The Infiltration of Silver Nanoparticles into Porous Silicon for Improving the Performance of Photonic Devices

Hybrid nanostructures have a great potential to improve the overall properties of photonic devices. In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were infiltrated into nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) layers, aiming at enhancing the optoelectronic performance of Si-based devices. More specifically, Schottky diodes with three different configurations were fabricated, using Al/Si/Au as the basic structure. This structure was modified by adding PSi and PSi + AgNPs layers. Their characteristic electrical parameters were accurately determined by fitting the current–voltage curves to the non-ideal diode equation. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to determine the electrical parameters of the diodes in a wide frequency range by fitting the Nyquist plots to the appropriate equivalent circuit model. The experimental results show a remarkable enhancement in electrical conduction after the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles. Moreover, the spectral photoresponse was examined for various devices. An approximately 10-fold increment in photoresponse was observed after the addition of Ag nanoparticles to the porous structures.

Multimodal transistors as ReLU activation functions in physical neural network classifiers

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) providing sophisticated, power-efficient classification are finding their way into thin-film electronics. Thin-film technologies require robust, layout-efficient devices with facile manufacturability. Here, we show how the multimodal transistor’s (MMT’s) transfer characteristic, with linear dependence in saturation, replicates the rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation function of convolutional ANNs (CNNs). Using MATLAB, we evaluate CNN performance using systematically distorted ReLU functions, then substitute measured and simulated MMT transfer characteristics as proxies for ReLU. High classification accuracy is maintained, despite large variations in geometrical and electrical parameters, as CNNs use the same activation functions for training and classification.

Solar Panels String Predictive and Parametric Fault Diagnosis Using Low-Cost Sensors

This work proposes a method for real-time supervision and predictive fault diagnosis applicable to solar panel strings in real-world installations. It is focused on the detection and parametric isolation of fault symptoms through the analysis of the Voc-Isc curves. The method performs early, systematic, online, automatic, permanent predictive supervision, and diagnosis of a high sampling frequency. It is based on the supervision of predictive electrical parameters easily accessible by the design of its architecture, whose detection and isolation precedes with an adequate margin of maneuver, to be able to alert and stop by means of automatic disconnection the degradation phenomenon and its cumulative effect causing the development of a future irrecoverable failure. Its architecture design is scalable and integrable in conventional photovoltaic installations. It emphasizes the use of low-cost technology such as the ESP8266 module, ASC712-5A, and FZ0430 sensors and relay modules. The method is based on data acquisition with the ESP8266 module, which is sent over the internet to the computer where a SCADA system (iFIX V6.5) is installed, using the Modbus TCP/IP and OPC communication protocols. Detection thresholds are initially obtained experimentally by applying inductive shading methods on specific solar panels.

Низкотемпературные электрические свойства CVD графена на LiNbO-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-: акустические исследования

Contactless acoustic methods were used to determine electrical parameters - electrical conductivity, carrier mobility and their concentration - in single-layer graphene deposited on the surface of lithium niobate.

Simulation of structural and electrical parameters of СdS thin films

Based on the calculations from the first principles, we obtained the distributions of valence electron densities and electron energy spectra for a CdS film with different oxygen concentrations. According to the results of calculations, it is established that during the adsorption of oxygen atoms on the surface of CdS, oxygen taking electrons from the surface atoms of the CdS film, increases its catalytic activity. The oxygen concentration should not exceed 12.5%.

Method for Determining the Schottky Diodes Electrical Parameters

When studying the operation of Schottky diodes the most important electrical parameters are the height of the potential barrier, the coefficient of ideality, the saturation current and the series resistance of the material and contacts. These parameters can be determined from the experimental volt-ampere characteristics. The article considers the methods of determining these electrical parameters of Schottky diodes, as well as the factors that affect the accuracy of calculations. The existing methods for calculating the electrical parameters of Schottky diodes are analyzed, namely: the method of Norde, Roderick, Chong, Sato and the method of direct approximation. The Norde method was developed for a coefficient of ideality equal to one for cases where the effect of series resistance on the I–V characteristics makes a significant error in determining the barrier height by simpler methods. A significant disadvantage of this method is that in many cases the coefficient of ideality is not equal to one, even in the case of an ideal diode, which makes an error in the calculation result. The advantage of Roderick's method is the possibility of describing the forward and reverse branches of the I–V characteristics by one dependence, as well as taking into account measurements at voltages less than tripled temperature potential. The disadvantages of this method include the lack of consideration of the effect of series resistance, which may result in additional errors. The main advantage of the Chong method is the determination of the series resistance together with the height of the barrier and the coefficient of ideality, which not only provides additional information about the contact, but also convenient in terms of automation of the calculation process. The disadvantages include the possibility of applying the method only to the voltage range above the tripled temperature potential. The disadvantages of Sato methods and direct approximation include the fact that the calculation is performed at one point of the I–V curve, which can negatively affect the accuracy. It is also shown that these methods have a significant standard deviation of the calculated values from the experimental ones, which is due to the temperature dependence of the height of the potential barrier and the dependence of the coefficient of ideality on the voltage. Also, the reason for the increase in the calculation error of the electrical parameters in all five methods is the decrease in the length of the I–V characteristics in logarithmic coordinates. When using any of the considered methods, the calculation is performed in logarithmic coordinates, which complicates the determination of the boundaries of the I–V section, where the dependence of the parameters of the Schottky diode on the voltage is insignificant. A new algorithm for calculating the electrical parameters of Schottky diodes has been developed. Based on the conjugate gradient method, a method for optimizing the algorithm for calculating the electrical parameters of Schottky diodes was developed, which made it possible to reduce the standard deviation by more than an order of magnitude. The developed algorithm is verified by comparing the calculated volt-ampere characteristics of Schottky diodes with those obtained experimentally. To construct the calculated volt-ampere characteristics, the values of the electrical parameters of Schottky diodes were used, which were determined by the presented algorithm. The results of the calculation are in good agreement with the experimental data. The proposed method can be used both in scientific work to study the properties of semiconductor materials, and in production to control the quality of Schottky diodes.