L'oxyde de zinc ZnO, est un semiconducteur II-VI très prometteur pour les applications en opto-électronique dans le domaine UV, notamment pour la réalisation de dispositifs électroluminescents (LED). Les potentialités majeures du ZnO pour ces applications résident notamment dans sa forte liaison excitonique (60 meV), sa large bande interdite directe (3.4 eV), la disponibilité de substrats massifs de grand diamètre ainsi que la possibilité de réaliser des croissances épitaxiales de très bonne qualité en couches minces ou nano structurées (nanofils). Néanmoins, le développement de ces applications est entravé par la difficulté de doper le matériau de type p. L'impureté permettant d'obtenir une conductivité électrique associée à des porteurs de charges positifs (trous), et donc la réalisation de jonctions pn à base de ZnO, n'a pas encore été réellement identifiée. C'est pourquoi une des étapes préliminaires et nécessaires à l'obtention d'un dopage de type p fiable et efficace, réside dans la compréhension du dopage résiduel de type n, ainsi que des phénomènes de compensation et de passivation qui sont mis en jeu au sein du matériau. La maîtrise de la nature des contacts (ohmique ou Schottky) sur différentes surfaces d'échantillons de ZnO nous a permis dans ce but de mettre en œuvre à la fois des mesures de transport (résistivité et effet Hall) et des mesures capacitives (capacité-tension C(V), Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) et Spectroscopie d'admittance).Dans un premier temps, nous avons donc cherché à comprendre de manière approfondie les propriétés électriques du ZnO massif. Nous avons ainsi étudié le rôle des défauts profonds et peu profonds sur la conductivité des échantillons, aux travers de différents échantillons massifs obtenus par synthèse hydrothermale ou par croissance chimique en phase vapeur. Nous avons également étudié l'impact de la température de recuits post-croissance, sur les propriétés de transport des échantillons. A la lumière des résultats obtenus sur le dopage résiduel de type n des échantillons de ZnO massifs, nous avons ensuite procédé à différents essais de dopage de type p du ZnO par implantation ionique d'azote et par diffusion en ampoule scellée d'arsenic. L'impureté azote a été choisie dans le cadre d'une substitution simple de l'oxygène qui devrait permettre de créer des niveaux accepteurs dans la bande interdite du ZnO. Nous avons également étudié l'impureté arsenic, qui selon un modèle théorique peut former un complexe qui permet d'obtenir un niveau accepteur plus proche de la bande de valence que le niveau. Outres les études réalisées sur les échantillons de ZnO massif et les essais de dopage de type p, nous avons également étudié les propriétés électriques d'échantillons de ZnO monocristallins sous forme de couches minces obtenues par croissance en phase vapeur d'organométalliques, dopées intentionnellement ou non. Les corrélations entres les mesures SIMS et C(V) nous ont permis notamment de mettre en évidence une diffusion et un rôle très importante de l'aluminium sur les propriétés électriques des couches minces de ZnO épitaxiées sur substrat saphir.Dans le cadre de cette thèse nous avons réussi à clarifier les mécanismes du dopage de type n, intentionnel ou non intentionnel, dans le ZnO monocristallin. Nous avons également identifié les impuretés et les paramètres de croissance importants permettant d'obtenir un dopage résiduel de type n le plus faible possible dans les couches épitaxiées. Cette maitrise du dopage résiduel de type n est une étape préliminaire indispensable aux études de dopage de type p car elle permet de minimiser la compensation des accepteurs introduits intentionnellement. Cette approche du dopage sur des couches minces de ZnO dont le dopage résiduel de type n est très faible apparait comme une voie très prometteuse pour surmonter les problèmes d'obtention du dopage de type p.

Ce travail porte sur la spectroscopie magnéto-optique de semi-conducteurs magnétiques dilués (DMS) : ZnO et GaN dopés manganese, fer et cobalt. Les deux semi-conducteurs hôtes, ZnO et GaN ont une grande bande interdite, une structure wurtzite, une faible interaction spin - orbite et une forte interaction d'échange excitonique entre trous et électrons. En présence de champs magnétiques, les ions magnétiques induisent un effet Zeeman géant dont l'interprétation est complexe : les excitons s'anti-croisent et leurs énergies de transition et leurs forces d'oscillateur sont fortement influencées par l'effet Zeeman géant.<br />On a mesuré expérimentalement le splitting Zeeman géant des excitons A et B avec des couches epitaxiées sur saphir (0001) et une propagation de la lumiere parallele a l'axe c du cristal et au champ magnétique (configuration Faraday). Le splitting Zeeman géant diminue avec la température et augmente non linéairement avec le champ magnétique en accord avec l'aimantation calculée des spins isolés. Une analyse quantitative nous a permis d'analyser les propriétés magnétiques et de mesurer les intégrales d'échange pour l'ensemble des matériaux étudiés. Pour des ions avec une configuration d5 (Mn2+ et Fe3+), l'aimantation suit une fonction de Brillouin, mais pour les configurations d7 et d4 (Co2+ ou Mn3+) l'interaction spin-orbite et le champ cristallin trigonal induisent une aimantation anisotrope, en accord avec l'analyse des transitions internes des ions mesurées en spectroscopie infrarouge. Pour (Ga,Mn)N, et (Ga,Fe)N, nous avons trouvé un signe positive pour l'intégrale d'échange entre trous et spins localisés (beta). En supposant une symétrie de la bande de valence dans ZnO correspondant a une interaction spin-orbite positive (Gamma_9, Gamma_7, Gamma_7), nous trouvons un signe négative de beta pour (Zn,Co)O, et beta est de pres de zéro pour (Zn,Mn)O. Toutefois, dans l'hypothese avec spin-orbite négative, nous trouvons un signe positif de beta. Les signes et les valeurs des intégrales d'échange déterminées a partir de nos mesures magnéto-optiques ne peuvent pas etre expliqués par des tendances matérielles et des modeles basés sur l'approximation de cristal virtuel. Ceci suggere que l'échange p-d en DMS a large bande interdite, soit dans le régime de couplage fort, et la nature de splitting Zeeman géant observé est différente qu'en semi-conducteurs magnétiques dilués classiques.

Photoelectron spectroscopy is an experimental method to study the electronic structure in matter. In this thesis, a combination of soft and hard X-ray based photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to obtain atomic level understanding of electronic structures and energy level alignments in mesoscopic solar cells. The thesis describes how the method can be varied between being surface and bulk sensitive and how to follow the structure linked to particular elements. The results were discussed with respect to the material function in mesoscopic solar cell configurations. The heart of a solar cell is the charge separation of photoexcited electrons and holes, and in a mesoscopic solar cell, this occurs at interfaces between different materials. Understanding the energy level alignment between the materials is important for developing the function of the device. In this work, it is shown that photoelectron spectroscopy can be used to experimentally follow the energy level alignment at interfaces such as TiO2/metal sulfide/polymer, as well as TiO2/perovskite. The electronic structures of two perovskite materials, CH3NH3PbI3 and CH3NH3PbBr3 were characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and the results were discussed with support from quantum chemical calculations. The outermost levels consisted mainly of lead and halide orbitals and due to a relatively higher cross section for heavier elements, hard X-ray excitation was shown useful to study the position as well as the orbital character of the valence band edge. Modifications of the energy level positions can be followed by core level shifts. Such studies showed that a commonly used additive in mesoscopic solar cells, Li-TFSI, affected molecular hole conductors in the same way as a p-dopant. A more controlled doping can also be achieved by redox active dopants such as Co(+III) complexes and can be studied quantitatively with photoelectron spectroscopy methods. Hard X-rays allow studies of hidden interfaces, which were used to follow the oxidation of Ti in stacks of thin films for conducting glass. By the use of soft X-rays, the interface structure and bonding of dye molecules to mesoporous TiO2 or ZnO could be studied in detail. A combination of the two methods can be used to obtain a depth profiling of the sample.

This work is part of the inter-laboratory collaboration to study the stability of seven distinct sets of state-of-the-art organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices prepared by leading research laboratories. All devices have been shipped to and degraded at RISØ-DTU up to 1830 hours in accordance with established ISOS-3 protocols under defined illumination conditions. In this work, we apply the Incident Photon-to-Electron Conversion Efficiency (IPCE) and the in situ IPCE techniques to determine the relation between solar cell performance and solar cell stability. Different ageing conditions were considered: accelerated full sun simulation, low level indoor fluorescent lighting and dark storage. The devices were also monitored under conditions of ambient and inert (N2) atmospheres, which allows for the identification of the solar cell materials more susceptible to degradation by ambient air (oxygen and moisture). The different OPVs configurations permitted the study of the intrinsic stability of the devices depending on: two different ITO-replacement alternatives, two different hole extraction layers (PEDOT:PSS and MoO3), and two different P3HT-based polymers. The response of un-encapsulated devices to ambient atmosphere offered insight into the importance of moisture in solar cell performance. Our results demonstrate that the IPCE and the in situ IPCE techniques are valuable analytical methods to understand device degradation and solar cell lifetime. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Pour mieux comprendre leurs propriétés, diverses nanostructures individuelles ont été étudiées à l'aide d'une technique couplant microscopie à force atomique et spectroscopie Raman confocale. Sous excitation lumineuse polarisée, la composition chimique, la structure et la présence de défauts a pu être précisée dans des nanobâtonnets d'oxydes métalliques (ZnO et α-Fe2O3). Sous irradiation laser résonnante, les spectres de nanotubes de carbone monoparoi enrobés de polymères ont révélé notamment l'absence de transfert de charge polymère-nanotube et un effet de désolvatation. Finalement, des feuillets de graphène oxydé et des ADNs double-brin peignés ont pu être préparés et caractérisés par spectroscopie Raman exaltée par effet de pointe en atteignant une résolution spatiale latérale voisine du rayon de courbure de l'apex de la pointe utilisée (12 nm), bien plus faible que la limite de diffraction, ce qui ouvre la voie à de nouveaux travaux spectroscopiques à l'échelle nanométrique.

Defects in the functional oxides play an important role in electronic devices like metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and resistive random-access memories (ReRAMs). The continuous scaling of CMOS has brought the Si MOSFET to its physical technology limit and the replacement of Si channel with Ge channel is required. However, the performance of Ge MOSFETs suffers from Ge/oxide interface quality and reliability problems, which originates from the charge traps and defect states in the oxide or at the Ge/oxide interface. The sub-oxide layers composed of GeII states at the Ge/GeO2 interface seems unavoidable with normal passivation methods like hydrogen treatment, which has poor electrical properties and is related to the reliability problem. On the other hand, ReRAM works by formation and rupture of O vacancy conducting filaments, while how this process happens in atomic scale remains unclear. In this thesis, density functional theory is applied to investigate the defect behaviours in oxides to address existing issues in these electronic devices. In chapter 3, the amorphous atomic structure of doped GeO2 and Ge/GeO2 interface networks are investigated to explain the improved MOSFET reliability observed in experiments. The reliability improvement has been attributed to the passivation of valence alternation pair (VAP) type O deficiency defects by doped rare earth metals. In chapter 4, the oxidation mechanism of GeO2 is investigated by transition state simulation of the intrinsic defect diffusion in the network. It is proposed that GeO2 is oxidized from the Ge substrate through lattice O interstitial diffusion, which is different from SiO2 which is oxidized by O2 molecule diffusion. This new mechanism fully explains the strange isotope tracer experimental results in the literature. In chapter 5, the Fermi level pinning effect is explored for metal semiconductor electrical contacts in Ge MOSFETs. It is found that germanides show much weaker Fermi level pinning than normal metal on top of Ge, which is well explained by the interfacial dangling bond states. These results are important to tune Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) for n-type contacts on Ge for use on Ge high mobility substrates in future CMOS devices. In chapter 6, we investigate the surface and subsurface O vacancy defects in three kinds of stable TiO2 surfaces. The low formation energy under O poor conditions and the +2 charge state being the most stable O vacancy are beneficial to the formation and rupture of conducting filament in ReRAM, which makes TiO2 a good candidate for ReRAM materials. In chapter 7, we investigate hydrogen behaviour in amorphous ZnO. It is found that hydrogen exists as hydrogen pairs trapped at oxygen vacancies and forms Zn-H bonds. This is different from that in c-ZnO, where H acts as shallow donors. The O vacancy/2H complex defect has got defect states in the lower gap region, which is proposed to be the origin of the negative bias light induced stress instability.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-10-03T19:27:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 GEORGE ROSSANY SOARES DE LIRA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEE 2008..pdf: 11715881 bytes, checksum: f5c4cfbc8945b506fbbbd6de0fb62705 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-03T19:27:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GEORGE ROSSANY SOARES DE LIRA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEE 2008..pdf: 11715881 bytes, checksum: f5c4cfbc8945b506fbbbd6de0fb62705 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-03-14 / CNPq / Neste trabalho é apresentada uma técnica de estimação de parâmetros para um modelo dinâmico de pára-raios de óxido de zinco (ZnO). Esta técnica baseia-se no ajuste das formas de onda da tensão residual fornecida pelo modelo de pára-raios de ZnO e aquela medida em laboratório, para um impulso de corrente atmosférico (forma de onda 8/20 /xs) de 10 kA. Os resultados fornecidos pelo modelo ajustado demonstraram boa concordância com os dados medidos. Avaliou-se também, o comportamento do modelo de pára-raios, com os parâmetros ajustados, diante impulsos de alta corrente (forma de onda 4/10 /us), os quais são transitórios mais severos do que aqueles utilizados para estimar os parâmetros do modelo. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo apresentaram boa precisão. Por fim, é apresentado um estudo comparativo dos resultados fornecidos pelo modelo de pára-raios, ajustado através da técnica de estimação de parâmetros, com aqueles fornecidos por modelos e procedimentos de ajuste comumente empregados na literatura. Os resultados fornecidos pela técnica de estimação proposta foram mais precisos que todos os demais, além de apresentar as vantagens de dispensar o conhecimento das características físicas dos pára-raios de ZnO e o uso de procedimentos manuais que visam o ajuste dos parâmetros do modelo através de tentativas e erros. / In this work is shown a parameter identification technique for a dynamic metal-oxide surge arrester model. This technique was based on the fitting of the residual voltages measured and obtained from the surge arrester model, from the 10 kA lighting current impulse (waveshape 8/20 //s). The results obtained from the fitted surge arrester model presented a very good accuracy. It was also evaluated, the behavior of the fitted arrester model under high current impulse (waveshape 4/10 (is), which are most severe transients than those used to estimate the arrester model parameters. The results obtained in that study presented good agreement compared to the measured data. At last, it was presented a comparative study of the results provided by the fitted surge arrester model with those provided by models e adjust procedures usually made in the literature. The results provided by the proposed parameter identification technique were more accuratc than the results obtained from the other procedures. Besides, the technique has the advantages of no need to know the metal oxide surge arresters physical characteristics and no use manual procedures, based on try and error, to adjust the arrester model parameters.

Submitted by RODRIGO CURY DE OLIVEIRA null (rbcury@uol.com.br) on 2017-10-23T22:30:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Mestrado_Rodrigo.pdf: 2125732 bytes, checksum: 63b91e27982bfff0c7d60d1d546735e6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-10-26T13:58:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_rc_me_rcla.pdf: 2125732 bytes, checksum: 63b91e27982bfff0c7d60d1d546735e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-26T13:58:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_rc_me_rcla.pdf: 2125732 bytes, checksum: 63b91e27982bfff0c7d60d1d546735e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O óxido de zinco (ZnO) é um semicondutor de tipo n com um largo intervalo de banda proibida que é utilizado devido às suas excelentes propriedades de luminescência. Diferentes métodos de preparação de amostras, assim como a incorporação de átomos de magnésio, modifica a banda proibida do ZnO, alterando a intensidade da luminescência, sem grandes alterações em sua estrutura cristalina. Neste estudo, foram preparadas amostras nanoestruturadas de ZnO por três diferentes métodos de preparação (Precursores Poliméricos, Solvotermal e Co-precipitação) e amostras dopadas com diferentes quantidades de magnésio (Zn1-xMgxO). Os resultados de difração de raios-X mostram que as amostras de Zn1-xMgxO cristalizaram completamente sem a presença de fases secundárias (até 20% de magnésio) e os padrões de difração correspondem à estrutura espacial wurtzita hexagonal P63mc. Com o uso do Microscópio eletrônico de varredura comprovamos o aumento do tamanho das partículas relacionado com o aumento da temperatura de calcinação. Espectroscopia de Fotoluminescência exibe uma emissão na região do verde para amostras com magnésio. À medida que a concentração de Mg aumenta, observa-se um aumento desta emissão, o que está associado com o aumento das vacâncias de oxigênio em função da concentração de Mg. Esta técnica ainda mostrou uma emissão na região do laranja em ~ 600 nm para as amostras preparadas por co-precipitação e solvotermal, devido a defeitos do tipo Zn intersticial e a formação de Zn(OH)2 na superfície das nanopartículas de ZnO. A Espectroscopia de Absorção de Raios X (XANES e EXAFS) na borda k do zinco exibem a ocorrência de vacâncias de oxigênio e estas vacâncias podem estar relacionadas com a emissão na região do verde dos espectros de fotoluminescência para amostras de Zn1-xMgxO. Ainda, essas técnicas também confirmam que a incorporação de magnésio não gera grandes alterações na estrutura cristalina. / Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a n-type semiconductor with a large band gap which has received considerable attention because of its optical properties and technological applications. Different methods of sample preparation, as well as the incorporation of magnesium atoms, modify the ZnO band gap, changing the intensity of the luminescence, without major changes in its crystalline structure. In this study, nanostructured ZnO samples were prepared by three different preparation methods (polymeric precursors, solvotermal and co-precipitation) and with the incorporation of different amounts of magnesium (Zn1-xMgxO). The X-ray diffraction results show that Zn1-xMgxO samples crystallized completely without the presence of secondary phases (up to 20% of magnesium) and the diffraction patterns correspond to the hexagonal wurtzite structure with space group P63mc. The characterization by scanning electron microscopy showed that the prepared samples have nanometric dimensions and that the increase of the calcination temperature causes an increase in the particle size. Results obtained with photoluminescence spectroscopy show an emission centered in the green region for all samples, which is caused by defects in the crystalline structure associated with oxygen vacancies. As the concentration of Mg increases, an increase of this emission is observed. This technique also showed an emission in the orange region at ~ 600 nm for samples prepared by co-precipitation and solvotermal due to interstitial Zn-type defects and Zn(OH)2 formation on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles, whose existence is confirmed with Raman spectroscopy measurements. Results obtained with the X-ray absorption spectroscopy technique (XANES and EXAFS) at the Zn K-edge exhibit the occurrence of oxygen vacancies and these vacancies may be related to the emission in the green region of the photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, these techniques also confirm that the incorporation of magnesium does not generate great changes in the crystalline structure.

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) present an electron mobility lower by several orders of magnitude than the hole mobility, giving rise to an electron-hole charge imbalance in organic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs). In this thesis project, I tried to achieve an efficient electron transport and injection properties in opto-electronic devices, using inorganic n-type metal oxides (MOs) instead of organic n-type materials and a polyethyleneimine ethoxylated (PEIE) thin layer as electron transport (ETLs) and injection layers (EILs), respectively. In the first part of this thesis, inverted OLEDs were fabricated in order to study the effect of the PEIE layer in-between ZnO and two different emissive layers (EMLs): poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) polymer (F8BT) and tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum small molecule (Alq3), based on a solution and thermal evaporation processes, respectively. Different concentrations (0.80 %, 0.40 %) of PEIE layers were used to further study electron injection capability in OLEDs. After a series of optimizations in the fabrication process, the opto-electrical characterization showed high-performance of devices. The inverted OLEDs reported a maximum luminance over 104 cd m-2 and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) around 1.11 %. The results were attributed to the additional PEIE layer which provided a good electron injection from MOs into EMLs. In the last part of the thesis, OLETs were fabricated and discussed by directly transferring the energy modification layer from OLEDs to OLETs. As metal oxide layer, ZnO:N was employed for OLETs since ZnO:N-based thin film transistors (TFTs) showed better performance than ZnO-based TFTs. Finally, due to their short life-time, OLETs were characterized electrically but not optically.

A study of defects in semiconductors is vital as defects tend to influence device operation by modifying their electrical and optoelectronic properties. This influence can at times be desirable in the case of fast switching devices and sometimes undesirable as they may reduce the efficiency of optoelectronic devices. ZnO is a wide bandgap material with a potential for fabricating UV light emitting diodes, lasers and white lighting devices only after the realization of reproducible p-type material. The realization of p-type material is greatly affected by doping asymmetry. The self-compensation behaviour by its native defects has hindered the success in obtaining the p-type material. Hence there is need to understand the electronic properties, formation and annealing-out of these defects for controlled material doping. Space charge spectroscopic techniques are powerful tools for studying the electronic properties of electrically active defects in semiconductors since they can reveal information about the defect “signatures”. In this study, novel Schottky contacts with low leakage currents of the order of 10-11 A at 2.0 V, barrier heights of 0.60 – 0.80 eV and low series resistance, fabricated on hydrogen peroxide treated melt-grown single crystal ZnO samples, were demonstrated. Investigations on the dependence of the Schottky contact parameters on fabrication techniques and different metals were performed. Resistive evaporation proved to produce contacts with lower series resistance, higher barrier heights and low reverse currents compared to the electron-beam deposition technique. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace-DLTS have been employed to study the electronic properties of electrically active deep level defects in ZnO. Results revealed the presence of three prominent deep level defects (E1, E2 and E3) in the as-received ZnO samples. Electron-beam deposited contacts indicated the presence of the E1, E2 and E3 and the introduction of new deep level defects. These induced deep levels have been attributed to stray electrons and ionized particles, present in the deposition system during contact fabrication. Exposure of ZnO to high temperatures induces deep level defects. Annealing samples in the 300°C – 600°C temperature range in Ar + O2 induces the E4 deep level with a very high capture cross-section. This deep level transforms at every annealing temperature. Its instability at room temperature has been demonstrated by a change in the peak temperature position with time. This deep level was broad, indicating that it consists of two or more closely spaced energy levels. Laplace-DLTS was successfully employed to resolve the closely spaced energy levels. Annealing samples at 700°C in Ar and O2 anneals-out E4 and induces the Ex deep level defect with an activation enthalpy of approximately 160 – 180 meV. Vacuum annealing performed in the 400°C – 700°C temperature range did not induce any deep level defects. Since the radiation hardness of ZnO is crucial in space applications, 1.6 MeV proton irradiation was performed. DLTS revealed the introduction of the E4 deep level with an activation enthalpy of approximately 530 meV, which proved to be stable at room temperature and atmospheric pressure since its properties didn’t change over a period of 12 months. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Physics / unrestricted