Frequency dependence of amorphous silicon Schottky diodes for Large-Area rectification applications

Schottky diodes can play a valuable role as rectifiers in Large-Area Electronics (LAE) systems and circuits. They can be used to recover a DC signal when an AC carrier is used to transmit signals between adjacent plastic electronic sheets through near-field wireless coupling [1], rectify DC power after AC transmission between sheets to provide power to sensors, and so forth. In this paper we describe: 1) the intrinsic frequency limits of Schottky diodes fabricated on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H); 2) circuit design strategies for using the diodes at frequencies far beyond their intrinsic limits; 3) and the application of these strategies to demonstrate, to the best of out knowledge, the first amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) full-wave rectifier, with an AC-to-DC power conversion efficiency (PCE) ranging from approximately 46% at 200 Hz to greater than 10 % at 1 MHz.