Now showing 1 - 10 of 20
  • Publication
    A brief overview of detectors used for terahertz imaging systems
    ( 2020-01-08) ;
    Mohd Mokhar, Mohd Bazli
    ;
    ;
    This paper presents a short review on terahertz imaging systems based on several types of technology used in the terahertz detection schemes. Some commercial products from ThruVision Systems Limited Company have utilized GaAs Schottky diode detector at 0.25 THz to produce passive terahertz images for public and homeland security. On the other hand, TeraSense Group Incorporated Company has developed and invented a ground-breaking technology which employs sensor consisting of a matrix of plasmonic semiconductor detectors in their latest products to generate terahertz images in the 0.1 - 1.0 THz frequency range. Recently, the utilization of two-terminal unipolar nanodiodes, known as the self-switching diodes (SSDs), as terahertz detectors has shown promising results. The planar structure of SSD not only enables the device to operate at high frequencies due to low intrinsic parasitic capacitance, but also allows the realization of the device using only a single lithography step. This makes the fabrication process of SSDs faster, more simple, and at lower cost when compared to other electronic devices such as Schottky diodes. The development and recent achievement of SSDs as terahertz detectors are also presented in this paper.
  • Publication
    Improved rectification performance and terahertz detection in hybrid structure of self-switching device (SSD) and planar barrier diode (PBD) using two-dimensional device simulation
    Recently, simulations of In0.48Ga0.52As-based Planar Barrier Diode (PBD) and Self- Switching Device (SSD) as millimeter-wave rectifiers were reported. Both PBD and SSD have a planar structure, but with different insulating shapes and working principles. In this work, a hybrid structure of the reported PBD and SSD in a parallel configuration is proposed, to exploit the advantages of each device. The advantages of high rectifying properties in the SSD and fast switching rate of the PBD are combined in this hybrid structure in order to obtain an improved rectification performance at zero-bias in the near terahertz frequency region. Analysis of the curvature co-efficient, γ, which is defined as the ratio of the second order to the first order derivative of the device’s I-V function was performed to evaluate the rectification performance. AC transient analyses were then executed in various frequencies to imitate the high-frequency signal inputs. By using this hybrid structure, the highest value of γ achieved has been improved to ~19 V-1 at 70 mV, and ~6 V-1 at zero- bias (compared to the previous results on PBDs). The estimated cut-off frequency obtained was ~360 GHz (0.36 THz), operating at zero-bias.
      5  38
  • Publication
    Silicon Self-Switching Diode (SSD) as a Full-Wave Bridge Rectifier in 5G networks frequencies
    The rapid growth of wireless technology has improved the network’s technology from 4G to 5G, with sub-6 GHz being the centre of attention as the primary communication spectrum band. To effectively benefit this exclusive network, the improvement in the mm-wave detection of this range is crucial. In this work, a silicon self-switching device (SSD) based full-wave bridge rectifier was proposed as a candidate for a usable RF-DC converter in this frequency range. SSD has a similar operation to a conventional pn junction diode, but with advantages in fabrication simplicity where it does not require doping and junctions. The optimized structure of the SSD was cascaded and arranged to create a functional full-wave bridge rectifier with a quadratic relationship between the input voltage and outputs current. AC transient analysis and theoretical calculation performed on the full-wave rectifier shows an estimated cut-off frequency at ~12 GHz, with calculated responsivity and noise equivalent power of 1956.72 V/W and 2.3753 pW/Hz1/2, respectively. These results show the capability of silicon SSD to function as a full-wave bridge rectifier and is a potential candidate for RF-DC conversion in the targeted 5G frequency band and can be exploited for future energy harvesting application.
      1  14
  • Publication
    A Study on Electrical Performance of SiC-based Self-switching Diode (SSD) as a High Voltage High Power Device
    The Self-switching Diodes (SSDs) have been primarily researched and used in low-power device applications for RF detection and harvesting applications. In this paper, we explore the potential of SSDs in high-voltage applications with the usage of Silicon Carbide (SiC) as substrate materials which offers improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Optimization in terms of the variation in the interface charges, metal work function, and doping concentration values has been performed by means of a 2D TCAD device simulator. The results showed that the SSD can block up to 600 V of voltage with an optimum interface charge value of 1013 cm-2, making them suitable for higher voltage applications. Furthermore, it also found that the work function of the metal contact affected the forward voltage value, impacting the current flow in the device. Variation in doping concentrations also resulted in higher breakdown voltages and significantly increased forward current, leading to an increased power rating of 27 kW. In conclusion, the usage of 4H-SiC-based SSDs shows a usable potential for high-voltage applications with optimized parameters. The results from this research can facilitate the implementation of SSD in the development of high-power semiconductor devices for various industrial applications.
      5  56
  • Publication
    A study on electrical performance of SiC-based self-switching diode (SSD) as a high voltage high power device
    The Self-switching Diodes (SSDs) have been primarily researched and used in low-power device applications for RF detection and harvesting applications. In this paper, we explore the potential of SSDs in high-voltage applications with the usage of Silicon Carbide (SiC) as substrate materials which offers improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Optimization in terms of the variation in the interface charges, metal work function, and doping concentration values has been performed by means of a 2D TCAD device simulator. The results showed that the SSD can block up to 600 V of voltage with an optimum interface charge value of 1013 cm-2, making them suitable for higher voltage applications. Furthermore, it also found that the work function of the metal contact affected the forward voltage value, impacting the current flow in the device. Variation in doping concentrations also resulted in higher breakdown voltages and significantly increased forward current, leading to an increased power rating of 27 kW. In conclusion, the usage of 4H-SiC-based SSDs shows a usable potential for high-voltage applications with optimized parameters. The results from this research can facilitate the implementation of SSD in the development of high-power semiconductor devices for various industrial applications.
      36  15
  • Publication
    Simulation and characterization of an inverter logic gate by utilizing InGaAs-based planar devices
    ( 2023-12) ; ; ;
    Fauzi Packeer
    ;
    A. K. Singh
    Electronic circuits known as logic gates can perform basic logical operations like inverters, AND, and OR gates. These logic gates serve as the basis for digital electronics, and they are a common component in various electronic devices, such as computers, smartphones, and other types of digital systems. This research presents an inverter logic gate made of planar devices, which have significantly simpler structures than multi-layered transistors and diodes, namely the self-switching diode (SSD) and side-gated transistor (SGT). The inverter logic gate is realized by simply connecting both SSD and SGT in parallel. The electrical characteristics and performances of the inverter logic gate are assessed based on InGaAs material using SILVACO Inc.'s ATLAS device simulator software. The simulation results show that the functionality of the proposed planar inverter is comparable to that of a conventional inverter logic gate based on the standard truth table of the device. This has demonstrated the feasibility of building logic gates using a combination of SSDs and SGTs. In addition, the planar structure of SSD and SGT allows for a relatively low-cost device fabrication process as well as offering a high-frequency operation due to low parasitic elements in the devices.
      25  4
  • Publication
    Simulation of InGaAs-based self-switching diodes as sub-terahertz rectifiers
    ( 2022-12) ; ; ;
    Fauzi Packeer
    ;
    A.K. Singh
    Abstract. A self-switching device (SSD) is a new device concept -which can be simply realized by forming insulating trenches into a semiconductor layer, using a single nanolithography process. SSDs can be utilized as rectifiers since the device's current-voltage (I-V) characteristic is comparable to that of a conventional diode. The simulation of two InGaAsbased SSDs with parallel connection using ATLAS device simulator for similar and different lengths of both SSDs (L1 and L2) is presented in this paper. The simulation results show that the InGaAs-based SSDs are able to operate up to sub-terahertz (THz) frequencies. As expected, lowering either L1 or L2 will not only increase the device’s cut-off frequency, fc, but also degrading the device’s rectification performance (i.e., reducing the value of curvature coefficient, γ). The highest cut-off frequency achieved in this work was 0.27 THz with γ ~18V-1 when L1 = 0.8 μm and L2 = 0.4 μm.
      1  4
  • Publication
    Simulation of unipolar planar device with asymmetrical barrier profile: a planar barrier diode
    By introducing a funnel-shape semiconductor channel to create an asymmetrical energy barrier profile, a type of nonlinear device has been proposed and simulated which is referred as planar barrier diode (pbd). An applied voltage v across a pbd provides different height of the barrier depending on the sign of v. This results in a nonlinear current-voltage characteristic that resembles a typical diode behavior and therefore it can be used in signal rectification. The intrinsic cut-off frequency obtained in the simulation of the p-type silicon pbd rectifier was ∼15 ghz.
      5  19
  • Publication
    Silicon Self-Switching Diode (SSD) as a Full-Wave Bridge Rectifier in 5G Networks Frequencies
    The rapid growth of wireless technology has improved the network’s technology from 4G to 5G, with sub-6 GHz being the centre of attention as the primary communication spectrum band. To effectively benefit this exclusive network, the improvement in the mm-wave detection of this range is crucial. In this work, a silicon self-switching device (SSD) based full-wave bridge rectifier was proposed as a candidate for a usable RF-DC converter in this frequency range. SSD has a similar operation to a conventional pn junction diode, but with advantages in fabrication simplicity where it does not require doping and junctions. The optimized structure of the SSD was cascaded and arranged to create a functional full-wave bridge rectifier with a quadratic relationship between the input voltage and outputs current. AC transient analysis and theoretical calculation performed on the full-wave rectifier shows an estimated cut-off frequency at ~12 GHz, with calculated responsivity and noise equivalent power of 1956.72 V/W and 2.3753 pW/Hz1/2, respectively. These results show the capability of silicon SSD to function as a full-wave bridge rectifier and is a potential candidate for RF-DC conversion in the targeted 5G frequency band and can be exploited for future energy harvesting application.
      47  3
  • Publication
    Hybrid Statistical and Numerical Analysis in Structural Optimization of Silicon-Based RF Detector in 5G Network
    In this study, a hybrid statistical analysis (Taguchi method supported by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis) and numerical analysis (utilizing a Silvaco device simulator) was implemented to optimize the structural parameters of silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based self-switching diodes (SSDs) to achieve a high responsivity value as a radio frequency (RF) detector. Statistical calculation was applied to study the relationship between the control factors and the output performance of an RF detector in terms of the peak curvature coefficient value and its corresponding bias voltage. Subsequently, a series of numerical simulations were performed based on Taguchi’s experimental design. The optimization results indicated an optimized curvature coefficient and voltage peak of 26.4260 V−1 and 0.05 V, respectively. The alternating current transient analysis from 3 to 10 GHz showed the highest mean current at 5 GHz and a cut-off frequency of approximately 6.50 GHz, indicating a prominent ability to function as an RF detector at 5G related frequencies.
      4  52