Hole Barrier Research Articles

Ordered Vacancy Compound Formation at the Interface of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Absorber with Sputtered In2S3‐Based Buffers: An Atomic‐Scale Perspective

The design of a Cd‐free and wider‐bandgap buffer layer is stringent for future Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) thin‐film solar cell applications. For that, an In2S3 buffer layer alloyed with a limited amount of O (well below 25 mol%) has been proposed as a pertinent alternative solution to CdS or Zn(O,S) buffers. However, the chemical stability of the In2S3/CIGSe heterointerface when O is added is not completely clear. Therefore, in this work, the buffer/absorber interface for a series of sputter‐deposited In2S3 buffers with and without O is investigated. It is found that the solar cell with the highest open‐circuit voltage is obtained for the O‐free In2S3 buffer sputtered at 220 °C. This improved open‐circuit voltage could be explained by the presence of a 20 nm‐thick ordered vacancy compound (OVC) at the absorber surface. A much thinner OVC layer (5 nm) or even the absence of this layer is found for the cell with In2(O0.25S0.75)3 buffer layer where O is inserted. The volume fraction of the OVC layer is directly linked with the magnitude of Cu diffusion from the CIGSe surface into the In2(OxS1−x)3 buffer layer. The O addition strongly reduces the Cu diffusion inside the buffer layer up to complete suppression for very high O contents in the buffer. Finally, it is discussed that the presence of the OVC layer may lower the valence band maximum, thereby forming a hole barrier, suppressing charge carrier recombination at the In2(OxS1−x)3/CIGSe interface, which could result in an increased open‐circuit voltage.

Halogenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon for Hole Selective Layer/Perovskite Interface Modification and Passivation for Efficient Perovskite‐Organic Tandem Solar Cells with Record Fill Factor

AbstractPerovskite whentandemed with organic photovoltaics (OPV) for double‐junctions have efficiencypotentials over 40%. However, there is still room for improvement suchas better current matching, higher fill factor, as well as lower voltage and fill factor losses in the top perovskite cell. Here weaddress the issue associated with the top perovskite cell by utilising anovel halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound, 1‐naphthylammoniumchloride (NA─Cl) playing dual roles of surface modification for the hole selectivelayer (HSL) and passivation of HSL/perovskiteinterface. Results of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functionaltheory calculations reveal that NA─Cl retains self‐assembly property for the HSLwhile demonstrating high dipole moment and polarizability. This induces asurface dipole at the HSL/perovskite interface reducing the energetic barrierfor hole extraction by 210 meV thereby enhancing voltage output and fill factorof the device. Such scheme when implemented in a high bandgap (1.78 eV)perovskite solar cell, results in a respectable efficiency of 19.7% and thehighest fill factor of 85.4% amongst those of 1.78 eV perovskite cells reported.We have also achieved 23% cell efficient monolithic perovskite‐OPV tandem withan impressive fill factor of 84%, which is the highest for perovskite‐OPVtandem cells reported to‐date.

N+/p+ GaN and n+/p+ Al0.10Ga0.90N tunnel junctions: a promising alternative for hole injection in deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

This research replaced the traditional hole source layers in a conventional LED with a tunnel junction. In conventional light-emitting diodes (LEDs) two hole injecting layers (p-GaN and p-AlxGa1-xN) have been used, in which holes have to surpass greater energy barriers that hindered holes injection. A heavily doped GaN tunnel junction (TJ) has been used as a replacement for conventionally used hole injection layers, which has reduced the energy barriers for holes and increased the electron confining ability of wells. As a result, the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the LED has increased from 52% to 72%. Instead of GaN TJ, Al0.10Ga0.90N – GaN hybrid tunnel junction (HTJ) has been introduced to lower the efficiency droop and raise the efficiency further to 81% simultaneously. Using TJ and HTJ, we have demonstrated that the conventional hole’s source layer can be replaced by TJs, which results in better hole injection because of reduced barrier height, increased electron confinement, greater electron–hole radiative recombination, and higher spontaneous emission intensity.

Phthalocyanine interfaces with MoS2(0001): The effect of the metal centre on the charge transfer

Semiconductor interfaces are of great importance nowadays because of their tuneable properties. In this study, the interfaces of metal phthalocyanines (H2Pc, MnPc, and CuPc) and a single crystal of 2H-MoS2 are studied by X-ray and Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies to understand their physiochemical properties. For this purpose, the molecules were in situ deposited onto a clean substrate stepwise and after each deposition step, the interface was characterised. The obtained results show that all three molecules exhibit a flat-lying orientation on the substrate. Additionally, it is evident that the metal centre acts as a channel for electron transfer from the molecules to the substrate. Finally, the electron and hole barriers were calculated and the CuPc demonstrated the highest ones with values of 1.8 eV and 0.8 eV respectively.

A fast-switching and short-circuit enhanced SOI LIGBT with a Self-Driving P-MOS

A fast-switching and short-circuit enhanced LIGBT with integrated Self-Driving P-channel MOS, named SDP-LIGBT is demonstrated by the TCAD SENTAURUS. The SDP consists of P + Emitter (Drain), N-type Carrier Store (N-CS Substrate) and P-shield (Source), and the gate of the SDP (PG) is shortly connected with the P + Emitter, thus the VPG,S equals VDS. Consequently, the SDP can be triggered on with saturate state without extra control signal. At the forward conduction, the SDP is automatically turned on with the increased VCE, then the saturation current is remarkably decreased due to division of LIGBT part and SDP part. Moreover, the N-CS substrate of the SDP acts as the hole barrier, which further decreased the on-state voltage drop (VON). At the turn-off process, the SDP is also automatically turned on to extract excessive carriers with the increased bus voltage VCE, thus the turn-off speed and turn-off energy loss (EOFF) is effectively reduced. As a result, the SDP-LIGBT achieves superior trade-off relationship between VON and EOFF. Furthermore, the short-circuit property of SDP-LIGBT is also significantly enhanced.

Microscopic analysis of low but stable perovskite solar cell device performance using electron spin resonance

Perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention as next-generation solar cells. However, a typical hole-transport material, spiro-OMeTAD, has associated difficulties including tedious synthesis and high cost. To overcome these shortcomings, an easily synthesized and low-cost hole-transport material has been developed: HND-2NOMe. Although HND-2NOMe has high local charge mobility because of the quasi-planar structure, its lower device performance is a weak point, the cause of which has not yet been clarified. Here, we analyse the source of the lower performance by clarifying the internal states from a microscopic viewpoint using electron spin resonance. We observe hole diffusion from perovskite to HND-2NOMe under dark conditions, indicating hole barrier formation at the perovskite/HND-2NOMe interface, leading to lower performance. Although such a barrier is formed, less hole accumulation for the HND-2NOMe-based cells under solar irradiation occurs, which is related to the stable performance. The sources of the lower but stable performance are crucially important for providing guidelines for improving the device performance.

Study on the Effect of Electron/Hole Injection on the Energy-Storage Properties of Polymer Dielectrics.

As a critical component of electrostatic capacitors, the polymer dielectric directly affects the performance of the capacitor. In this work, Polycarbonate (PC)/Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) asymmetric bilayer polymer dielectrics were prepared, and the influence of different polymer materials' barrier characteristics on various electrical properties of composite dielectrics was studied by changing the direction of applied electric fields. Research has found that the dielectric constant of a composite dielectric is between PVDF and PC (approximately 4.8 at 10 Hz) and is independent of the relative position of PVDF and PC in the dielectric. However, the relative position of PC and PVDF has a significant impact on the energy-storage characteristics of composite dielectrics. When PVDF comes into contact with the negative electrode, even though PC has a higher hole barrier, the composite dielectric can only withstand a maximum electric-field strength of 400 MV/m, which is much lower than the maximum electric-field strength that pure PC can withstand (520 MV/m), and it only achieves an energy-storage density of 3.7 J/cm3. When the PC comes into contact with the negative electrode, the high electron barrier of the PC effectively suppresses the injection of electrons at the electrode. It can withstand the same electric-field strength as PC (520 MV/m), achieving an energy-storage density of 5.48 J/cm3, which is 1.46 times that of pure PC and 1.64 times that of PVDF. This experiment effectively combined the advantages of PC and PVDF by utilizing the electron/hole barrier of polymer materials to obtain a fully organic dielectric with excellent energy-storage performance.

String-level compact modeling of erase operations in the body-floated vertical channel of 3D charge trapping flash memory

In this study, we examined the use of string-level compact modeling as an effective framework for circuit simulation focusing on erase operation in 3D charge trapping flash (CTF) memory devices. We analyzed the behaviors of the accumulated hole from p-type bulk (p-well) and the corresponding difference of channel electrostatic potential in the CTF cell string, which is attributed to the variation in hole barrier height in the channel of the ground select line (GSL) transistor during erase operation. We derived a formula for the hole current delivering positive potential from the p-well to the channel region and established a modeling procedure. Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation results were used to extract model parameters and analyze channel electrostatic potential during the erase operation. Additionally, experimental data for erase speed were verified using simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE) results. Because the erase efficiency is strongly related to hole behaviors based on the conditions of the GSL transistor, the proposed compact modeling is an effective tool for circuit designers and system architects to achieve better performance in erase execution and optimizing the design of 3D CTF memory devices.

The Role of Interface Band Alignment in Epitaxial SrTiO3/GaAs Heterojunctions.

Correlated oxides are known to have remarkable properties, with a range of electronic, magnetic, optoelectronic, and photonic functionalities. A key ingredient in realizing these properties into practical technology is the effective and scalable integration of oxides with conventional semiconductors. Unlocking the full spectrum of functionality requires atomically abrupt oxide-semiconductor interfaces and intimate knowledge of their potential landscape and charge transport. In this study, we investigated the electrical properties of epitaxial SrTiO3/GaAs heterostructures by examining the band alignment and transport behavior at the interface. We employ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to measure the barriers for electrons and holes across the interface and, through them, explain the transport behavior for junctions with n- and p-type GaAs. We further show qualitative evidence of the strong photoresponse of these structures, illustrating the potential of these structures in optoelectronic devices. These results establish the fundamental groundwork for utilizing these interfaces toward new devices and define their design space.

Optical appearance of numerical black hole solutions in higher derivative gravity

The optical appearance of the numerically black hole solutions within the higher derivative gravity illuminated by an accretion disk context is discussed. We obtain solutions for non-Schwarzschild black holes with r0=1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$r_0=1$$\\end{document}, r0=2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$r_0=2$$\\end{document}, and r0=3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$r_0=3$$\\end{document}. Further analysis of spacetime trajectories reveals properties similar to Schwarzschild black holes, while the r0=2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$r_0=2$$\\end{document} black hole exhibits significant differences. The results reveal the presence of a repulsive potential barrier for the black hole, allowing only particles with energies exceeding a certain threshold to approach it, providing a unique gravitational scenario for non-Schwarzschild black holes. Additionally, the optical images are derived through numerical simulations by discussing the trajectories of photons in the black hole spacetime. The distribution of radiation flux and the effects of gravitational redshift and Doppler shift on the observed radiation flux are considered. Interestingly, previous analyses of the optical appearance of black holes were conducted within the framework of analytic solutions, whereas the analysis of numerical black hole solutions first appears in our analysis.

Low‐Temperature TiO2 Electron Transporting Layer for Planar Hole Transport Material‐Free Carbon Electrode‐CsFA‐Based Perovskite Solar Cells

Carbon electrode‐based perovskite solar cells (C‐PSCs) without a hole transport material (HTM) are cost‐effective and exhibit impressive long‐term stability. The electron transporting layer (ETL) plays a crucial role in planar CsFA‐based HTM‐free C‐PSCs, serving as both an electron transporter and a hole barrier. Herein, the role of low‐TiO2 morphology and thickness on the performance of CsFA‐based HTM‐free C‐PSCs are addressed. Herein, the devices are fabricated with a simple structure fluorine‐doped tin oxide /TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs)/Cs0.17FA0.83Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3/carbon, using low‐temperature processes (≤150 °C) under ambient air conditions. By optimizing TiO2 NP layer thickness via spin‐coating speed adjustments, the ETL's coverage and compactness are improved, enhancing the perovskite film's quality, crystallinity, and grain size. An optimal TiO2 ETL at 1500 rpm yields 10.80% efficiency and demonstrates exceptional stability, maintaining 80% efficiency over 120 days in an air environment without encapsulation. The enhancement in device performance is attributed to improved surface properties of the TiO2 NPs ETL, effectively reducing interfacial charge recombination. This straightforwardly supports the development of sustainable, commercial‐ready CsFA HTM‐free C‐PSCs.

InAs/GaSb superlattice long-wavelength infrared detectors with InPSb hole barriers

We report high-performance double heterojunction long-wavelength infrared detectors based on InAs/GaSb superlattices grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. A p-type InAs/GaSb superlattice absorber was combined with an InPSb hole barrier to suppress the dark current and facilitate the transport of minority electrons. At 77 K, the device demonstrates a dark current of only 1.4 × 10−5 A/cm2 at − 0.1 V. Spectral measurement indicates the device has a 50 % cut-off wavelength of 9.4 μm, a peak blackbody responsivity of 2.8 A/W and a peak specific detectivity over 1.2 × 1012 cm·Hz/W.

Investigation of GaAs-Based Laser Diode Adopting an Al Composition Gradient Double Waveguide Structure and its Photoelectric Properties

The double waveguide structure of a 1060 nm laser diode with different Al composition linear gradient was designed for achieving high output power. In contrast to the single waveguide layer with Al-free composition gradient structure, the double waveguide layer with a reverse Al composition gradient from n side to p side showed excellent optoelectronic properties. We found that the reverse Al composition gradient double waveguide layer could decrease injection potential barrier for electrons and holes, as well as has a high block leakage potential barrier, which can be help to increase carrier transport and optical confined factor. Meanwhile, it can improve sheet carrier concentration in order to decrease non-radiative recombination. When the injection current is 6 A, the maximal output power and peak wall-plug conversion efficiency are 6.12 W and 81.1%, respectively. The influencing mechanism of these photoelectric parameters on power and wall-plug conversion efficiency was discussed. The novel waveguide structure will be favorable for designing epitaxial structure and providing a theoretical basis for high-power laser diode.

P‐251: Late‐News Poster: OLED Lifetime Optimization in Lower Current‐Density Region

The Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) lifetime property was investigated in the lower current‐density region. The OLED display is required for an equivalent long lifetime performance in higher and lower current‐density regions. It was clarified that hole accumulation at the interface between electron blocking layer (EBL) and emissive layer (EML) is important for the Blue OLED lifetime property at lower current densities. The device simulation showed that the appropriate EML hole barrier affects the carrier distribution.

The influence of ligands passivation on strength of Fermi level pinning in the quantum dots interface

PbS quantum dots capped by ethanedithiol (PbS QD-EDT) and tetrabutylammonium iodide (PbS QD-TBAI) and supported by different substrates were examined in terms of Fermi level pinning (FLP), gap states, and electron and hole barriers (Φe and Φh, respectively) using ultraviolet and low-energy inverse photoemission spectroscopy. The former analysis showed that TBAI and EDT differed in their ability to induce gap-state passivation, with the corresponding energy difference determined as 4.0 eV. Two FLP regimes were identified: at substrate work function (Фsub) < 4.0 eV, both ligands showed perfect FLP (S ≈ 0 for holes and electrons), whereas at Фsub > 4.0 eV, the pinning strength of PbS QD-EDT (S of Фb,h and Фb,e = 0.19 and 0.24, respectively) exceeded that of PbS QD-TBAI (S of Фb,h and Фb,e = 0.53 and 0.57, respectively). Thus, the gap states were more effectively passivated in the case of PbS QD-TBAI. Our results indicate the importance of considering FLP strength when working with high-work-function substrates for the design of optimized QD-based devices.

2D Memory Selectors with Giant Nonlinearity Enabled by Van der Waals Heterostructures.

The integration of one-selector-one-resistor crossbar arrays requires the selectors featured with high nonlinearity and bipolarity to prevent leakage currents and any crosstalk among distinct cells. However, a selector with sufficient nonlinearity especially in the frame of device miniaturization remains scarce, restricting the advance of high-density storage devices. Herein, a high-performance memory selector is reported by constructing a graphene/hBN/WSe2 heterostructure. Within the temperature range of 300-80K, the nonlinearity of this selector varies from ≈103-≈104 under forward bias, and increases from ≈300-≈105 under reverse bias, the highest reported nonlinearity among 2D selectors. This improvement is ascribed to direct tunneling at low bias and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling at high bias. The tunneling current versus voltage curves exhibit excellent bipolarity behavior because of the comparable hole and electron tunneling barriers, and the charge transport polarity can be effectively tuned from N-type or P-type to bipolar by simply changing source-drain bias. In addition, the conceptual memory selector exhibits no sign of deterioration after 70000 switching cycles, paving the way for assembling 2D selectors into modern memory devices.

A novel 4H–SiC IGBT with double gate PMOS for improving the switch controllability and FBSOA

In this work, a 4H–SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with double gate PMOS (DGPMOS) is proposed. In the on-state, DGPMOS IGBT can form a hole barrier, thus reducing the on-state voltage (VON). During the turn-on and turn-off transients, DGPMOS IGBT can form the extra hole extraction paths. This helps to reduce the turn-off loss (Eoff) and the gate displacement current (IG_dis). The simulation results show that compared with GS IGBT, the VON of DGPMOS IGBT is decreased by 58.04% under the same Eoff. Compared with PMOS IGBT, DGPMOS IGBT achieves better controllability in turn-on dIC/dt and peak turn-on current (Imax). At the same turn-on loss (Eon), the maximum reverse recovery dVKA/dt is lowered by 26.67%, and the electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise is suppressed. In addition, because DGPMOS IGBT has a small saturation current density (Jsat), its forward bias safe operating area (FBSOA) is greatly improved.

Ferroelectrically tuned tunneling photodetector based on graphene/h-BN/In2Se3 heterojunction

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) show promise for photodetection across various wavelengths. However, photoconductive devices often face various limitations such as low photoresponsivity or high dark current. This study introduces a highly sensitive photodetector using a graphene/h-BN/In2Se3 heterostructure. A substantial electron barrier (2.72 eV) at the graphene/h-BN junction effectively suppresses dark current, while the small hole barrier (1.39 eV) at the h-BN/In2Se3 junction facilitates efficient tunneling of photocarriers under illumination. The photodetector demonstrates a fast response time (Tr = 15 ms, Td = 5 ms), outstanding responsivity (1.18 × 104 μA/W), and detectivity (1.74 × 1010 Jones) at 4 V bias and 637 nm light illumination. Spectral measurements reveal a broad detection range from visible to near-infrared (450–1310 nm). Furthermore, leveraging the non-volatile ferroelectric properties of In2Se3 allows modulation of the barrier height, enabling non-volatile tunable photoconductivity. This study represents a significant advancement in ferroelectric based optoelectronic detection devices, providing strong support for applications in high-performance computing, neural networks, and related domains.

Multi-wavelength and broadband AlGaN-based LED for versatile and artificial UV light source

This study focuses on modeling and analyzing a multi-wavelength (MW) ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) equipped with grading transition layers, which holds potential as a versatile and artificial UV light source. Commencing with the exploration of simple dual and triple-wavelength UV LEDs, we delve into the device mechanism, including the role of the grading transition layer and the control of emission intensity ratios. The grading transition layer connects modules with different emission wavelengths, effectively enhancing hole injection by diminishing the effective hole barrier and providing three-dimensional hole gas (3DHG). Besides, the emission intensity ratio of different modules is modulated through electron overflow, which is finely and coarsely controlled respectively by altering the quantum well number and the Al composition of electron controlling layers (ECLs). Modulating the ECL composition and quantum well number has good unilaterality facilitated by using grading transition layers, promoting a lower overall design complexity. Band diagrams, current dynamics, and carrier concentration distribution are analyzed to uncover various device mechanisms. After investigating dual-wavelength and triple-wavelength LEDs, a broadband UV LED is designed and demonstrated through the numerical method. The LED incorporates five emission modules, and each module has a similar emission intensity, contributing to a near 100 nm width UV spectrum. We expect this work lays the foundation for MW and broadband UV LED designs, fostering advancements in the AlGaN-based UV LED community.

Potassium doping for grain boundary passivation and defect suppression enables highly-efficient kesterite solar cells

The complicated and diverse deep defects, voids, and grain boundary in the CZTSSe absorber are the main reasons for carrier recombination and efficiency degradation. The further improvement of the open-circuit voltage and fill factor so as to increase the efficiency of CZTSSe device is urgent. In this work, we obtained K-doped CZTSSe absorber by a simple solution method. The medium-sized K atoms, which combine the advantages of light and heavy alkali metals, are able to enter the grain interior as well as segregate at grain boundary. The K-Se liquid phase can improve the absorber crystallinity. We find that the accumulation of the wide bandgap compound K2Sn2S5 at grain boundary can increase the contact potential difference of grain boundary, form more effective hole barriers, and enhance the charge separation ability. At the same time, K doping passivates the interface as well as bulk defects and suppresses the non-radiative recombination. The improved crystallinity, enhanced charge transport capability and reduced defect density due to K doping result in a significant enhancement of the carrier lifetime, leading to 13.04% device efficiency. This study provides a new idea for simultaneous realization of grain boundary passivation and defect suppression in inorganic kesterite solar cells.