GaN Nuclear Batteries: Radiation Modeling for the Accelerated Contact Exposure of Betavoltaics
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MRS Advances © 2020 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2020.6
GaN Nuclear Batteries: Radiation Modeling for the Accelerated Contact Exposure of Betavoltaics Lance Hubbard1*, Christian Cowles1*, Andrew Prichard1, Gary Sevigny1, Jesse Johns1, Duriem Calderin Morales1, Libor Kovarik1, Erin Fuller1, Bethany Matthews1, and David Schwellenbach2 1
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 902 Battelle Blvd. Richland WA, 99354, USA MSIN: J4-60
2
Mission Support and Test Services, Contractor to US DOE, Los Alamos Office 2900 East Road, Los Alamos, NM, 87544, USA
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract
Betavoltaics (BV) cells (or nuclear batteries) have long-lasting power and high volumetric energy densities that open a broad range of applications that are not currently available, especially in low-power electronics for the internet-of-things, internal medical devices, and harsh environments. The introduction of very low-power electronics has opened up a market for the wide and accepted use of BV cells. As BVs have potentially decades-long useful lifetimes and are anticipated to be used in harsh environments, a method to describe accelerated contact aging has been developed. Monte Carlo radiation simulations show that energy can be deposited in the interface 10-50 times faster than real-world applications. The models can be used to design contact aging experiments for BV cell deployments.
1. INTRODUCTION Gallium nitride (GaN) promises to be a vital semiconductor for applications requiring radiation tolerance.[1] Because many applications that involve radiation and semiconductors, including betavoltaic (BV) cells, operate on decades time scales, an understanding of the relationship between beta radiation, the GaN semiconductor, and metal contact, needs to be gained to correctly predict and ensure operation for many years.[1,2] Radiation has the potential to influence the growth of intermetallic compounds at the metal/semiconductor contact junctions.[2, 3] Such intermetallics are a source of late-
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life failure of semiconductor devices.[3] The growth of intermetallic compounds at the contact can alter the carrier path and extraction from the semiconductor influencing the lifetime of the device.[3] Contact aging from beta radiation needs to be understood and accounted for prior to deployment of decade long power sources. Betavoltaics (colloquially, “radioactive batteries”) offer an ideal testbed for contact aging, as they are intended for a decade or longer lifespan,[1] and it is a requirement to have the radioactive source in direct contact or nearly direct contact[1] with the semiconductor. The study of radiation-induced contact damage in betavoltaics is a good test-bed for a wider range of applications of radiationsemiconductor modeling. The intent of this work is
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