Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025
10:53
Scanning-probe Single-electron Capacitance Spectroscopy
Published on: July 30, 2013
13.3K
Probing Metastable Space-Charge Potentials in a Wide Band Gap Semiconductor
Artur Lozovoi1, Harishankar Jayakumar1, Damon Daw1,2
1Department of Physics, CUNY-City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|January 8, 2021
Summary
Researchers engineered metastable charge patterns in diamond by controlling carrier injection and voltages. This work reveals new insights into space-charge fields and demonstrates space-charge-induced carrier guiding in semiconductors.
Area of Science:
- Solid State Physics
- Materials Science
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Traditional space-charge models assume steady-state equilibrium, which is inadequate for wide band gap semiconductors with low defect concentrations.
- Understanding charge carrier dynamics is crucial for advanced semiconductor device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the formation and control of space-charge patterns in wide band gap semiconductors.
- To explore the interplay between local and extended space-charge fields.
- To demonstrate space-charge-induced carrier guiding.
Main Methods:
- Utilized color centers in diamond for localized carrier injection and probing.
- Manipulated carrier injection timing and applied voltages to engineer charge patterns.
- Investigated the evolution of charge patterns and their associated electric fields.
Main Results:
- Observed the formation of metastable charge patterns with engineerable shapes and fields.
- Revealed a complex interaction between localized and extended space-charge field sources.
- Demonstrated the ability to guide carrier propagation using engineered space-charge fields.
Conclusions:
- Metastable charge patterns can be controllably formed in diamond, offering new avenues for manipulating charge dynamics.
- The interplay of different space-charge field sources is key to understanding complex semiconductor behavior.
- Space-charge engineering provides a novel method for carrier guiding in semiconductors.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:24Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
671
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
671
01:22Semiconductors
1.1K
There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
1.1K
01:27Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
431
Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
431
01:12Fermi Level Dynamics
486
The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
486
02:35Band Theory
16.5K
When two or more atoms come together to form a molecule, their atomic orbitals combine and molecular orbitals of distinct energies result. In a solid, there are a large number of atoms, and therefore a large number of atomic orbitals that may be combined into molecular orbitals. These groups of molecular orbitals are so closely placed together to form continuous regions of energies, known as the bands.
The energy difference between these bands is known as the band gap.
Conductor, Semiconductor,...
The energy difference between these bands is known as the band gap.
Conductor, Semiconductor,...
16.5K
01:11P-N junction
853
A p-n junction is formed when p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are joined together. At the interface of the p-n junction, holes from the p-side and electrons from the n-side begin to diffuse into the opposite sides due to the concentration gradient. This diffusion of carriers leads to a region around the junction where there are no free charge carriers, known as the depletion region. The charge density within the depletion region for the n-side and p-side can be described by the...
853