Demonstration and Comparison of GaN/Sapphire and InGaP p-i-n Devices for Tritium Betavoltaic Power Source
Abstract
In this study, the performance of gallium nitride (GaN) and indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) semiconductor pin diodes designed for application as a tritium-based betavoltaic source is evaluated. Tritium is an attractive choice for a betavoltaic power source because it is inexpensive and least bio-toxic compared to other beta sources. Its average energy emission (5.6 KeV) does not cause lattice damage in most semiconductor crystals over its half lifetime of 12.5 years. We designed and fabricated betavoltaic devices on both sets of semiconductors and characterized them using a 6 KeV energy beam in order to evaluate their performance under a mean incident energy of a tritium beta source. Output powers of 160 nW and 101 nW with overall efficiencies of 8.88 percent and 5.62 percent were achieved for GaN and InGaP devices, respectively.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1150231
Entities
People
- Agis Iliadis
- Alexander Sweeney
- Marc Litz
- Muhammad Khan
- Oliver Barham
- Randy Tompkins
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division