Zhang Jiachen, Lv Kunlun, Yin Yuan, Gao Yuqian, Tian Ye, Han Yuncheng, Tang Jun
School of Semiconductors and Physics, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China.
Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2025 Apr 22;15(9):635. doi: 10.3390/nano15090635.
Wide-bandgap semiconductor betavoltaic batteries have a promising prospect in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems for high power density and long working life, but their material selection is still controversial. Specifically, the silicon carbide (SiC) betavoltaic battery was reported to have higher efficiency, although its bandgap is lower than that of gallium nitride (GaN) or diamond, which is inconsistent with general assumptions. In this work, the effects of different semiconductor characteristics on the battery energy conversion process are systematically analyzed to explain this phenomenon, including beta particle energy deposition, electron-hole pair (EHP) creation energy and EHPs collection efficiency. Device efficiencies of the betavoltaic battery using SiC, GaN, diamond, gallium oxide (GaO), aluminum nitride (AlN) and boron nitride (BN) are compared to determine the optimum semiconductor. Results show that SiC for the betavoltaic battery has higher efficiency than GaN, GaO and AlN because of higher EHPs collection efficiency, less energy loss and fewer material defects, which is the optimal selection currently. SiC betavoltaic batteries were prepared, with the device efficiency having reached 14.88% under an electron beam, and the device efficiency recorded as 7.31% under an isotope source, which are consistent with the predicted results. This work provides a theoretical and experimental foundation for the material selection of betavoltaic batteries.
宽带隙半导体β伏特电池因其高功率密度和长使用寿命，在微机电系统中具有广阔的应用前景，但其材料选择仍存在争议。具体而言，碳化硅（SiC）β伏特电池虽带隙低于氮化镓（GaN）或金刚石，却被报道具有更高的效率，这与一般假设不符。在这项工作中，系统分析了不同半导体特性对电池能量转换过程的影响，包括β粒子能量沉积、电子 - 空穴对（EHP）产生能量和EHP收集效率。比较了使用SiC、GaN、金刚石、氧化镓（GaO）、氮化铝（AlN）和氮化硼（BN）的β伏特电池的器件效率，以确定最佳半导体。结果表明，用于β伏特电池的SiC由于具有更高的EHP收集效率、更少的能量损失和更少的材料缺陷，其效率高于GaN、GaO和AlN，是目前的最佳选择。制备了SiCβ伏特电池，在电子束下器件效率达到14.88%，在同位素源下器件效率记录为7.31%，与预测结果一致。这项工作为β伏特电池的材料选择提供了理论和实验基础。
