Magnetic bipolar transistor based on ZnO/NiO/Si heterostructure using pulsed laser deposition

Oxide semiconductors are promising candidates for next generation electronics. In this work, magnetic bipolar transistor was fabricated by growing thin films of p-NiO and n-ZnO on n-type silicon wafer by pulsed laser deposition technique with an in-situ annealing at 670° C in the presence of oxygen. The structural characterization of these films was done by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy and magnetic properties were studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). I-V characteristic of fabricated transistor was tested in common emitter configuration with DC biasing. Junction parameters such as ideality factor, series resistance, and transistor parameters like q-point were determined by using conventional transistor output characteristics. The diode and transistor showed an increase in current with the externally applied magnetic field due to the presence of Nickel or Oxygen vacancies in NiO attributing to spin polarized bipolar transport. Therefore the current amplification in these devices can be controlled by spin; making it attractive for spintronic applications.