Browsing by Author "Fernandes, Miguel"
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- A 3-phase model for VIS/NIR mu C-Si : H p-i-n detectorsPublication . Vieira, Manuela; Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Maçarico, António Filipe Ruas Trindade; Schwarz, R.The spectral response and the photocurrent delivered by entirely microcrystalline p-i-n-Si:H detectors an analysed under different applied bias and light illumination conditions. The spectral response and the internal collection depend not only on the energy range but also on the illumination side. Under [p]- and [n]-side irradiation, the internal collection characteristics have an atypical shape. It is high for applied bias and lower than the open circuit voltage, shows a steep decrease near the open circuit voltage (higher under [n]-side illumination) and levels off for higher voltages. Additionally, the numerical modeling of the VIS/NIR detector, based on the band discontinuities near the grain boundaries and interfaces, complements the study and gives insight into the internal physical process.
- a-SiCH based devices as optical demultiplexersPublication . Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuela; Costa, João; Vieira, Manuel; Fernandes, Miguel; Fantoni, Alessandro; Barata, ManuelIn this paper we present results on the use of a multilayered a-SiC:H heterostructure as a wavelength-division demultiplexing device (WDM) for the visible light spectrum. The WDM device is a glass/ITO/a-SiC:H (p-i-n)/ a-SiC:H(-p) /Si:H(-i)/SiC:H (-n)/ITO heterostructure in which the generated photocurrent at different values of the applied bias can be assigned to the different optical signals. The device was characterized through spectral response measurements, under different electrical bias. Demonstration of the device functionality for WDM applications was done with three different input channels covering wavelengths within the visible range. The recovery of the input channels is explained using the photocurrent spectral dependence on the applied voltage. The influence of the optical power density was also analysed. An electrical model, supported by a numerical simulation explains the device operation. Short range optical communications constitute the major application field, however other applications are also foreseen.
- a-SiH p-i-n structures with extreme i-layer thicknessPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Vieira, Manuela; Casteleiro, C.; Schwarz, R.We present measurements and numerical simulation of a-Si:H p-i-n detectors with a wide range of intrinsic layer thickness between 2 and 10 pm. Such a large active layer thickness is required in applications like elementary particle detectors or X-ray detectors. For large thickness and depending on the applied bias, we observe a sharp peak in the spectral response in the red region near 700 nm. Simulation results obtained with the program ASCA are in agreement with the measurement and permit the explanation of the experimental data. In thick samples holes recombine or are trapped before reaching the contacts, and the conduction mechanism is fully electron dominated. As a consequence, the peak position in the spectral response is located near the optical band gap of the a-Si:H i-layer. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules on flexible plastic substratesPublication . Vygranenko, Yuri; Fernandes, Miguel; Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuela; Khosropour, Alireza; Yang, Ruifeng; Sazonov, AndreiThis paper reports on a monolithic 10 cm x 10 cm area PV module integrating an array of 72 a-Si:H n-i-p cells on a 100 mu m thick polyethylene-naphtalate substrate. The n-i-p stack is deposited using a PECVD system at 150 degrees C substrate temperature. The design optimization and device performance analysis are performed using a two-dimensional distributed circuit model of the photovoltaic cell. The circuit simulator SPICE is used to calculate current and potential distributions in a network of sub-cell circuits, and also to map Joule losses in the front TCO electrode and the metal grid. Experimental results show that the shunt leakage is one of the factors reducing the device performance. Current-voltage characteristics of individual a-Si: H p-i-n cells were analyzed to estimate a variation of shunt resistances. Using the LBIC technique, the presence of multiple shunts in the n-i-p cell was detected. To understand the nature of electrical shunts, the change in the surface roughness of all device layers was analyzed throughout fabrication process. It is found that surface defects in plastic foils, which are thermally induced during the device fabrication, form microscopic pinholes filled with highly conductive top electrode material.
- Analysis and simulation of a-Si Ha-SiC HPINIP structures for color image detectionPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Vygranenko, Yuri; Vieira, ManuelaIt is presented in this paper a study on the photo-electronic properties of multi layer a-Si: H/a-SiC: H p-i-n-i-p structures. This study is aimed to give an insight into the internal electrical characteristics of such a structure in thermal equilibrium, under applied Was and under different illumination condition. Taking advantage of this insight it is possible to establish a relation among-the electrical behavior of the structure the structure geometry (i.e. thickness of the light absorbing intrinsic layers and of the internal n-layer) and the composition of the layers (i.e. optical bandgap controlled through percentage of carbon dilution in the a-Si1-xCx: H layers). Showing an optical gain for low incident light power controllable by means of externally applied bias or structure composition, these structures are quite attractive for photo-sensing device applications, like color sensors and large area color image detector. An analysis based on numerical ASCA simulations is presented for describing the behavior of different configurations of the device and compared with experimental measurements (spectral response and current-voltage characteristic). (c) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
- Analysis of metallic nanoparticles embedded in thin film semiconductors for optoelectronic applicationsPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Vygranenko, Yuri; Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuela; Silva, R. P. O.; Teixeira, D.; Da Costa Ribeiro, Ana Paula; Prazeres, Duarte; Alegria, ElisabeteThis paper reports about a study of the local plasmonic resonance (LSPR) produced by metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric or semiconductor matrix. It is presented an analysis of the LSPR for different nanoparticle metals, shapes, and embedding media composition. Metals of interest for nanoparticle composition are Aluminum and Gold. Shapes of interest are nanospheres and nanotriangles. We study in this work the optical properties of metal nanoparticles diluted in water or embedded in amorphous silicon, ITO and ZnO as a function of size, aspect-ratio and metal type. Following the analysis based on the exact solution of the Mie theory and DDSCAT numerical simulations, it is presented a comparison with experimental measurements realized with arrays of metal nanospheres. Simulations are also compared with the LSPR produced by gold nanotriangles (Au NTs) that were chemically produced and characterized by microscope and optical measurements.
- Arrayed graphene enhanced surface plasmon resonance for sensing applicationsPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Vygranenko, Yuri; Maçarico, António; Serafinelli, Caterina; Fernandes, Miguel; Mansour, Rima; Jesus, Rui; Vieira, ManuelaCombination of carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) with AuNPs has been demonstrated to enhance the LSPR response and facilitate the functionalization with specific and selective antibodies. Also, the introduction of CNMs in the plasmonic layer allows tuning of the LSPR central frequency. Joining the double dependence of the LSPR on the MNPs size and the presence of CNMs, it is possible to create a set of plasmonic layers whose LSPR wavelengths are distributed in a spectral range of few tenth of nanometers. This consideration paves the way to an LSPR sensor with an arrayed structure, where each element maximizes its specific LSPR at its own wavelength. Illumination with a broad light source produces a different response in each one of the elements. The working process underlying the sensing operation is that each element of the sensor array acts like a band-stop optical filter for a specific wavelength. The output can be extracted by the application of an image analysis approach to the spatially modulated light crossing the sensor area, based on a color recognition algorithm. A change in the refractive index over the sensor array will shift the rejection band of the sensing elements. An automatized method for color recognition can support the analysis of the refractive index variations yielding the final sensor output. A figure of merit, highlighting the LSPR central wavelength and spectral extension for different LSPR configurations, is also obtained for different sizes of the AuNPs and different flavors of CNMs.
- Bias-dependent photocurrent collection in p-i-n a-Si : H/SiC : H heterojunctionPublication . Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuela; Vygranenko, Yuri; Fernandes, Miguel; Schwarz, R.; Schubert, M.A series of large area single layers and glass/ZnO:AVp(SixC1-x:H)/i(Si:H)/n(SixC1-x:H)/AI (0 < x < 1) heterojunction cells were produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PE-CVD) at low temperature. Junction properties, carrier transport and photogeneration are investigated from dark and illuminated current-voltage (J-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. For the heterojunction cells atypical J-V characteristics under different illumination conditions are observed leading to poor fill factors. High series resistances around 106 Q are also measured. These experimental results were used as a basis for the numerical simulation of the energy band diagram, and the electrical field distribution of the structures. Further comparison with the sensor performance gave satisfactory agreement. Results show that the conduction band offset is the most limiting parameter for the optimal collection of the photogenerated carriers. As the optical gap increases and the conductivity of the doped layers decreases, the transport mechanism changes from a drift to a diffusion-limited process.
- Capacitive effects in pinpin photodiodesPublication . Fantoni, Alessandro; Fernandes, Miguel; Louro, Paula; Vieira, Manuel Augusto; Vieira, ManuelaThe application of a-SiC:H/a-Si:H pinpin photodiodes for optoelectronic applications as a WDM demultiplexer device has been demonstrated useful in optical communications that use the WDM technique to encode multiple signals in the visible light range. This is required in short range optical communication applications, where for costs reasons the link is provided by Plastic Optical Fibers. Characterization of these devices has shown the presence of large photocapacitive effects. By superimposing background illumination to the pulsed channel the device behaves as a filter, producing signal attenuation, or as an amplifier, producing signal gain, depending on the channel/background wavelength combination. We present here results, obtained by numerical simulations, about the internal electric configuration of a-SiC:H/a-Si:H pinpin photodiode. These results address the explanation of the device functioning in the frequency domain to a wavelength tunable photo-capacitance due to the accumulation of space charge localized at the bottom diode that, according to the Shockley-Read-Hall model, it is mainly due to defect trapping. Experimental result about measurement of the photodiode capacitance under different conditions of illumination and applied bias will be also presented. The combination of these analyses permits the description of a wavelength controlled photo-capacitance that combined with the series and parallel resistance of the diodes may result in the explicit definition of cut off frequencies for frequency capacitive filters activated by the light background or an oscillatory resonance of photogenerated carriers between the two diodes. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Characterization of a-Si:H solar cell modules on plastic substrates by high resolution LBIC techniquePublication . Fernandes, Miguel; Vygranenko, Yuri; Vieira, Manuela; Sazonov, Andrei; Yang, R.; Khosropour, A.This article reports on characterization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photovoltaic modules fabricated on 100 mu m thick PEN plastic films. Experimental results show that the shunt leakage is one of the factors reducing the device performance. Current-voltage characteristics of individual a-Si:H p-i-n cells were analysed to estimate a variation of shunt resistances. A SPICE model of the a-Si:H p-i-n cell with local shunt leakage was also developed to analyse the impact of leakage currents on the device performance. Using the LBIC technique, the presence of multiple shunts in the cell was detected. They are attributed to surface defects in plastic foils, which are thermally induced during the device fabrication. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.