p-i-n Betavoltaic Cells Under Ni63 Irradiation: Quantifying Carrier Collection and Power Output

p-i-n and p-n betavoltaic cells are modeled combining Monte Carlo and drift-diffusion simulations to assess device performance under a nickel-63 radioactive source. Semiconductor layer thicknesses and doping were optimized using a particle swarm optimization algorithm to maximize the power output. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: De Lafontaine, Mathieu, Hunter, Robert F.H., Forcade, Gavin, Cook, John P.D., Drouin, Dominique, Krich, Jacob J., Hinzer, Karin
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Doping
Monte Carlo methods
Particle swarm optimization
Performance evaluation
Photovoltaic systems
PIN photodiodes
Radiation effects
Semiconductor device modeling
Semiconductor materials
Semiconductor process modeling
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Summary:p-i-n and p-n betavoltaic cells are modeled combining Monte Carlo and drift-diffusion simulations to assess device performance under a nickel-63 radioactive source. Semiconductor layer thicknesses and doping were optimized using a particle swarm optimization algorithm to maximize the power output. Simulations show that beta particles can penetrate deeply in semiconductor materials, creating electron-hole pairs up to 10 µm deep. A current gain multiplier of 6500 and 5100, compared to the beta particle flux, were demonstrated, respectively, for the optimal p-i-n devices and p-n devices. We show that the p-i-n heterostructures present an enhanced carrier collection efficiency over their p-n counterparts due to their wider depletion region, and that introducing an intrinsically doped region enables an increase in betavoltaic device power output by 9 %.
ISSN:2995-1755
DOI:10.1109/PVSC57443.2024.10748690