Direct Tunneling Effect in Metal-Semiconductor Contacts Simulated with Monte Carlo Method

Considering the tunneling effect and the Schottky effect,the metal semiconductor contact is simulated by using self consistent ensemble Monte Carlo method.Under different biases or at different barrier heights,the investigation into the tunneling current indicates that the tunneling effect is of great importance under reverse biases.The Schottky barrier diode current due to Schottky effect is in agreement with the theoretical one.The barrier lowering is found a profound effect on the current transport at the metal semiconductor interface.

Valley polarization in transition metal dichalcogenide layered semiconductors:Generation,relaxation,manipulation and transport

In recent years,valleytronics researches based on 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted considerable attention.On the one hand,strong spin–orbit interaction allows the presence of spin–valley coupling in this system,which provides spin addressable valley degrees of freedom for information storage and processing.On the other hand,large exciton binding energy up to hundreds of me V enables excitons to be stable carriers of valley information.Valley polarization,marked by an imbalanced exciton population in two inequivalent valleys(+K and-K),is the core of valleytronics as it can be utilized to store binary information.Motivated by the potential applications,we present a thorough overview of the recent advancements in the generation,relaxation,manipulation,and transport of the valley polarization in nonmagnetic transition metal dichalcogenide layered semiconductors.We also discuss the development of valleytronic devices and future challenges in this field.

Boosting the cycling stability of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries through MOF-based polymeric protective layers

Solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)play a pivotal role in advancing next-generation lithium metal battery technology.However,they commonly encounter substantial interfacial resistance and poor stability when interfacing with lithium metal,hindering practical applications.Herein,we introduce a flexible metal-organic framework(MOF:NUS-6)-incorporated polymeric layer,denoted as NP,designed to protect the sodium superionic conductor(NASICON)-type Li_(1.3)Al_(0.3)Ti_(1.7)(PO_(4))_(3)(LATP)electrolyte from Li metal anodes.The NP matrix establishes a soft interface with the LATP surface,effectively reducing voids and gaps that may arise between the LATP electrolyte and Li metal.Moreover,the MOF component in NP enhances ionic conductivity,offers abundant Li^(+)transport sites,and provides hierarchical ion channels,ensuring a homogeneous Li^(+)flow and thus effectively inhibiting Li dendrite formation.Utilizing NP,we fabricate Li symmetrical cells cycled for over 1600 h at 0.2 mA cm^(-2)and all-solid-state LiINP-LATPI LiFePO_(4)batteries,achieving a remarkable 99.3%capacity retention after 200 cycles at 0.2 C.This work outlines a general strategy for designing long-lasting and stable solid-state Li metal batteries.

Comparative review of corrosion-resistant coatings on metal bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

In the realm of proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs),the bipolar plates(BPs)are indispensable and serve pivotal roles in distributing reactant gases,collecting current,facilitating product water removal,and cooling the stack.Metal BPs,characterized by outstanding manufacturability,cost-effectiveness,higher power density,and mechanical strength,are emerging as viable alternatives to traditional graphite BPs.The foremost challenge for metal BPs lies in enhancing their corrosion resistance and conductivity under acidic conditions,necessitating the application of various coatings on their surfaces to ensure superior performance.This review summarizes and compares recent advancements in the research of eight distinct types of coatings for BPs in PEMFCs,including noble metal,carbide,ni-tride,and amorphous carbon(a-C)/metal compound composite coatings.The various challenges encountered in the manufacturing and fu-ture application of these coatings are also delineated.

Ohmic contacts for atomically-thin transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors

Motivated by the success of graphene research,atomically-thin transition metal dichalcogenide(TMDC)semiconductors are considered as promising field-effect transistor(FET)channel materials for fundamental research and potential applications.Bridging atomically-thin TMDC channels to external circuitry using metallic leads is one of the most critical steps towards high-performance devices and cutting-edge materials physics research.

Study of electrophysical properties of metal–semiconductor contact by the theory of complex systems

The purpose of this work is to analyze the electrical properties of the metal–semiconductor contact(MSC)in the framework of the theory of complex systems.The effect of inhomogeneity of the different microstructures:polycrystalline,monocrystalline,amorphous metal–semiconductor contact surface is investigated,considering a Schottky diode(SD)as a parallel connection of numerous subdiodes.It has been shown that the polycrystallinity of the metal translates a homogeneous contact into a complex system,which consists of parallel connected numerous elementary contacts having different properties and parameters.

Universal transfer of full-class metal electrodes for barrier-free two-dimensional semiconductor contacts

Metal–semiconductor contacts are crucial components in semiconductor devices.Ultrathin two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide semiconductors can sustain transistor scaling for next-generation integrated circuits.However,their performance is often degraded by conventional metal deposition,which results in a high barrier due to chemical disorder and Fermi-level pinning(FLP).Although,transferring electrodes can address these issues,they are limited in achieving universal transfer of full-class metals due to strong adhesion between pre-deposited metals and substrates.Here,we propose a nanobelt-assisted transfer strategy that can avoid the adhesion limitation and enables the universal transfer of over 20 different types of electrodes.Our contacts obey the Schottky–Mott rule and exhibit a FLP of S=0.99.Both the electron and hole contacts show record-low Schottky barriers of 4.2 and 11.2 meV,respectively.As a demonstration,we construct a doping-free WSe_(2) inverter with these high-performance contacts,which exhibits a static power consumption of only 58 pW.This strategy provides a universal method of electrode preparation for building high-performance post-Moore electronic devices.

Recent Progress on Flexible Room-Temperature Gas Sensors Based on Metal Oxide Semiconductor

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things,there is a great demand for portable gas sensors.Metal oxide semiconductors(MOS)are one of the most traditional and well-studied gas sensing materials and have been widely used to prepare various commercial gas sensors.However,it is limited by high operating temperature.The current research works are directed towards fabricating high-performance flexible room-temperature(FRT)gas sensors,which are effective in simplifying the structure of MOS-based sensors,reducing power consumption,and expanding the application of portable devices.This article presents the recent research progress of MOS-based FRT gas sensors in terms of sensing mechanism,performance,flexibility characteristics,and applications.This review comprehensively summarizes and discusses five types of MOS-based FRT gas sensors,including pristine MOS,noble metal nanoparticles modified MOS,organic polymers modified MOS,carbon-based materials(carbon nanotubes and graphene derivatives)modified MOS,and two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides materials modified MOS.The effect of light-illuminated to improve gas sensing performance is further discussed.Furthermore,the applications and future perspectives of FRT gas sensors are also discussed.

Refractory Metal Nitride Schottky Contact on GaN

For thermally stable or high-temperature operating,Schottky contact utilizing refractory metal nitride,TiN,MoN and ZrN,on n-GaN were evaluated.The refractory metal nitride films were formed by reactive sputtering in Ar and N2 ambient.Current-voltage characteristics show that ideality factors of 1.09-1.22 and barrier heights of 0.66-0.75 eV was obtained for the three metal nitrides.For the ZrN contact,the ideality factor and barrier height of became 1.06 and 0.77 eV,respectively,after 800 ℃ annealing.AlGaN/GaN heterostructure FET with TiN gate was also investigated.No obvious degradation was found for the TiN-gate device even after thermal treatment at 850 ℃.This shows that Schottky contact utilizing refractory metal nitride on GaN has the potential for thermal stability or high-temperature operating.

Photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production based on transition‐metal‐oxide semiconductors

As a kind of valuable chemicals,hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)has aroused growing attention in many fields.However,H2O2 production via traditional anthraquinone process suffers from challenges of large energy consumption and heavy carbon footprint.Alternatively,photoelectrocatalytic(PEC)production of H2O2 has shown great promises to make H2O2 a renewable fuel to store solar energy.Transition‐metal‐oxide(TMO)semiconductor based photoelectrocatalysts are among the most promising candidates for PEC H2O2 production.In this work,the fundamentals of H2O2 synthesis through PEC process are briefly introduced,followed by the state‐of‐the‐art of TMO semiconductor based photoelectrocatalysts for PEC production H2O2.Then,the progress on H2O2 fuel cells from on‐site PEC production is presented.Furthermore,the challenges and future perspectives of PEC H2O2 production are discussed.This review aims to provide inspiration for the PEC production of H2O2 as a renewable solar fuel.

Structural evolution of low-dimensional metal oxide semiconductors under external stress

Metal oxide semiconductors(MOSs) are attractive candidates as functional parts and connections in nanodevices.Upon spatial dimensionality reduction, the ubiquitous strain encountered in physical reality may result in structural instability and thus degrade the performance of MOS. Hence, the basic insight into the structural evolutions of low-dimensional MOS is a prerequisite for extensive applications, which unfortunately remains largely unexplored. Herein, we review the recent progress regarding the mechanical deformation mechanisms in MOSs, such as CuO and ZnO nanowires(NWs). We report the phase transformation of CuO NWs resulting from oxygen vacancy migration under compressive stress and the tensile strain-induced phase transition in ZnO NWs. Moreover, the influence of electron beam irradiation on interpreting the mechanical behaviors is discussed.

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.

Mobility enhancement of strained GaSb p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors with biaxial compressive strain

Various biaxial compressive strained GaSb p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors （MOSFETs） are experimentally and theoretically investigated, The biaxial compressive strained GaSb MOSFETs show a high peak mobility of 638 cm2/V.s, which is 3.86 times of the extracted mobility of the fabricated GaSb MOSFETs without strain. Meanwhile, first principles calculations show that the hole effective mass of GaSb depends on the biaxial compressive strain. The biaxiai compressive strain brings a remarkable enhancement of the hole mobility caused by a significant reduction in the hole effective mass due to the modulation of the valence bands.

Electronic properties of the SnSe–metal contacts:First-principles study

The geometries and electronic properties of SnSe/metal contact have been investigated using first-principles calcula- tion. It is found that the geometries of monolayer SnSe were affected slightly when SnSe adsorbs on M （M = Ag,Au,Ta） substrate. Compared with the corresponding free-standing monolayer SnSe, the adsorbed SnSe undergoes a semiconductor- to-metal transition. The potential difference AV indicates that SnSefra contact is the best candidate for the Schottky contact of the three SnSe/M contacts. Two types of current-in-plane （CIP） structure, where a freestanding monolayer SnSe is con- nected to SnSe/M, are identified as the n-type CIP structure in SnSe/Ag contact and p-type CIP structure in SnSe/Au and SnSe/Ta contact. The results can stimulate further investigation for the multifunctional SnSe/metal contact.

Atomically bonding Na anodes with metallized ceramic electrolytes by ultrasound welding for high-energy/power solid-state sodium metal batteries

A solid-state sodium metal battery has cut a striking figure in next-generation large-scale energy storage technology on account of high safety,high energy density,and low cost.Nevertheless,the large interfacial resistance and sodium dendrite growth originating from the poor interface contact seriously hinder its practical application.Herein,a modified ultrasound welding was proposed to atomically bond Na anodes and Au-metalized Na_(3)Zr_(2)Si_(2)PO_(12) electrolytes associated with the in situ formation of Na–Au alloy interlayers.Thereupon,intimate Na_(3)Zr_(2)Si_(2)PO_(12)-Au/Na interfaces with a low interfacial resistance(~23Ωcm^(2))and a strong dendrite inhibition ability were constructed.The optimized Na symmetric battery can cycle steadily for more than 900 h at 0.3 mA cm^(-2) under a low overpotential(<50 mV)of Na electroplating/stripping and deliver a high critical current density of 0.8 mAcm^(-2) at room temperature.By incorporating the above interface into the solid-state Na metal battery,taking three-dimensional Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3) as the cathode,the full battery offers a high energy density of 291 Wh kg^(-1) at a high power density of 1860Wkg^(-1).A pouch-type solid-state sodium metal full battery based on a ceramic electrolyte was assembled for the first time,and it lit a 3 V LED lamp.Such a strategy of the ultrasound welding metalized solid-state electrolyte/Na interface by engineering the Na-Au interlayer would pave a new pathway to engineer a low-resistance and highly stable interface for high-energy/density solid-state sodium metal batteries.

Wet thermal annealing effect on TaN/HfO_2/Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with and without a GeO_2 passivation layer

Wet thermal annealing effects on the properties of TaN/HfO2/Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor （MOS） structures with and without a GeO2 passivation layer are investigated. The physical and the electrical properties are characterized by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, capacitance-voltage （C-V） and current-voltage characteristics. It is demonstrated that wet thermal annealing at relatively higher temperature such as 550 ℃ can lead to Ge incorporation in HfO2 and the partial crystallization of HfO2, which should be responsible for the serious degradation of the electrical characteristics of the TaN/HfO2/Ge MOS capacitors. However, wet thermal annealing at 400 ℃ can decrease the GeOx interlayer thickness at the HfO2/Ge interface, resulting in a significant reduction of the interface states and a smaller effective oxide thickness, along with the introduction of a positive charge in the dielectrics due to the hydrolyzable property of GeOx in the wet ambient. The pre-growth of a thin GeO2 passivation layer can effectively suppress the interface states and improve the C V characteristics for the as-prepared HfO2 gated Ge MOS capacitors, but it also dissembles the benefits of wet thermal annealing to a certain extent.

Drain-induced barrier lowering effect for short channel dual material gate 4H silicon carbide metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor

Sub-threshold characteristics of the dual material gate 4H-SiC MESFET （DMGFET） are investigated and the analytical models to describe the drain-induced barrier lowering （DIBL） effect are derived by solving one- and two- dimensional Poisson＇s equations. Using these models, we calculate the bottom potential of the channel and the threshold voltage shift, which characterize the drain-induced barrier lowering （DIBL） effect. The calculated results reveal that the dual material gate （DMG） structure alleviates the deterioration of the threshold voltage and thus suppresses the DIBL effect due to the introduced step function, which originates from the work function difference of the two gate materials when compared with the conventional single material gate metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor （SMGFET）.

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.

Effect of depositing PCBM on perovskite-based metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors

In this manuscript,the perovskite-based metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors（MOSFETs） with phenylC61-butyric acid methylester（PCBM） layers are studied.The MOSFETs are fabricated on perovskites,and characterized by photoluminescence spectra（PL）,x-ray diffraction（XRD）,and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）.With PCBM layers,the current–voltage hysteresis phenomenon is effetely inhibited,and both the transfer and output current values increase.The band energy diagrams are proposed,which indicate that the electrons are transferred into the PCBM layer,resulting in the increase of photocurrent.The electron mobility and hole mobility are extracted from the transfer curves,which are about one order of magnitude as large as those of PCBM deposited,which is the reason why the electrons are transferred into the PCBM layer and the holes are still in the perovskites,and the effects of ionized impurity scattering on carrier transport become smaller.

High-voltage super-junction lateral double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor with a partial lightly doped pillar

A novel super-junction lateral double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor （SJ-LDMOS） with a partial lightly doped P pillar （PD） is proposed. Firstly, the reduction in the partial P pillar charges ensures the charge balance and suppresses the substrate-assisted depletion effect. Secondly, the new electric field peak produced by the P/P junction modulates the surface electric field distribution. Both of these result in a high breakdown voltage （BV）. In addition, due to the same conduction paths, the specific on-resistance （Ron,sp） of the PD SJ-LDMOS is approximately identical to the conventional SJ-LDMOS. Simulation results indicate that the average value of the surface lateral electric field of the PD SJ-LDMOS reaches 20 V/μm at a 15 μm drift length, resulting in a BV of 300 V.