Radiation Effect in Electronic Materials, Circuits, Devices, and Systems- Theoretical Study of Electronic Transport and Thermalization
Abstract
We propose to employ full-band Monte Carlo simulations of 1. the thermalization of electron-hole pairs generated by ionizing radiation in semiconductors at energies below about 100 eV and 2. electron transport in semiconductor devices in the presence of radiation damage. For the first task, we shall continue our study of the energy loss of carriers due to plasmon and electron-hole pairs, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the band structure of the semiconductor and of the energy loss function (ELF) using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Information about the initial carrier distribution in momentum space will be obtained from high-energy calculations using the MRED code at Vanderbilt. The second task consists in tackling two sub-problems- information about the nature of the radiation-induced defects obtained at Vanderbilt University using density functional theory (DFT) will be used to calculate the scattering and trapping-de-trapping rates associated to the defects, and account for these processes to estimate the performance of devices exposed to radiation. In addition, also in collaboration with Vanderbilt, we shall consider the generation of additional defects created by the hot carriers themselves and study both their generation, using empirical models supported by DFT calculations, as well as their effect on the performance of the devices. We envision a strong collaboration with Vanderbilt University in providing not only theoretical but also experimental information about the generation and nature of the radiation-induced defects. The devices we propose to study are based on a variety of materials, depending on the intended applications- Mainly Si (FETs) and nitrides (GaN-AlGaN, RF devices) but, conditionally, also III-V compound semiconductors (Ga-In-As-Sb alloys, FETs and photodetectors), GaInP-Ga(In)As-Ge (photovoltaic cells), and ultra-widegap materials (diamond, SiC, and ss-Ga2O3).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 06, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310549
Entities
People
- Massimo V. Fischetti
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Texas at Dallas