A Switchable One-Compound Diode

Title data

Vogel, Anna ; Rabenbauer, Alfred ; Deng, Philipp ; Steib, Ruben ; Böger, Thorben ; Zeier, Wolfgang G. ; Siegel, Renée ; Senker, Jürgen ; Daisenberger, Dominik ; Nisi, Katharina ; Holleitner, Alexander W. ; Venturini, Janio ; Nilges, Tom:
A Switchable One-Compound Diode.
In: Advanced Materials. Vol. 35 (2023) Issue 2 . - 2208698.
ISSN 1521-4095
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202208698

Project information

Abstract in another language

A diode requires the combination of p- and n-type semiconductors or at least the defined formation of such areas within a given compound. This is a prerequisite for any IT application, energy conversion technology, and electronic semiconductor devices. Since the discovery of the pnp-switchable compound Ag10Te4Br3 in 2009, it is in principle possible to fabricate a diode from a single material without adjusting the semiconduction type by a defined doping level. Often a structural phase transition accompanied by a dynamic change of charge carriers or a charge density wave within certain substructures are responsible for this effect. Unfortunately, the high pnp-switching temperature between 364 and 580 K hinders the application of this phenomenon in convenient devices. This effect is far removed from a suitable operation temperature at ambient conditions. Ag18Cu3Te11Cl3 is a room temperature pnp-switching material and the first single-material position-independent diode. It shows the highest ever reported Seebeck coefficient drop that takes place within a few Kelvin. Combined with its low thermal conductivity, it offers great application potential within an accessible and applicable temperature window. Ag18Cu3Te11Cl3 and pnp-switching materials have the potential for applications and processes where diodes, transistors, or any defined charge separation with junction formation are utilized.