arXiv subjects

D. R. McCamey

Publications and source records attributed to D. R. McCamey.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Singlet fission and tandem solar cells reduce thermal degradation and enhance lifespan

The economic value of a photovoltaic installation depends upon both its lifetime and power conversion efficiency. Progress towards the latter includes mechanisms to circumvent the Shockley- Queisser limit, such as tandem designs and multiple exciton generation (MEG). Here we explain how both silicon tandem and MEG enhanced silicon cell architectures result in lower cell operating temperatures, increasing the device lifetime compared to standard c-Si cells. Also demonstrated are further advantages from MEG enhanced silicon cells: (i) the device architecture can completely circumvent the need for current-matching; and (ii) upon degradation, tetracene, a candidate singlet fission (a form of MEG) material, is transparent to the solar spectrum. The combination of (i) and (ii) mean that the primary silicon device will continue to operate with reasonable efficiency even if the singlet fission layer degrades. The lifespan advantages of singlet fission enhanced silicon cells, from a module perspective, are compared favorably alongside the highly regarded perovskite/silicon tandem and conventional c-Si modules.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Tailored nanodiamonds for hyperpolarized 13C MRI

Nanodiamond is poised to become an attractive material for hyperpolarized 13C MRI if large nuclear polarizations can be achieved without the accompanying rapid spin-relaxation driven by paramagnetic species. Here we report enhanced and long-lived 13C polarization in synthetic nanodiamonds tailored by acid-cleaning and air-oxidation protocols. Our results separate the contributions of different paramagnetic species on the polarization behavior, identifying the importance of substitutional nitrogen defect centers in the nanodiamond core. These results are likely of use in the development of nanodiamond-based imaging agents with size distributions of relevance for examining biological processes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Using coherent dynamics to quantify spin-coupling within triplet-exciton/polaron complexes in organic diodes

Quantifying the spin-spin interactions which influence electronic transitions in organic semiconductors is crucial for understanding their magneto-optoelectronic properties. By combining a theoretical model for three spin interactions in the coherent regime with pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance experiments on MEH-PPV diodes, we quantify the spin-coupling within complexes comprising three spin-half particles. We determine that these particles form triplet-exciton:polaron pairs, where the polaron:exciton exchange is over 5 orders of magnitude weaker (less than 170 MHz) than that within the exciton. This approach providing a direct spectroscopic approach for distinguishing between coupling regimens, such as strongly bound trions, which have been proposed to occur in organic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Exciton-polaron complexes in pulsed electrically-detected magnetic resonance

Several microscopic pathways have been proposed to explain the large magnetic effects observed in organic semiconductors, but identifying and characterising which microscopic process actually influences the overall magnetic field response is challenging. Pulsed electrically-detected magnetic resonance provides an ideal platform for this task as it intrinsically monitors the charge carriers of interest and provides dynamical information which is inaccessible through conventional magnetoconductance measurements. Here we develop a general time domain theory to describe the spin-dependent reaction of exciton-charge complexes following the coherent manipulation of paramagnetic centers through electron spin resonance. A general Hamiltonian is treated, and it is shown that the transition frequencies and resonance positions of the exciton-polaron complex can be used to estimate inter-species coupling. This work also provides a general formalism for analysing multi-pulse experiments which can be used to extract relaxation and transport rates.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Electrically detected spin echoes of donor nuclei in silicon

The ability to probe the spin properties of solid state systems electrically underlies a wide variety of emerging technology. Here, we extend electrical readout of the nuclear spin states of phosphorus donors in silicon to the coherent regime with modified Hahn echo sequences. We find that, whilst the nuclear spins have electrically detected phase coherence times exceeding 2 ms, they are nonetheless limited by the artificially shortened lifetime of the probing donor electron.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

Electrically detected magnetic resonance using radio-frequency reflectometry

The authors demonstrate readout of electrically detected magnetic resonance at radio frequencies by means of an LCR tank circuit. Applied to a silicon field-effect transistor at milli-kelvin temperatures, this method shows a 25-fold increased signal-to-noise ratio of the conduction band electron spin resonance and a higher operational bandwidth of > 300 kHz compared to the kHz bandwidth of conventional readout techniques. This increase in temporal resolution provides a method for future direct observations of spin dynamics in the electrical device characteristics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

High Field Phenomena of Qubits

Electron and nuclear spins are very promising candidates to serve as quantum bits (qubits) for proposed quantum computers, as the spin degrees of freedom are relatively isolated from their surroundings, and can be coherently manipulated e.g. through pulsed EPR and NMR. For solid state spin systems, impurities in crystals based on carbon and silicon in various forms have been suggested as qubits, and very long relaxation rates have been observed in such systems. We have investigated a variety of these systems at high magnetic fields in our multi-frequency pulsed EPR/ENDOR spectrometer. A high magnetic field leads to large electron spin polarizations at helium temperatures giving rise to various phenomena that are of interest with respect to quantum computing. For example, it allows the initialization of the both the electron spin as well as hyperfine-coupled nuclear spins in a well defined state by combining millimeter and RF radiation; it can increase the T2 relaxation times by eliminating decoherence due to dipolar interaction; and it can lead to new mechanisms for the coherent electrical readout of electron spins. We will show some examples of these and other effects in Si:P, SiC:N, and nitrogen-related centers in diamond.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Long spin coherence in silicon with an electrical spin trap readout

Pulsed electrically-detected magnetic resonance of phosphorous (31P) in bulk crystalline silicon at very high magnetic fields (B > 8.5 T) and low temperatures (T = 2.8 K) is presented. We find that the spin-dependent capture and reemission of highly polarized (>95%) conduction electrons by equally highly polarized 31P donor electrons introduces less decoherence than other mechanisms for spin-to-charge conversion. This allows the electrical detection of spin coherence times in excess of 100 microseconds: 50 times longer than the previous maximum for electrically-detected spin readout experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Fast nuclear spin hyperpolarization of phosphorus in silicon

We experimentally demonstrate a method for obtaining nuclear spin hyperpolarization, that is, polarization significantly in excess of that expected for a thermal equilibrium. By exploiting a modified Overhauser process, we obtain more than 68% nuclear anti-polarization of phosphorus donors in silicon. This polarization is reached with a time constant of ~150 seconds, at a temperature of 1.37 K and a magnetic field of 8.5 T. The ability to obtain such large polarizations is discussed with regards to its significance for quantum information processing and magnetic resonance imaging.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Spin-dependent processes at the crystalline Si-SiO_2 interface at high magnetic fields

An experimental study on the nature of spin-dependent excess charge carrier transitions at the interface between (111) oriented phosphorous doped ([P] ~ 10^15 cm^3) crystalline silicon and silicon dioxide at high magnetic field (B_0 ~ 8.5 T) is presented. Electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) spectra of the hyperfine split 31P donor electron transitions and paramagnetic interface defects were conducted at temperatures in the range 3 K < T < 12 K. The results at these previously unattained (for EDMR) magnetic field strengths reveal the dominance of spin-dependent processes that differ from the previously well investigated recombination between the 31P donor and the P_b state, which dominates at low magnetic fields. While magnetic resonant current responses due to 31P and P_b states are still present, they do not correlate and only the P_b contribution can be associated with an interface process due to spin-dependent tunneling between energetically and physically adjacent P_b states. This work provides an experimental demonstration of spin-dependent tunneling between physically adjacent and identical electronic states as proposed by Kane for readout of donor qubits.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Broadband electrically detected magnetic resonance of phosphorus donors in a silicon field-effect transistor

We report electrically detected magnetic resonance of phosphorus donors in a silicon field-effect transistor. An on-chip transmission line is used to generate the oscillating magnetic field allowing broadband operation. At milli-kelvin temperatures, continuous wave spectra were obtained up to 40 GHz, using both magnetic field and microwave frequency modulation. The spectra reveal the hyperfine-split electron spin resonances characteristic for Si:P and a central feature which displays the fingerprint of spin-spin scattering in the two-dimensional electron gas.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Electrically-detected magnetic resonance in ion-implanted Si:P nanostructures

We present the results of electrically-detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) experiments on silicon with ion-implanted phosphorus nanostructures, performed at 5 K. The devices consist of high-dose implanted metallic leads with a square gap, into which Phosphorus is implanted at a non-metallic dose corresponding to 10^17 cm^-3. By restricting this secondary implant to a 100 nm x 100 nm region, the EDMR signal from less than 100 donors is detected. This technique provides a pathway to the study of single donor spins in semiconductors, which is relevant to a number of proposals for quantum information processing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Ion implanted Si:P double-dot with gate tuneable interdot coupling

We report on millikelvin charge sensing measurements of a silicon double-dot system fabricated by phosphorus ion implantation. An aluminum single-electron transistor (SET) is capacitively coupled to each of the implanted dots enabling the charging behavior of the double-dot system to be studied independently of current transport. Using an electrostatic gate, the interdot coupling can be tuned from weak to strong coupling. In the weak interdot coupling regime, the system exhibits well-defined double-dot charging behavior. By contrast, in the strong interdot coupling regime, the system behaves as a single-dot.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

An ion-implanted silicon single-electron transistor

We report on the fabrication and electrical characterization at millikelvin temperatures of a novel silicon single-electron transistor (Si-SET). The island and source-drain leads of the Si-SET are formed by the implantation of phosphorus ions to a density above the metal-insulator-transition, with the tunnel junctions created by undoped regions. Surface gates above each of the tunnel junctions independently control the tunnel coupling between the Si-SET island and leads. The device shows periodic Coulomb blockade with a charging energy e$^2$/2C$_Σ$ $\sim$ 250 $μ$eV, and demonstrates a reproducible and controllable pathway to a silicon-based SET using CMOS processing techniques.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

The effect of low-energy ion-implantation on the electrical transport properties of Si-SiO2 MOSFETs

Using silicon MOSFETs with thin (5nm) thermally grown SiO2 gate dielectrics, we characterize the density of electrically active traps at low-temperature after 16keV phosphorus ion-implantation through the oxide. We find that, after rapid thermal annealing at 1000oC for 5 seconds, each implanted P ion contributes an additional 0.08 plus/minus 0.03 electrically active traps, whilst no increase in the number of traps is seen for comparable silicon implants. This result shows that the additional traps are ionized P donors, and not damage due to the implantation process. We also find, using the room temperature threshold voltage shift, that the electrical activation of donors at an implant density of 2x10^12 cm^-2 is ~100%.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗