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Reaction of semiconductor materials and water on the influence of radiation, cosmophysical and geophysical factors of environment
- Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Russia
- Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Thermonuclear Research, Russia
During experimental studies of semiconductor materials and pure water
conductivity properties, undergoing electromagnetic and ionizing radiation
of low power, variations of dark currents were found. Analysis of the
data, obtained during 2006-2013, showed coincidence of the periods and the
moments of emergence of these variations with cosmophysical and
geophysical events of the surrounding enviromnent. So, it was noticed that
during and after the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006, fluctuations of
electronic-transport properties with the period of 56 min, which were
usually imposed on current daily dynamics, developed in water. The
brightest manifestation of influence of environment cosmophysical and
geophysical factors is the existence of current diurnal dynamics in water
and semiconductor materials. Current changes in materials occur during
firm semiconductor plate connection in a diode option and during constant
voltage of 0.5-2.5V. It is possible to distinguish the periods of 54 min.,
360 min., 24 hours, 3.5 and 13.7 days in the revealed periodicity of
current fluctuations. The possible mechanism of appearance of current
fluctuations is electric potential change on electrodes in water
electrochemical cells and in the band of electric contacts of a
semiconductor plate and in p-n transition, caused by electron emission
from electrodes (in the case of water sensor) due to the change of water
electroactivity or in the band of metal-semiconductor contact due to the
change of work function of a semiconductor and metal (change of Fermi
energy) and, as a result, change of concentration of the main charge
carriers in the bulk of a semiconductor caused by external weak wave
effect. On the basis of the results of the conducted research, further
development of measuring instruments for the environment conditions of
crews at space stations and aircrafts, applying water and semiconductor
sensors, is supposed.