Solution Processed Schottky Diodes Enabled by Silicon Carbide Nanowires for Harsh Environment Applications.

Silicon carbide nanowires (SiC NWs) exhibit promising features to allow solution-processable electronics to be deployed in harsh environments. By utilizing a nanoscale form of SiC, we were able to disperse the material into liquid solvents, while maintaining the resilience of bulk SiC. This letter reports the fabrication of SiC NW Schottky diodes. Each diode consisted of just one nanowire with an approximate diameter of 160 nm. In addition to analyzing the diode performance, the effects of elevated temperatures and proton irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics of SiC NW Schottky diodes were also examined. The device could maintain similar values for ideality factor, barrier height, and effective Richardson constant upon proton irradiation with a fluence of 10 ¹⁶ ion/cm ² at 873 K. As a result, these metrics have clearly demonstrated the high-temperature tolerance and irradiation resistance of SiC NWs, ultimately indicating that they may provide utility in allowing solution-processable electronics in harsh environments.