Possibility of direct energy conversion from radiation to electricity using SiC Schottky system

Yoshii, Kenji  ; Fukuda, Tatsuo  ; Tanida, Hajime  ; Shiwaku, Hideaki   ; Kamiya, Junichiro   ; Makino, Takahiro*; Yamazaki, Yuichi*; Oshima, Takeshi*; Yaita, Tsuyoshi

We have carried out direct energy conversion from gamma rays to electricity using SiC free of toxic elements. The experiments were done using synchrotron radiation at the BL22XU beamline. To utilize radioactive wastes as an energy source, the gamma ray energies were 30 and 60 keV, corresponding to the energies from Np and Am, respectively. Also, CuK X-rays were used to show a possibility of micro batteries using radioisotopes. The samples were Ni/SiC Schottky barrier junctions. From dark current experiments, it was found that the samples were regarded as ideal diodes on the basis of the so-called ideality factors. The electric powers under gamma rays and X-rays were found to be about 0.1W, corresponding to efficiencies less than 0.1%. We will also show the results of energy depositions on the basis of Monte Carlo methods.