Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7135133 | Sensors and Actuators A: Physical | 2016 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
This paper presents a simulation model to predict the power generation of p-n junction-based betavoltaic devices. The model provides two key aspects of information for device evaluation: electron-hole pair generation rate and device power output. A Monte-Carlo model was used to simulate generation rate and the device performance was simulated using the generation rate with Synopsys® Medici. We investigated the effects of the temperature, semiconductor materials with different bandgap energies (Si, Ge and SiC) and different isotope sources (Ni-63 and tritium) on the performance of betavoltaic microbatteries. Our simulation results indicate that a homojunction structure with wide bandgap semiconductor is more favorable for betavoltaic device performance. A simple wide bandgap p-n junction cell with an embedded radioisotope source could be the most promising candidate for betavoltaic applications.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Authors
Kan Zhang, Gui Gui, Piyush Pathak, Jung-Hun Seo, James P. Blanchard, Zhenqiang Ma,