Device, manufacturing method thereof, and method of use thereof

Abstract

This specification discloses devices, methods for manufacturing the same, and methods for using the same. For example, this specification discloses a device comprising a first contact layer, a semiconductor layer comprising a semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and a dielectric layer comprising a dielectric material, wherein the first contact layer is located on and in physical contact with the dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer is located on and in physical contact with the semiconductor layer, thereby sandwiching the dielectric layer between both the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer and being in physical contact with both, and the dielectric layer suppresses the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer under incident light. This specification also discloses methods for using any of the devices disclosed herein. In some examples, the methods include using the device as a solar blind photodetector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 532,742, filed on August 15, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] (Description of Government Support) This invention was made with government support under grant numbers FA9950 - 22 - 1 - 0527 and FA9550 - 18 - 1 - 0479 awarded by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The U.S. government has certain rights in this invention.

Background Art

[0003] UV solar - blind photodetectors have applications in many industrial fields. Wide - bandgap materials are excellent candidates for UV solar - blind photodetectors in that they do not require the complex optical filters necessary to fabricate solar - blind UV photodetectors from low - bandgap materials such as silicon. Unfortunately, many detectors have a very low UV - visible light rejection ratio. Devices with improved characteristics, such as an improved UV - Vis rejection ratio, are needed. The compositions, methods, and devices considered herein address these and other needs.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to the objectives of the disclosed compositions, methods, and devices embodied and broadly described herein, the disclosed subject matter relates to devices and methods for their manufacture and use. For example, herein a solar - blind photodetector is disclosed.

[0005] For example, this specification discloses a device comprising a first contact layer, a semiconductor layer comprising a semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and a dielectric layer comprising a dielectric material, wherein the first contact layer is disposed on the dielectric layer and is in physical contact with the dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer is disposed on the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with the semiconductor layer, thereby the dielectric layer is sandwiched between both the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with both the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer, and the dielectric layer suppresses the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer under incident light.

[0006] In some examples, the dielectric layer allows holes to escape from the semiconductor layer and be collected in the first contact layer.

[0007] In some examples, the device has a positive conduction band offset and a negative valence band offset.

[0008] In some examples, the first contact layer contains a first metal. In some examples, the first metal contains Ni, Pt, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the first metal contains Pt.

[0009] In some examples, the first contact layer includes the first electrode.

[0010] In some examples, the first contact layer comprises a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion is the cathode and the second portion is the anode. In some examples, the dielectric layer comprises a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness, where the first portion is in contact with the cathode and the second portion is in contact with the anode, and the first and second thicknesses may be the same or different. In some examples, the dielectric layer further comprises a third portion having a third thickness, where the third portion extends from the first portion to the second portion, and the third thickness may be the same as and / or different from the first and / or second thicknesses.

[0011] In some examples, the device further comprises a second contact layer, the semiconductor layer being placed on the second contact layer and in physical contact with the second contact layer, thereby the semiconductor layer being sandwiched between the dielectric layer and the second contact layer and in physical contact with both the dielectric layer and the second contact layer. In some examples, the second contact layer includes a second metal. In some examples, the second metal includes Ti, Au, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the second contact layer includes a second electrode.

[0012] In some examples, the first contact layer and / or the second contact layer (if present) have an average thickness of 100 nanometers (nm) or less, or 50 nanometers (nm) or less.

[0013] In some examples, the semiconductor layer further contains dopants.

[0014] In some examples, semiconductor materials include Ga2O3, (Al,Ga)2O3, SiC, (Al,Ga)N, GaN, diamond, Ge2O, or combinations thereof.

[0015] In some examples, semiconductor materials include pseudo-binary alloys (Al,Ga)2O3, or SiC, or (Al,Ga)N, enabling interband absorption and photoresponse in the ultraviolet range.

[0016] In some examples, the semiconductor layer has an average thickness of 1 nm to 100 μm, for example, 1 nm to 10 μm.

[0017] In some examples, the semiconductor layer comprises a first portion containing a first semiconductor material and a second portion containing a second semiconductor material, wherein the first portion is positioned on top of the second portion, so that the first portion is sandwiched between both the dielectric layer and the second portion and is in physical contact with both. In some examples, the first portion has a first thickness and the second portion has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different. In some examples, the first semiconductor material further comprises a first dopant of a first concentration, the second semiconductor material further comprises a second dopant of a second concentration, or the combination of the first and second semiconductor materials further comprises a combination of a first dopant of a first concentration and a second dopant of a second concentration. In some examples, the first and second semiconductor materials are different, the first and second dopants are different, the first and second concentrations are different, or their combinations are different. In some examples, the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are different. In some examples, the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are the same.

[0018] In some examples, dielectric materials include high-K dielectric materials.

[0019] In some examples, dielectric materials include hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, hafnium oxide, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, or combinations thereof.

[0020] In some examples, dielectric materials are (Ba x Sr 1-x ) contains TiO3, and x is between 0 and 1. In some examples, the dielectric material contains BaTiO3.

[0021] In some examples, the dielectric layer has an average thickness of 2 to 100 nanometers (nm), for example, 2 to 20 nm or 2 to 10 nm.

[0022] In some examples, the dielectric layer comprises two or more dielectric materials, each of which is selected to further suppress the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor.

[0023] In some examples, the dielectric layer comprises a first layer containing a first dielectric material and a second layer containing a second dielectric material, wherein the first layer is placed on top of the second layer, so that the first layer is sandwiched between both the first contact layer and the second layer and is in physical contact with both, and the second layer is sandwiched between the first layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with both the first layer and the semiconductor layer. In some examples, the first layer has a first thickness and the second layer has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different. In some examples, the first and second dielectric materials are different. In some examples, the first dielectric material comprises BaTiO3 and the second dielectric material comprises Al2O3, AlN, or a combination thereof.

[0024] In some examples, a semiconductor layer includes a first portion containing a first semiconductor material and a second portion containing a second semiconductor material, and a dielectric layer includes a first layer containing a first dielectric material and a second layer containing a second dielectric material, the first layer being placed on top of the second layer and in physical contact with the second layer, so that the first layer is sandwiched between the first contact layer and the second layer and in physical contact with the first contact layer and the second layer, the first portion being placed on top of the second portion and in physical contact with the second portion, so that the first portion is sandwiched between the second layer and the second portion and in physical contact with the second layer and the second portion.

[0025] In some examples, the device includes a solar blind light detection device.

[0026] In some examples, the device exhibits a higher UV-Vis rejection ratio than comparable devices in the absence of a dielectric layer.

[0027] In some examples, the device is 1 × 10 3~1 × 10 10 This shows the UV-Vis rejection ratio.

[0028] Furthermore, this specification also discloses methods for manufacturing any of the devices disclosed herein. In some examples, the method includes depositing a first contact layer, a semiconductor layer, a dielectric layer, and a second contact layer (if present) in any order.

[0029] Furthermore, this specification discloses methods using any of the devices disclosed herein. In some examples, the method includes using the device as a solar blind photodetector.

[0030] Furthermore, this specification discloses a solar blind photodetector device comprising a dielectric layer containing BaTiO3 disposed on a semiconductor layer containing Ga2O3 and in physical contact with the semiconductor.

[0031] Furthermore, this specification discloses a solar blind light detection device that includes any of the devices disclosed herein.

[0032] Furthermore, this specification discloses methods using any of the solar blind photodetectors disclosed herein. In some examples, these methods include using solar blind photodetectors for medical imaging, fire detection, optical communications, defensive applications, or a combination thereof.

[0033] Further advantages of the disclosed compositions, devices, and methods will be partially described below and partially apparent from the specification. The advantages of the disclosed compositions, devices, and methods are realized and achieved by the elements and combinations specifically pointed out in the appended claims. It should be understood that both the above summary and the following detailed description are merely illustrative and explanatory and do not limit the claimed disclosed devices and methods.

[0034] Details of one or more embodiments of the present invention are described in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other characteristics, purposes, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description and drawings, as well as from the claims.

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference and constitute part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of this disclosure and, together with the descriptions, serve to illustrate the principles of this disclosure. However, this disclosure is not limited to the exact arrangements shown, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to a fixed scale. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0036] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary device having BaTiO3 as disclosed herein, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary device without BaTiO3 as disclosed herein, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plot of light and dark IV curves for both device designs with a maximum reverse bias of 50V. [Figure 4] This is a plot of spectral response curves for both device designs. Without BaTiO3, the detector shows a UV-Vis rejection ratio of approximately 102. With BaTiO3, the detector shows a UV-Vis rejection ratio of approximately 107. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a structure containing a dielectric material. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flat-band voltage diagram of a device containing Al2O3(k:9). [Figure 7] This is a schematic flat-band voltage diagram of a device containing TiO2 (k:80). [Figure 8] This is a schematic flat-band voltage diagram of a device containing BaTiO3 (k:40). [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum showing the solar blind region. [Figure 10]This is a solar spectrum showing low levels of UV radiation at the sea surface. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the challenges associated with dielectric integration. [Figure 12] This is a band diagram of the Ni / Ga2O3 interface, showing a Schottky barrier of approximately 1 eV. [Figure 13] This is the band diagram of the Ni / BaTiO3 / Ga2O3 heterostructure, showing an increased barrier against electrons. [Figure 14] This is a schematic diagram of an example device design. [Figure 15] This is a schematic diagram of the fabrication process for a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram of the fabrication process for a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure. [Figure 17] The spectral response of a 10 μm HVPEGa2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure at 305 K is shown on a logarithmic scale. [Figure 18] The IV curves of a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure are shown for both 258 nm irradiation (bright) and unirradiated (dark) conditions. [Figure 19] This shows the absorption of the photodetector. [Figure 20] This shows the absorption of BaTiO3. [Figure 21] This is a schematic diagram of an example second-generation device design. [Figure 22] The equilibrium band diagram is shown. [Figure 23] This is a schematic diagram of the fabrication process for a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure. [Figure 24] This shows the responsiveness of a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure. [Figure 25] This shows the light-dark IV curve of a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure. [Figure 26] This shows the gain of a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure. [Figure 27A]This is the energy band diagram of BaTiO3 on Ga2O3. [Figure 27B] This is the energy band diagram of MgO on Ga2O3. [Figure 27C] This is the energy band diagram of SiO2 on Ga2O3. [Figure 28] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 29] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 30] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 31] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 32] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 33] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 34] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 35] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 36] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 37] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 38] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 39] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 40] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Figure 41] This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary device disclosed herein according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0037] The compositions, methods, and devices described herein may be more readily understood by referring to the following detailed descriptions of specific aspects of the disclosed subject matter and the examples contained herein.

[0038] Before disclosing and describing the compositions, methods, and devices of the present invention, it should be understood that the embodiments described below are not limited to specific synthesis methods or specific reagents, and therefore may vary considerably. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are intended solely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit them.

[0039] Furthermore, various publications are referenced throughout this specification. The disclosures of those publications as a whole are incorporated herein by reference to more completely explain the current art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. The disclosed references are also incorporated herein by reference individually and specifically with respect to the material contained therein, as considered in the sentences on which the references are based.

[0040] In this specification and the subsequent claims, several terms are referenced and defined as follows:

[0041] Throughout this description and the claims, the word “comprise” and other forms thereof, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” mean “including but not limited to,” and are not intended to exclude, for example, other appendages, components, integers, or steps.

[0042] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include multiple references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "composition" includes mixtures of two or more such compositions; a reference to "agent" includes mixtures of two or more such agents; a reference to "component" includes mixtures of two or more such components, and so on.

[0043] "Optional" or "optional" means that the event or situation described thereafter may or may not occur, and that the description includes both instances in which the event or situation occurs and instances in which it does not occur.

[0044] A range may be expressed herein as "approximately" from one particular value and / or "approximately" to another particular value. "Approximately" means within 5% of a value, for example, within 4, 3, 2, or 1% of the value. Where such a range is expressed, another aspect includes from one particular value and / or to another particular value. Similarly, where a value is expressed as an approximation using the preceding "approximately," it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that each endpoint of a range is significant in relation to and independently of the other endpoints.

[0045] In this specification, values ​​may be expressed as "mean" values. "Mean" generally refers to the statistical mean.

[0046] "Effectively" means within 5%, for example, within 4%, 3%, 2%, or 1%.

[0047] "Exemplary" means "an example of ~" and is not intended to indicate a preferred or ideal embodiment. "Such as" is used for explanatory purposes, not in a restrictive sense.

[0048] Throughout this specification, it should be understood that the identifiers “First” and “Second” are used simply to facilitate the distinction between the various components and steps of the disclosed subject matter. The identifiers “First” and “Second” are not intended to indicate any particular order, quantity, priority, or importance of the components or steps to which these terms are applied.

[0049] In this specification and the concluding claims, any reference to parts by weight of a particular element or component in a composition indicates a weight relationship between the element or component in the composition or article in which the parts by weight are expressed and any other element or component. Thus, in a compound containing 2 parts by weight of component X and 5 parts by weight of component Y, X and Y are present in a weight ratio of 2:5, and in such a ratio whether or not further components are present in the compound.

[0050] The weight percentage (W%) of a component is based on the total weight of the preparation or composition containing that component, unless otherwise specified.

[0051] As used herein, the term “or any combination thereof” refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding that term. For example, “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” is intended to include A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and, where the order is important in a particular context, at least one of BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this embodiment, combinations containing repetitions of one or more items or terms, such as BB, AAA, AB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, etc. A person skilled in the art will typically understand that there is no limit to the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise evident from the context.

[0052] <device> Referring here to Figure 28, the specification discloses a device 100 comprising a first contact layer 110, a semiconductor layer 130 comprising a semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and a dielectric layer 120 comprising a dielectric material, wherein the first contact layer 110 is located on the dielectric layer 120 and is in physical contact with the semiconductor layer 120, and the dielectric layer 120 is located on the semiconductor layer 130 and is in physical contact with the semiconductor layer 130, thereby sandwiching the dielectric layer 120 between the first contact layer 110 and the semiconductor layer 130 and being in physical contact with both the first contact layer 110 and the semiconductor layer 130, and the dielectric layer 120 suppresses the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer 110 and the semiconductor layer 130 under incident light.

[0053] In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 allows a first carrier type to leave the semiconductor layer 130 and be collected at the first contact layer 110, while simultaneously blocking the transport of a second carrier type from the first contact layer 110, where the second carrier type is an electron when the first carrier type is a hole, and vice versa.

[0054] In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 allows holes to exit the semiconductor layer 130 and be collected in the first contact layer 110.

[0055] In some examples, device 100 has a positive conduction band offset and a negative valence band offset.

[0056] In some examples, device 100 has a positive valence band offset.

[0057] The first contact layer 110 may include any suitable material, such as those known in the art. In some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes a first metal. In some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes a first metal selected from the group consisting of Au, Pt, Pd, Ni, Mo, Cr, W, Zr, Pb, Ag, Al, Ti, Bi, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes a first metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ni, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes Pt.

[0058] In some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes the first electrode.

[0059] Referring now to Figure 29, in some examples, the first contact layer 110 includes a first portion 110a and a second portion 110b, where the first portion 110a is the cathode and the second portion 110b is the anode.

[0060] Referring now to Figure 30, in some examples the dielectric layer 120 includes a first portion 120a having a first thickness and a second portion 120b having a second thickness, the first portion 120a being in contact with the cathode and the second portion 120b being in contact with the anode, and the first and second thicknesses may be the same or different.

[0061] Referring here to Figure 31, in some examples the dielectric layer 120 further includes a third portion 120c having a third thickness, the third portion 120c extending from the first portion 120a to the second portion 120b, and the third thickness may be the same as or different from the first and / or second thicknesses.

[0062] Referring here to Figures 32 to 35, in some examples, the device 100 further comprises a second contact layer 140, and the semiconductor layer 130 is placed on the second contact layer 140 and is in physical contact with the second contact layer 140, thereby the semiconductor layer 130 is sandwiched between the dielectric layer 120 and the second contact layer 140 and is in physical contact with the dielectric layer 120 and the second contact layer 140.

[0063] The second contact layer 140 may include any suitable material, such as those known in the art. In some examples, the second contact layer 140 includes a second metal. In some examples, the second contact layer 140 includes a second metal selected from the group consisting of Au, Pt, Pd, Ni, Mo, Cr, W, Zr, Pb, Ag, Al, Ti, Bi, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the second contact layer 140 includes a second metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Au, or combinations thereof.

[0064] In some examples, the second contact layer 140 includes a second electrode.

[0065] The first contact layer 110 and / or the second contact layer 140 may have an average thickness of 100 nanometers (nm) or less (for example, 95 nm or less, 90 nm or less, 85 nm or less, 80 nm or less, 75 nm or less, 70 nm or less, 65 nm or less, 60 nm or less, 55 nm or less, 50 nm or less, 45 nm or less, 40 nm or less, 35 nm or less, 30 nm or less, 25 nm or less, 20 nm or less, 15 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 5 nm or less). In some examples, the first contact layer 110 and / or the second contact layer 140 may have an average thickness of 1 nm or more (e.g., 5 nm or more, 10 nm or more, 15 nm or more, 20 nm or more and 25 nm or more, 30 nm or more, 35 nm or more, 40 nm or more, 45 nm or more, 50 nm or more, 55 nm or more, 60 nm or more, 65 nm or more, 70 nm or more and 75 nm or more, 80 nm or more, 85 nm or more, 90 nm or more, or 95 nm or more). The average thickness of the first contact layer 110 and / or the second contact layer 140 may be in a range independent of any of the above minimum values ​​to any of the above maximum values. For example, the first contact layer 110 and / or the second contact layer 140 may each have an average thickness of 1 nm to 100 nm (e.g., 1 to 90 nm, 1 to 80 nm, 1 to 70 nm, 1 to 60 nm, 1 to 50 nm), independently of each other.

[0066] The semiconductor layer 130 may contain any suitable material known in the art. In some examples, the semiconductor material includes Ga2O3, (Al,Ga)2O3, SiC, (Al,Ga)N, GaN, diamond, Ge2O, or combinations thereof. In some examples, the semiconductor material includes a pseudo-binary alloy (Al,Ga)2O3, or SiC, or (Al,Ga)N, enabling interband absorption and photoresponse in the ultraviolet range. In some examples, the semiconductor material includes Ga2O3.

[0067] In some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 further contains a dopant.

[0068] In some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 has an average thickness of 1 nanometer (nm) or more (for example, 2nm or more, 3nm or more, 4nm or more, 5nm or more, 6nm or more, 7nm or more, 8nm or more, 9nm or more, 10nm or more, 15nm or more, 20nm or more, 25nm or more, 30nm or more, 35nm or more, 40nm or more, 45nm or more, 50nm or more, 60nm or more, 70nm or more, 80nm or more, 90nm or more, 100nm or more, 125nm or more, 150nm or more, 175nm or more, 200nm or more, 225nm or more, 250nm or more, 300nm or more, 350nm or more, 400nm or more, 450nm or more). The above may be 500 nm or more, 600 nm or more, 700 nm or more, 800 nm or more, 900 nm or more, 1 micrometer (μm, micron) or more, 1.25 μm or more, 1.5 μm or more, 1.75 μm or more, 2 μm or more, 2.25 μm or more, 2.5 μm or more, 3 μm or more, 3.5 μm or more, 4 μm or more, 4.5 μm or more, 5 μm or more, 6 μm or more, 7 μm or more, 8 μm or more, 9 μm or more, 10 μm or more, 15 μm or more, 20 μm or more, 25 μm or more, 30 μm or more, 35 μm or more, 40 μm or more, 45 μm or more, 50 μm or more, 60 μm or more, 70 μm or more, 80 μm or more, 90 μm or more.In some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 has an average thickness of 100 micrometers (microns, μm) or less (for example, 90 μm or less, 80 μm or less, 70 μm or less, 60 μm or less, 50 μm or less, 45 μm or less, 40 μm or less, 35 μm or less, 30 μm or less, 25 μm or less, 20 μm or less, 15 μm or less, 10 μm or less, 9 μm or less, 8 μm or less, 7 μm or less, 6 μm or less, 5 μm or less, 4.5 μm or less, 4 μm or less, 3.5 μm or less, 3 μm or less, 2.5 μm or less, 2.25 μm or less, 2 μm or less, 1.75 μm or less, 1.5 μm or less, 1.25 μm or less, 1 μm or less, 900 nm or less, 800 nm or less). The average thickness of the semiconductor layer 130 may be less than or equal to m, less than or equal to 700 nm, less than or equal to 600 nm, less than or equal to 500 nm, less than or equal to 450 nm, less than or equal to 400 nm, less than or equal to 350 nm, less than or equal to 300 nm, less than or equal to 250 nm, less than or equal to 225 nm, less than or equal to 200 nm, less than or equal to 175 nm, less than or equal to 150 nm, less than or equal to 125 nm, less than or equal to 10 nm, less than or equal to 9 nm, less than or equal to 8 nm, less than or equal to 7 nm, less than or equal to 6 nm, less than or equal to 5 nm, less than or equal to 4 nm, less than or equal to 3 nm, or less than or equal to 2 nm. For example, the semiconductor layer 130 can have an average thickness of 1 nm to 100 μm (e.g., 1 nm to 50 μm, 50 μm to 100 μm, 1 nm to 10 nm, 10 nm to 100 nm, 100 nm to 1 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, 10 μm to 100 μm, 1 nm to 75 μm, 1 nm to 25 μm, or 1 nm to 10 μm). In some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 has an average thickness of 1 nm to 10 μm. This average thickness can be measured using methods known in the art, such as atomic force microscopy or electron microscopy.

[0069] Referring here to Figures 36 and 37, in some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 includes a first portion 130a containing a first semiconductor material and a second portion 130b containing a second semiconductor material, where the first portion 130a is placed on top of the second portion 130b, so that the first portion 130a is sandwiched between both the dielectric layer 120 and the second portion 130b and is in physical contact with both. In some examples, the first portion 130a has a first thickness and the second portion 130b has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different. In some examples, the first and second semiconductor materials are different. In some examples, the first semiconductor material further contains a first dopant at a first concentration, the second semiconductor material further contains a second dopant at a second concentration, or the combination of the first and second semiconductor materials further contains a combination of the first dopant at a first concentration and the second dopant at a second concentration. In some examples, the first and second semiconductor materials are different, the first and second dopants are different, the first and second concentrations are different, or their combinations are different. In some examples, the first and second semiconductor materials are the same.

[0070] The dielectric layer 120 may include any suitable material, such as those known in the art. In some examples, the dielectric material includes a high-K dielectric material.

[0071] In some examples, dielectric materials include hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, hafnium oxide, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, or combinations thereof.

[0072] In some examples, the dielectric material is (Ba x Sr 1-x) contains TiO3, and x is between 0 and 1. For example, x can be 0 or greater (e.g., 0.05 or greater, 0.1 or greater, 0.15 or greater, 0.2 or greater, 0.25 or greater, 0.3 or greater, 0.35 or greater, 0.4 or greater, 0.45 or greater, 0.5 or greater, 0.55 or greater, 0.6 or greater, 0.65 or greater, 0.7 or greater, 0.75 or greater, 0.8 or greater, 0.85 or greater, 0.9 or greater, or 0.95 or greater). In some examples, x can be less than or equal to 1 (for example, less than or equal to 0.95, less than or equal to 0.9, less than or equal to 0.85, less than or equal to 0.8, less than or equal to 0.75, less than or equal to 0.65, less than or equal to 0.6, less than or equal to 0.55, less than or equal to 0.5, less than or equal to 0.45, less than or equal to 0.4, less than or equal to 0.35, less than or equal to 0.3, less than or equal to 0.25, less than or equal to 0.2, less than or equal to 0.15, or less than or equal to 0.1). The value of x can be in the range from any of the minimum values ​​above to any of the maximum values ​​above. For example, x is between 0 and 1 (e.g., 0 to 0.5, 0.5 to 1, 0 to 0.2, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.4 to 0.6, 0.6 to 0.8, 0.8 to 1, 0 to 0.95, 0 to 0.9, 0 to 0.85, 0 to 0.8, 0 to 0.75, 0 to 0.7, 0 to 0.65, 0 to 0.6, 0 to 0.55, 0 to 0.5, 0 to 0.45, 0 to 0.4, 0 to 0.35, 0 to 0.3, 0 to 0.25, 0 to 0.2) It can be set to 0-0.15, 0-0.1, 0.1-1, 0.15-1, 0.2-1, 0.25-1, 0.3-1, 0.35-1, 0.4-1, 0.45-1, 0.5-1, 0.55-1, 0.6-1, 0.65-1, 0.7-1, 0.75-1, 0.8-1, 0.85-1, 0.9-1, 0.1-0.9, 0.2-0.8, 0.3-0.7, or 0.4-0.6).

[0073] In some examples, the dielectric material includes BaTiO3.

[0074] In some examples, the semiconductor material includes Ga2O3, and the dielectric material includes BaTiO3.

[0075] In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 has an average thickness of 2 nanometers (nm) or more (for example, 3 nm or more, 4 nm or more, 5 nm or more, 6 nm or more, 7 nm or more, 8 nm or more, 9 nm or more, 10 nm or more, 15 nm or more, 20 nm or more, 25 nm or more, 30 nm or more, 35 nm or more, 40 nm or more, 45 nm or more, 50 nm or more, 55 nm or more, 60 nm or more, 65 nm or more, 70 nm or more, 75 nm or more, 80 nm or more, 85 nm or more, or 90 nm or more). In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 has an average thickness of 100 nm or less (for example, 95 nm or less, 90 nm or less, 85 nm or less, 80 nm or less, 75 nm or less, 70 nm or less, 65 nm or less, 60 nm or less, 55 nm or less, 50 nm or less, 45 nm or less, 40 nm or less, 35 nm or less, 30 nm or less, 25 nm or less, 20 nm or less, 15 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 9 nm or less, 8 nm or less, 7 nm or less, 6 nm or less, or 5 nm or less). The average thickness of the dielectric layer 120 may be in the range from any of the above minimum values ​​to any of the above maximum values. For example, the dielectric layer 120 may have an average thickness of 2 to 100 nanometers (nm) (e.g., 2 nm to 50 nm, 50 nm to 100 nm, 2 nm to 25 nm, 25 nm to 50 nm, 50 nm to 75 nm, 75 nm to 100 nm, 2 nm to 80 nm, 2 nm to 60 nm, 2 nm to 40 nm, 2 nm to 20 nm, or 2 nm to 10 nm). In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 may have an average thickness of 2 to 20 nm. In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 may have an average thickness of 2 to 10 nm. Its average thickness can be measured using methods known in the art, such as atomic force microscopy or electron microscopy.

[0076] In some examples, the dielectric layer 120 comprises two or more dielectric materials, each of which is selected to further suppress the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer 110 and the semiconductor.

[0077] Referring here to Figures 38 and 39, in some examples, the dielectric layer 120 includes a first layer 122 containing a first dielectric material and a second layer 124 containing a second dielectric material, wherein the first layer 122 is placed on top of the second layer 124, so that the first layer 122 is sandwiched between both the first contact layer 110 and the second layer 124 and is in physical contact with both, and the second layer 124 is sandwiched between the first layer 122 and the semiconductor layer 130 and is in physical contact with both the first layer 122 and the semiconductor layer 130. In some examples, the first layer 122 has a first thickness and the second layer 124 has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different. In some examples, the first and second dielectric materials are different. In some examples, the first dielectric material includes BaTiO3, and the second dielectric material includes Al2O3, AlN, or a combination thereof.

[0078] Referring here to Figures 40 and 41, in some examples, the semiconductor layer 130 includes a first portion 130a containing a first semiconductor material and a second portion 130b containing a second semiconductor material, and the dielectric layer 120 includes a first layer 122 containing a first dielectric material and a second layer 124 containing a second dielectric material, the first layer 122 being placed on top of the second layer 124 and in physical contact with the second layer 124, thereby The first layer 122 is sandwiched between the first contact layer 110 and the second layer 124 and is in physical contact with the first contact layer 110 and the second layer 124, and the first portion 130a is placed on the second portion 130b and is in physical contact with the second portion 130b, thereby the first portion 130a is sandwiched between the second layer 124 and the second portion 130b and is in physical contact with the second layer 124 and the second portion 130b.

[0079] In some examples, device 100 may include a solar blind light detection device.

[0080] In some examples, device 100 exhibits a higher UV-Vis rejection ratio than comparable devices in the absence of the dielectric layer 120.

[0081] In some examples, the device has a UV-Vis rejection ratio of 1×10 3 or more (e.g., 5×10 3 or more, 1×10 4 or more, 5×10 4 or more, 1×10 5 or more, 5×10 5 or more, 1×10 6 or more, 5×10 6 or more, 1×10 7 or more, 5×10 7 or more, 1×10 8 or more, 5×10 8 or more, 1×10 9 or more, or 5×10 9 or more). In some examples, the device has a UV-Vis rejection ratio of 1×10 10 or less (e.g., 5×10 9 or less, 1×10 9 or less, 5×10 8 or less, 1×10 8 or less, 5×10 7 or less, 1×10 7 or less, 5×10 6 or less, 1×10 6 or less, 5×10 5 or less, 1×10 5 or less, 5×10 4 or less, 1×10 4 or less, or 5×10 3 or less). The UV-Vis rejection ratio of the device can be in the range from any of the above minimum values to any of the above maximum values. For example, the device can have a ratio of 1×10 3 to 1×10 10 (e.g., 1×10 3 to 5×10 7 , 5×10 7 to 1×10 10 , 1×10 3 to 1×10 5 , 1×10 5 to 1×10 7 , 1×10 7 to 1×10 10 , 1×10 3 to 5×10 9 , 5×10 3 to 1×10 10 , 5×103 ~1 × 10 10 , 1 x 10 4 ~1 × 10 10 , 1 x 10 5 ~1 × 10 10 , 1 x 10 6 ~1 × 10 10 , or 1 × 10 8 ~1 × 10 10 This can show the UV-Vis removal ratio.

[0082] This specification also discloses a solar blind photodetector device comprising a dielectric layer 120 containing BaTiO3 disposed on a semiconductor layer 130 containing Ga2O3 and in physical contact with the semiconductor. In some examples, the solar blind photodetector device may comprise any of the devices disclosed herein.

[0083] Device 100 is not limited to the exact arrangement shown in Figures 28 to 41, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to a constant scale. For example, the dimensions of each individual layer (e.g., length, width, height) may differ, and may be the same as or different from any of the other layers.

[0084] In some examples, device 100 may further include one or more trenches, for example, for field termination.

[0085] <Manufacturing method> Furthermore, this specification also discloses a method for manufacturing any of the devices 100 disclosed herein. For example, the method may include depositing the first contact layer 110, the semiconductor layer 130, the dielectric layer 120, and the second contact layer 140 (if present) in any order.

[0086] In some examples, the independent deposition of the first contact layer 110, the semiconductor layer 130, the dielectric layer 120, and / or the second contact layer 140 (if present) each includes electroplating, lithography deposition, electron beam deposition, thermal deposition, spin coating, drop casting, zone casting, immersion coating, blade coating, spraying, vacuum filtration, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, deposition (e.g., thermal deposition), three-dimensional (3D) particle printing such as aerosol jet printing, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), pulsed laser deposition (PLD), hydride vapor phase growth (HVPE), melt growth, or a combination thereof.

[0087] In some cases, the method may further include etching, such as reactive ion etching. For example, the method may further include etching to form trenches, for example, for field termination.

[0088] <How to use> Furthermore, this specification discloses a method using any of the devices 100 disclosed herein. For example, this method may include using device 100 as a solar blind photodetector.

[0089] Furthermore, this specification discloses methods using any of the solar blind photodetectors disclosed herein. For example, the method may include using a solar blind photodetector for medical imaging, fire detection, optical communications, defensive applications, or a combination thereof.

[0090] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described. Needless to say, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

[0091] The following examples are intended to further illustrate specific embodiments of the devices and methods described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0092] (Examples) The following examples are provided below to illustrate the methods and results of the subject matter disclosed herein. These examples are not intended to include all aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, but rather to illustrate representative methods and results. These examples are not intended to exclude equivalents and variations of the invention that would be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0093] While we strive to ensure accuracy in numerical values ​​(e.g., quantity, temperature, etc.), please allow for a certain degree of error and deviation. Unless otherwise specified, parts refer to parts by weight, temperature to °C or ambient temperature, and pressure to atmospheric pressure or near atmospheric pressure. There are many variations and combinations of measurement conditions, such as component concentration, temperature, pressure, and other measurement ranges and conditions that can be used to optimize the described process.

[0094] <Example 1 - High-K dielectric barrier for suppressing internal photon emission and photocurrent> UV solar blind photodetectors have applications in many industrial fields, from medical imaging, fire detection, optical communications, and various defense-related applications. Solid-state photodetectors have advantages over existing technologies such as photomultiplier tubes in that they are more robust and easier to integrate. Ultra-wide bandgap materials are excellent candidates for UV solar blind photodetectors because they do not require the complex optical filters necessary to manufacture solar blind UV photodetectors from low bandgap materials such as silicon. Ga2O3 is an ideal candidate, especially for solar blind detection (4.4eV~6.2eV), as its absorption cart-off is 4.8eV. Unfortunately, many Ga2O3 detectors have very low UV-visible rejection ratios. Here, we present a structure that increases the UV-visible rejection ratio by integrating a thin layer of high-K dielectric BaTiO3 on top of Ga2O3, increasing the UV-visible rejection ratio by five orders of magnitude.

[0095] Starting with a 10 μm HVPE-grown (001)Ga2O3, the surface was etched to create trenches of varying depths. Subsequently, 10 nm BaTiO3 was conformally sputtered onto the surface. The upper and lower junctions of Pt, consisting of two layers of 30 nm Ti and 70 nm Au, were thermally deposited. The final structure can be seen in Figure 1. For comparison, a sample was also fabricated using the same steps, preserving the BaTiO3 deposition. This structure can be seen in Figure 2. Next, the device underwent IV testing under both light and dark conditions (Figure 3), followed by spectral response testing (Figure 4).

[0096] <Example 2> This specification describes a photodetector comprising: I. a properly doped semiconductor layer; II. a dielectric of thickness (2 nm to 100 nm) deposited on the layer; III. a contact material such as a metal (thickness < 50 nm) deposited on the dielectric; and IV. a metal contact metal deposited in contact with the doped semiconductor layer, wherein the dielectric layer suppresses the emission of photons of carriers from the metal to the semiconductor or from the semiconductor to the metal under incident light.

[0097] In some examples, the dielectric material includes BaTiO3 or (Ba,Sr)TiO3, and the dielectric thickness is between 2nm and 100nm.

[0098] In some examples, semiconductor materials include pseudo-binary alloys (Al,Ga)2O3, or SiC, or (Al,Ga)N, enabling interband absorption and photoresponse in the ultraviolet range.

[0099] Furthermore, this specification discloses a photodetector comprising: I. a properly doped semiconductor layer; II. a dielectric of thickness (2 nm to 100 nm) deposited on this layer; and III. a contact material such as a metal (thickness < 50 nm) deposited on the dielectric to create contacts that function as an anode and cathode, wherein the dielectric layer suppresses the emission of carrier photons from metal to semiconductor or from semiconductor to metal under incident light.

[0100] In some examples, the thickness of the dielectric may vary beneath the anode and cathode metals, as well as within the region between them.

[0101] In some examples, the dielectric may be a single dielectric layer, or a composite of two or more dielectrics selected so as to suppress photoelectron emission of carriers from metal to semiconductor or from semiconductor to metal.

[0102] Furthermore, this specification discloses a structure that includes a layer of BaTiO3 in contact with a layer of semiconducting Ga2O3 used for solar blind light detection.

[0103] <Example 3> Next, we will discuss the inclusion of high-k dielectrics. Options for high-k dielectrics include hafnium silicate (HfSiO4) (E g >6) Zirconium silicate, hafnium oxide (k:25, E g :2.8), barium titanate (k:40, E g :3.2), Zirconium dioxide (k:25, E g :5.8), Titanium dioxide (k:80, E g:3.5), and silicon nitride (Si3N4) (k:7, E g This includes (5.3). Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is also a possibility.

[0104] The dielectric was investigated for the structure schematically shown in Figure 5. The charge alignment with Ga2O3 is summarized in Table 1.

[0105] Table 1. Charge alignment with Ga2O3

[0106] [Table 1]

[0107] Flat-band voltage diagrams for devices containing Al2O3 (k:9), TiO2 (k:80), and BaTiO3 (k:40) are schematically shown in Figures 6 to 8, respectively.

[0108] <Example 4 - Development of a Ga2O3 solar blind UV avalanche photodetector> The solar spectrum at sea level contains almost no radiation below 280 nm (Figure 10). The "solar blind" refers to the portion of the solar electromagnetic (EM) spectrum that is filtered by atmospheric ozone, generally around 280-200 nm (Figure 9).

[0109] Applications of UV photodetectors include, but are not limited to, chromatography, medical imaging, fire detection, protection, and communications.

[0110] The advantages of Ga2O3 include, but are not limited to, absorption cutoff at approximately 280 nm, robust design, high-temperature operation, and radiation resistance. Beta-Ga2O3 begins absorbing at approximately 280 nm, making it a good candidate for solar-blind UV photodetectors.

[0111] Current UV detection systems include, but are not limited to, Si-based avalanche photodetectors (APDs) and photomultiplier tubes. These are large and / or delicate. Solid-state UV detection without optical filtration is desirable. There are two common types of photodetectors: metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) and PN junctions. PN junctions are not ideal because most UWBG material systems lack p-type materials. PN junctions can be achieved by using heterostructures, but interface defects degrade device performance. MSM devices have low dark current and are easy to manufacture, but they suffer from a low UV-vis removal ratio because photo-emitting carriers are excited from the metal into the semiconductor. By including a dielectric layer between the metal and semiconductor, photo-emitting carriers are suppressed and dark current is reduced.

[0112] The dielectric integration problem includes: 1) the need to prevent absorption by the dielectric, 2) the need to extract holes, 3) the need for the electric field to be sufficiently high for a sufficiently long distance to induce an avalanche, and 4) the need to prevent EVB tunneling, as schematically shown in Figure 11.

[0113] For example, the band diagram of the Ni / BaTiO3 / Ga2O3 heterostructure shows an increased barrier to electrons (Figure 13).

[0114] An exemplary device design is shown in Figure 14 (Sn-doped Ga2O3, Nd = 5 × 10 18 cm -3 ).

[0115] The fabrication of a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure is schematically shown in Figures 15 and 16. The fabrication includes 1) deposition of 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 on a wafer ([(001) orientation], Novel Crystal Technology, Inc.), 2) ICP-RIE etching edge termination (3 μm and / or 6 μm), 3) RF sputtering of conformal 10 nm BaTiO3, and 4) deposition of top and bottom metal contacts.

[0116] The responsiveness (Figure 17) and light / dark IV curve (Figure 18) of a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure were tested. The performance values ​​of the 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure are summarized in Table 2. Holes were extracted across the Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 junction. This device exhibited excellent dark current and UV / Vis rejection ratio.

[0117] Table 2. Performance Values

[0118] [Table 2]

[0119] Next, we examined the device to determine if there was any absorption from BaTiO3. The optical setup included the following: - D2 lamp - Light source fibers bonded with 50 micron fibers - Column processing was performed using an OAP mirror with a focal length of 10 mm. - Iris used to reduce beam size to 5mm - Collimated light focused to the sp2155 spectrometer using a 100mm OAP. - PIXIS 400CCD used for a nearly closed slit exposure of 0.4 seconds. - Stitch error averaged across spectra that overlap every 50 nm The absorption of the photodetector is shown in Figure 19. The cutoff is approximately 4.6 eV. The absorption of BaTiO3 is shown in Figure 20. The cutoff is approximately 3.15 eV. Current density (at 0 V) ​​is absorbed (J). ph When proportional to ∝α), the results in Figures 19 and 20 indicate that the absorption is due to Ga2O3 rather than BaTiO3.

[0120] A schematic diagram of the second-generation device design, including a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 and a platinum upper junction instead of nickel, is shown in Figure 21. The equilibrium band diagram of the device is shown in Figure 22.

[0121] Figure 23 schematically illustrates the manufacturing of a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 device. The manufacturing process involves 1) the use of a Sn-doped Ga2O3(010) wafer (Novel Crystal Technology, Inc.) and 2) the production of a 1 μm Ga2O3(N) wafer by MOCVD. d = 1 × 10 16 cm -3 The process includes growth of ), sputtering of 10 nm BaTiO3, thermal deposition of junction metal, and ICP-RIE etching of 1.5 μm trenches. Etching parameters are summarized in Table 3.

[0122] Table 3. Etching parameters

[0123] [Table 3]

[0124] The responsiveness (Figure 24) and light / dark IV curve (Figure 25) of a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure were tested. The performance values ​​of the 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure are summarized in Table 4.

[0125] Table 4. Performance values ​​of 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structures

[0126] [Table 4]

[0127] The analysis of the gain mechanism is given by the following equation (Equation 1).

[0128]

number

[0129] Table 5 shows a comparison of the results for a 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure (Figure 14) and a 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure (Figure 21).

[0130] Table 5. Performance values ​​of 10 μm HVPE Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 trench structure and 1 μm MOCVD Ga2O3 / BaTiO3 structure

[0131] [Table 5]

[0132] The results described herein demonstrate progress toward the realization of a solar-blind Ga2O3 photodetector.

[0133] <Example 5> The devices described herein achieve a high UV-visible rejection ratio by employing a structure that prevents photo-emitted electrons from entering Ga2O3 while allowing holes to exit the semiconductor and be collected at the contacts. In other words, a positive conduction band offset and a negative (or very small) valence band offset must be present. Examples of dielectric materials that satisfy these requirements are BaTiO3 and MgO (Figures 27A and 27B, respectively), while SiO2 (Figure 27C) is a dielectric material that does not satisfy these requirements.

[0134] (Examples) Taking into consideration the compositions, devices, systems, and methods described herein, specific embodiments of the invention described in more detail are described below. However, the specific embodiments described herein should not be construed as having any limiting effect on any different claims, including different or more general teachings set forth herein, nor should the “specific” embodiments be construed as being somewhat limited in any way other than the literal meaning of the words and phrases used herein.

[0135] <Example 1> A device comprising a first contact layer, a semiconductor layer containing a semiconductor material having a first bandgap, and a dielectric layer containing a dielectric material, wherein the first contact layer is disposed on top of the dielectric layer and is in physical contact with the dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer is disposed on top of the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with the semiconductor layer, thereby the dielectric layer is sandwiched between both the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with both the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer, and the dielectric layer suppresses the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer under incident light.

[0136] <Example 2> The dielectric layer allows holes to exit the semiconductor layer and be collected in the first contact layer, as described in any embodiment of this specification, particularly the device described in Example 1.

[0137] <Example 3> The device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly the device according to Example 1 or Example 2, wherein the device has a positive conduction band offset and a negative valence band offset.

[0138] <Example 4> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 3, wherein the first contact layer comprises a first metal.

[0139] <Example 5> The device described in any of the embodiments herein, particularly Example 4, wherein the first metal comprises Ni, Pt, or a combination thereof.

[0140] <Example 6> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Example 4 or Example 5, wherein the first metal comprises Pt.

[0141] <Example 7> A device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 6, wherein the first contact layer includes a first electrode.

[0142] <Example 8> The device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 7, wherein the first contact layer comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being a cathode and the second portion being an anode.

[0143] <Example 9> The dielectric layer comprises a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness, the first portion being in contact with the cathode and the second portion being in contact with the anode, and the first and second thicknesses may be the same or different, as described in any embodiment of this specification, in particular Example 8 of the device.

[0144] <Example 10> The dielectric layer further comprises a third portion having a third thickness, the third portion extending from the first portion to the second portion, and the third thickness may be the same as or different from the first thickness and / or the second thickness, as described in any embodiment of this specification, in particular the device described in Example 9.

[0145] <Example 11> A device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 10, further comprising a second contact layer, wherein a semiconductor layer is disposed on the second contact layer and is in physical contact with the second contact layer, thereby sandwiching the semiconductor layer between the dielectric layer and the second contact layer and being in physical contact with the dielectric layer and the second contact layer.

[0146] <Example 12> The device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Example 11, wherein the second contact layer comprises a second metal.

[0147] <Example 13> The device according to any example of this specification, in particular Example 12, wherein the second metal comprises Ti, Au, or a combination thereof.

[0148] <Example 14> The device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 11-13, wherein the second contact layer includes a second electrode.

[0149] <Example 15> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 14, wherein the first contact layer and / or second contact layer (if present) has an average thickness of 100 nanometers (nm) or less, or 50 nanometers (nm) or less.

[0150] <Example 16> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 15, wherein the semiconductor layer further comprises a dopant.

[0151] <Example 17> The semiconductor material is Ga2O3, (Al,Ga)2O3, SiC, (Al,Ga)N, GaN, diamond, Ge2O, or a combination thereof, as described in any of the examples herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 16.

[0152] <Example 18> The semiconductor material comprises a pseudo-binary alloy (Al,Ga)2O3, or SiC, or (Al,Ga)N, enabling interband absorption and photoresponse in the ultraviolet range, as described in any of the examples herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 17.

[0153] <Example 19> The semiconductor layer has an average thickness of 1 nm to 10 μm, or 1 nm to 100 μm, as described in any of the examples of this specification, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 18.

[0154] <Example 20> A device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 19, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises a first portion comprising a first semiconductor material and a second portion comprising a second semiconductor material, the first portion being positioned on top of the second portion, so that the first portion is sandwiched between both the dielectric layer and the second portion and in physical contact with both.

[0155] <Example 21> The device described in any embodiment of this specification, in particular Example 20, wherein the first portion has a first thickness, the second portion has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different.

[0156] <Example 22> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Example 20 or Example 21, wherein the first semiconductor material further comprises a first dopant at a first concentration, the second semiconductor material further comprises a second dopant at a second concentration, or the combination of the first and second semiconductor materials further comprises a combination of the first dopant at a first concentration and the second dopant at a second concentration.

[0157] <Example 23> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Examples 20-22, wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are different, the first dopant and the second dopant are different, the first concentration and the second concentration are different, or combinations thereof are different.

[0158] <Example 24> The first and second semiconductor materials are different, as in any example described herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 20-23.

[0159] <Example 25> The device described in any example herein, particularly Examples 20-23, wherein the first and second semiconductor materials are the same.

[0160] <Example 26> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 25, wherein the dielectric material includes a high-K dielectric material.

[0161] <Example 27> The dielectric material includes hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, hafnium oxide, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, or a combination thereof, as described in any of the examples herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 26.

[0162] <Example 28> The dielectric material is (Ba x Sr 1-x A device comprising TiO3, wherein x is 0 to 1, as described in any of the embodiments herein, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 27.

[0163] <Example 29> The dielectric material is a device according to any of the examples specified herein, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 28, comprising BaTiO3.

[0164] <Example 30> The dielectric layer has an average thickness of 2 to 100 nanometers (nm), for example, 2 to 20 nm, or 2 to 10 nm, as described in any of the examples of this specification, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 29.

[0165] <Example 31> The dielectric layer comprises two or more dielectric materials, each of which is selected to further suppress the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor, as described in any of the embodiments herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 30.

[0166] <Example 32> A device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 31, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a first layer comprising a first dielectric material and a second layer comprising a second dielectric material, the first layer being placed on top of the second layer so that the first layer is sandwiched between both a first contact layer and the second layer and is in physical contact with both, and the second layer is sandwiched between the first layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with both the first layer and the semiconductor layer.

[0167] <Example 33> The device described in any of the embodiments herein, in particular Example 32, wherein the first layer has a first thickness, the second layer has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different.

[0168] <Example 34> The first dielectric material and the second dielectric material are different, as described in any of the embodiments herein, particularly Example 32 or Example 33 of the device.

[0169] <Example 35> A device according to any example of this specification, particularly Examples 32-34, wherein the first dielectric material comprises BaTiO3 and the second dielectric material comprises Al2O3, AlN, or a combination thereof.

[0170] <Example 36> A device according to any embodiment of this specification, particularly Examples 1 to 35, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises a first portion comprising a first semiconductor material and a second portion comprising a second semiconductor material, and the dielectric layer comprises a first layer comprising a first dielectric material and a second layer comprising a second dielectric material, the first layer being positioned on the second layer and in physical contact with the second layer, thereby the first layer being sandwiched between the first contact layer and the second layer and in physical contact with the first contact layer and the second layer, and the first portion being positioned on the second portion and in physical contact with the second portion, thereby the first portion being sandwiched between the second layer and the second portion and in physical contact with the second layer and the second portion.

[0171] <Example 37> The device is one of the embodiments described herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 36, comprising a solar blind photodetector.

[0172] <Example 38> The device exhibits a higher UV-Vis rejection ratio than that of comparable devices in the absence of a dielectric layer, as described in any of the embodiments herein, particularly the devices described in Examples 1 to 37.

[0173] <Example 39> The device is 1 × 10 3 ~1 × 10 10A device according to any of the embodiments herein, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 38, that exhibits a UV-Vis removal ratio.

[0174] <Example 40> A method for fabricating any of the examples described herein, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 39.

[0175] <Example 41> The method is the method according to any embodiment of this specification, in particular the method according to Example 40, comprising depositing a first contact layer, a semiconductor layer, a dielectric layer, and a second contact layer (if present) in any order.

[0176] <Example 42> A method using any of the embodiments described herein, particularly those described in Examples 1 to 39.

[0177] <Example 43> The method is the method according to any embodiment of this specification, in particular the method according to Example 42, which includes using the device as a solar blind photodetector.

[0178] <Example 44> A solar blind photodetector comprising a dielectric layer containing BaTiO3 disposed on a semiconductor layer containing Ga2O3 and in physical contact with the semiconductor.

[0179] <Example 45> A solar blind photodetector comprising any of the embodiments described herein, in particular the devices described in Examples 1 to 39.

[0180] <Example 46> Any embodiment of this specification, particularly the method of using a solar blind photodetector described in Example 44 or Example 45, including the use of a solar blind photodetector for medical imaging, fire detection, optical communications, defensive applications, or a combination thereof.

[0181] Other obvious and unique advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be understood that certain properties and partial combinations are beneficial and can be used regardless of other properties and partial combinations. It will be understood that all matters in this specification described or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative rather than restrictive, since many possible embodiments of the present invention contemplated and within the scope of the claims can be carried out without departing from that scope.

[0182] The methods of the appended claims are not limited by the specific methods described herein, which are intended to be illustrative of some aspects of the claims, and any functionally equivalent methods are intended to be included in the claims. In addition to those shown and described herein, various variations of the methods are intended to be included in the appended claims. Furthermore, although only certain representative method steps disclosed herein are specifically described, other combinations of method steps are also intended to be included in the appended claims, even if not specifically enumerated. Thus, combinations of steps, elements, components, or constituents may be explicitly mentioned herein, but other combinations of steps, elements, components, and constituents are included even if not explicitly mentioned.

Claims

1. The first contact layer and A semiconductor layer comprising a semiconductor material having a first band gap, A dielectric layer containing a dielectric material, The first contact layer is placed on the dielectric layer and is in physical contact with the dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is placed on the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with the semiconductor layer, and thereby the dielectric layer is sandwiched between the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with both. A device in which the dielectric layer suppresses the emission of photons of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor layer under incident light.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer allows holes to exit the semiconductor layer and be collected in the first contact layer.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device has a positive conduction band offset and a negative valence band offset.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first contact layer includes a first metal.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first metal includes Ni, Pt, or a combination thereof.

6. The device according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the first metal includes Pt.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first contact layer includes a first electrode.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first contact layer comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being a cathode and the second portion being an anode.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness, the first portion being in contact with the cathode and the second portion being in contact with the anode, and the first and second thicknesses may be the same or different.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the dielectric layer further comprises a third portion having a third thickness, the third portion extending from the first portion to the second portion, and the third thickness may be the same as or different from the first thickness and / or the second thickness.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a second contact layer, wherein the semiconductor layer is disposed on the second contact layer and is in physical contact with the second contact layer, so that the semiconductor layer is sandwiched between the dielectric layer and the second contact layer and is in physical contact with the dielectric layer and the second contact layer.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the second contact layer includes a second metal.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the second metal includes Ti, Au, or a combination thereof.

14. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the second contact layer includes a second electrode.

15. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first contact layer and / or the second contact layer (if present) has an average thickness of 100 nanometers (nm) or less, or 50 nanometers (nm) or less.

16. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the semiconductor layer further comprises a dopant.

17. The aforementioned semiconductor material is Ga ２ O ３ (Al, Ga) ２ O ３ SiC, (Al,Ga)N, GaN, Diamond, Ge ２ A device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising O, or a combination thereof.

18. The semiconductor material is a pseudo-binary alloy (Al,Ga) ２ O ３ The device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising, or SiC, or (Al,Ga)N, enabling interband absorption and photoresponse in the ultraviolet range.

19. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the semiconductor layer has an average thickness of 1 nm to 100 μm, for example, 1 nm to 10 μm.

20. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises a first portion comprising a first semiconductor material and a second portion comprising a second semiconductor material, the first portion being disposed on the second portion, so that the first portion is sandwiched between the dielectric layer and the second portion and is in physical contact with both.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the first portion has a first thickness, the second portion has a second thickness, and the first thickness and the second thickness are the same or different.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the first semiconductor material further comprises a first dopant at a first concentration, the second semiconductor material further comprises a second dopant at a second concentration, or the combination of the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material further comprises a combination of a first dopant at a first concentration and a second dopant at a second concentration.

23. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are different, the first dopant and the second dopant are different, the first concentration and the second concentration are different, or a combination thereof.

24. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are different.

25. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are the same.

26. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the dielectric material includes a high-K dielectric material.

27. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the dielectric material includes hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, hafnium oxide, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, or a combination thereof.

28. The dielectric material is (Ba ｘ Sr １－ｘ )TiO ３ and x is from 0 to 1. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. The dielectric material is BaTiO ３ A device according to any one of claims 1 to 28, including the device described in any one of claims 1 to 28.

30. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 29, wherein the dielectric layer has an average thickness of 2 to 100 nanometers (nm), for example, 2 to 20 nm or 2 to 10 nm.

31. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein the dielectric layer comprises two or more dielectric materials, each of which is selected to further suppress the photon emission of carriers between the first contact layer and the semiconductor.

32. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 31, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a first layer containing a first dielectric material and a second layer containing a second dielectric material, the first layer being disposed on the second layer so that the first layer is sandwiched between the first contact layer and the second layer and is in physical contact with both, and the second layer is sandwiched between the first layer and the semiconductor layer and is in physical contact with the first layer and the semiconductor layer.

33. The device according to claim 32, wherein the first layer has a first thickness, the second layer has a second thickness, and the first and second thicknesses are the same or different.

34. The device according to claim 32 or claim 33, wherein the first dielectric material and the second dielectric material are different.

35. The first dielectric material is BaTiO ３ The second dielectric material is Al ２ O ３ The device according to any one of claims 32 to 34, comprising AlN, or a combination thereof.

36. The semiconductor layer includes a first portion containing a first semiconductor material and a second portion containing a second semiconductor material. The dielectric layer includes a first layer containing a first dielectric material and a second layer containing a second dielectric material. The first layer is placed on the second layer and is in physical contact with the second layer, thereby sandwiching the first layer between the first contact layer and the second layer and being in physical contact with the first contact layer and the second layer. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 35, wherein the first portion is positioned on the second portion and is in physical contact with the second portion, thereby sandwiching the first portion between the second layer and the second portion and being in physical contact with the second layer and the second portion.

37. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 36, wherein the device comprises a solar blind light detection device.

38. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 37, wherein the device exhibits a UV-Vis removal ratio higher than that of an equivalent device in the absence of the dielectric layer.

39. The aforementioned device is 1 × 10 ３ ~1 x 10 １０ The device according to any one of claims 1 to 38, which shows the UV-Vis removal ratio.

40. A method for manufacturing the device according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the method comprises depositing the first contact layer, the semiconductor layer, the dielectric layer, and the second contact layer (if present) in any order.

42. A method of using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the method includes using the device as a solar blind photodetector.

44. Ga ２ O ３ A BaTiO is placed on a semiconductor layer containing the semiconductor and is in physical contact with the semiconductor. ３ A solar blind light detection device including a dielectric layer.

45. A solar blind light detection device comprising the device described in any one of claims 1 to 39.

46. A method of using a solar blind photodetector according to claim 44 or 45, comprising using the solar blind photodetector for medical imaging, fire detection, optical communications, defensive applications, or a combination thereof.

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