfide,CTS(Cu2SnS3)for tracking,monitoring,imaging,measuring,diagnosing and detecting cancer cells,is evaluated.Further,optimization of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)(Ru(bpy)32+)concentrations and Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide,CZAS(Cu1.18Zn0.40Sb1.90S7.2)semiconductor as two main and effective materials in the intensity of synchrotron for tracking,monitoring,imaging,measuring,diagnosing and detecting cancer cells are considered so that the highest sensitivity obtains.In this regard,various concentrations of two materials were prepared and photon emission was investigated in the absence of cancer cells.On the other hand,ccancer diagnosis requires the analysis of images and attributes as well as collecting many clinical and mammography variables.In diagnosis of cancer,it is important to determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant.The information about cancer risk prediction along with the type of tumor are crucial for patients and effective medical decision making.An ideal diagnostic system could effectively distinguish between benign and malignant cells;however,such a system has not been created yet.In this study,a model is developed to improve the prediction probability of cancer.It is necessary to have such a prediction model as the survival probability of cancer is high when patients are diagnosed at early stages.

Temperature Dependence of Performance of 6H-SiC Unipolar Power Devices

The temperature dependence of some performance of 6H SiC unipolar power devices is analyzed theoretically.By employing the temperature dependent ionization coefficient and mobility of a silicon carbide,the analytical expressions of the temperature dependent performance,such as breakdown characteristics and on resistance of 6H SiC unipolar power devices are derived in a closed form.The analytical results are compared with the experimental results,with good accordance found in the breakdown characteristics.