A. Alberigi Quaranta

Bio: A. Alberigi Quaranta is an academic researcher from University of Bologna. The author has contributed to research in topics: Semiconductor detector & Detector. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 18 publications receiving 1195 citations. Previous affiliations of A. Alberigi Quaranta include Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare.

A review of some charge transport properties of silicon

Abstract: This paper reviews the present knowledge of charge transport properties in silicon, with special emphasis on their application in the design of solid-state devices. Therefore, most attention is devoted to experimental findings in the temperature range around 300 K and to high-field properties. Phenomenological expressions are given, when possible, for the most important transport quantities as functions of temperature, field or impurity concentration. The discussion is limited to bulk properties, with only a few comments on surface transport.

Experimental results on the drift velocity of hot carriers in silicon and associated anisotropic effects

Abstract: In the present work an experimental apparatus is described and experimental results are presented on the drift velocity of electrons and holes in silicon in the 2·5–12 kV/cm electric field range and at several temperatures between 300° and 77°K Moreover, at temperatures near 77°K, an anisotropy effect is shown for electrons by means of samples cut in the (111) and (100) planes After discussing the method of measurement, the experimental data are compared with the published data

Experimental results on the drift velocity of hot carriers in silicon and associated anisotropic effects.

Abstract: In the present work an experimental apparatus is described and experimental results are presented on the drift velocity of electrons and holes in silicon in the 2·5–12 kV/cm electric field range and at several temperatures between 300° and 77°K. Moreover, at temperatures near 77°K, an anisotropy effect is shown for electrons by means of samples cut in the (111) and (100) planes. After discussing the method of measurement, the experimental data are compared with the published data.

Nanowire transistors without junctions

Abstract: All existing transistors are based on the use of semiconductor junctions formed by introducing dopant atoms into the semiconductor material. As the distance between junctions in modern devices drops below 10 nm, extraordinarily high doping concentration gradients become necessary. Because of the laws of diffusion and the statistical nature of the distribution of the doping atoms, such junctions represent an increasingly difficult challenge for the semiconductor industry. Here, we propose and demonstrate a new type of transistor in which there are no junctions and no doping concentration gradients. These devices have full CMOS functionality and are made using silicon nanowires. They have near-ideal subthreshold slope, extremely low leakage currents, and less degradation of mobility with gate voltage and temperature than classical transistors.

Crystal Growth of the Perovskite Semiconductor CsPbBr3: A New Material for High-Energy Radiation Detection

Abstract: The synthesis, crystal growth, and structural and optoelectronic characterization has been carried out for the perovskite compound CsPbBr3. This compound is a direct band gap semiconductor which meets most of the requirements for successful detection of X- and γ-ray radiation, such as high attenuation, high resistivity, and significant photoconductivity response, with detector resolution comparable to that of commercial, state-of-the-art materials. A structural phase transition which occurs during crystal growth at higher temperature does not seem to affect its crystal quality. Its μτ product for both hole and electron carriers is approximately equal. The μτ product for electrons is comparable to cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and that for holes is 10 times higher than CZT.

Comparison of 6H-SiC, 3C-SiC, and Si for power devices

Abstract: The drift region properties of 6H- and 3C-SiC-based Schottky rectifiers and power MOSFETs that result in breakdown voltages from 50 to 5000 V are defined. Using these values, the output characteristics of the devices are calculated and compared with those of Si devices. It is found that due to very low drift region resistance, 5000-V SiC Schottky rectifiers and power MOSFETs can deliver on-state current density of 100 A/cm/sup 2/ at room temperature with a forward drop of only 3.85 and 2.95 V, respectively. Both devices are expected to have excellent switching characteristics and ruggedness due to the absence of minority-carrier injection. A thermal analysis shows that 5000-V, 6H-, and 3C-SiC MOSFETs and Schottky rectifiers would be approximately 20 and 18 times smaller than corresponding Si devices, and that operation at higher temperatures and at higher breakdown voltages than conventional Si devices is possible. Also, a significant reduction in the die size is expected. >

Charge collection scanning electron microscopy

Abstract: This review encompasses the application of the scanning electron microscope to the study and characterization of semiconductor materials and devices by the Electron Beam Induced Conductivity (EBIC) method. In this technique, the charge carriers generated by the electron beam of the microscope are collected by an electric field within the material and sensed as a current in an external circuit. When employed as the video signal of the SEM, this collected current image reveals inhomogeneities in the electrical properties of the material. The technique has been used to determine carrier lifetime, diffusion length, defect energy levels, and surface recombination velocities. Charge collection images reveal the location of p‐n junctions, recombination sites such as dislocations and precipitates, and the presence of doping level inhomogeneities. Both the theoretical foundation and the practical aspects of these effects are discussed in a tutorial fashion in this review.

Electronic measurement and control of spin transport in Silicon

Abstract: The spin lifetime and diffusion length of electrons are transport parameters that define the scale of coherence in spintronic devices and circuits. As these parameters are many orders of magnitude larger in semiconductors than in metals, semiconductors could be the most suitable for spintronics. So far, spin transport has only been measured in direct-bandgap semiconductors or in combination with magnetic semiconductors, excluding a wide range of non-magnetic semiconductors with indirect bandgaps. Most notable in this group is silicon, Si, which (in addition to its market entrenchment in electronics) has long been predicted a superior semiconductor for spintronics with enhanced lifetime and transport length due to low spin-orbit scattering and lattice inversion symmetry. Despite this promise, a demonstration of coherent spin transport in Si has remained elusive, because most experiments focused on magnetoresistive devices; these methods fail because of a fundamental impedance mismatch between ferromagnetic metal and semiconductor, and measurements are obscured by other magnetoelectronic effects. Here we demonstrate conduction-band spin transport across 10 mum undoped Si in a device that operates by spin-dependent ballistic hot-electron filtering through ferromagnetic thin films for both spin injection and spin detection. As it is not based on magnetoresistance, the hot-electron spin injection and spin detection avoids impedance mismatch issues and prevents interference from parasitic effects. The clean collector current shows independent magnetic and electrical control of spin precession, and thus confirms spin coherent drift in the conduction band of silicon.