Nguyen Thanh, Dinh Toan, Bell John, Dau Van Thanh, Nguyen Nam-Trung, Dao Dzung Viet
School of Engineering, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia.
Centre for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 May 18;14(19):22593-22600. doi: 10.1021/acsami.2c01681. Epub 2022 May 6.
Utilizing harvesting energy to power sensors has been becoming more critical in the current age of the Internet of Things. In this paper, we propose a novel technology using a monolithic 3C-SiC/Si heterostructure to harvest photon energy to power itself and simultaneously sense the surrounding temperature. The 3C-SiC/Si heterostructure converts photon energy into electrical energy, which is manifested as a lateral photovoltage across the top material layer of the heterostructure. Simultaneously, the lateral photovoltage varies with the surrounding temperature, and this photovoltage variation with temperature is used to monitor the temperature. We characterized the thermoresistive properties of the 3C-SiC/Si heterostructure, evaluated its energy conversion, and investigated its performance as a light-harvesting self-powered temperature sensor. The resistance of the heterostructure gradually drops with increasing temperature with a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) ranging from more than -3500 to approximately -8200 ppm/K. The generated lateral photovoltage is as high as 58.8 mV under 12 700 lx light illumination at 25 °C. The sensitivity of the sensor in the self-power mode is as high as 360 μV·K and 330 μV·K under illumination of 12 700 lx and 7400 lx lights, respectively. The sensor harvests photon energy to power itself and measure temperatures as high as 300 °C, which is impressive for semiconductor-based sensor. The proposed technology opens new avenues for energy harvesting self-powered temperature sensors.
在当前物联网时代，利用收集的能量为传感器供电变得愈发关键。在本文中，我们提出了一种新颖的技术，该技术使用单片3C-SiC/Si异质结构来收集光子能量以实现自身供电，同时感应周围温度。3C-SiC/Si异质结构将光子能量转化为电能，这表现为异质结构顶部材料层上的横向光电压。同时，横向光电压随周围温度变化，并且这种光电压随温度的变化被用于监测温度。我们对3C-SiC/Si异质结构的热阻特性进行了表征，评估了其能量转换，并研究了其作为光收集自供电温度传感器的性能。异质结构的电阻随着温度升高而逐渐下降，电阻温度系数（TCR）范围从超过-3500至约-8200 ppm/K。在25°C下12700 lx光照下产生的横向光电压高达58.8 mV。该传感器在自供电模式下，在12700 lx和7400 lx光照下的灵敏度分别高达360 μV·K和330 μV·K。该传感器收集光子能量以实现自身供电，并能测量高达300°C的温度，这对于基于半导体的传感器来说令人印象深刻。所提出的技术为能量收集自供电温度传感器开辟了新途径。
