Annealing and Measurement Temperature Dependence of W<Subscript>2</Subscript>B- and W<Subscript>2</Subscript>B<Subscript>5</Subscript>-Based Rectifying Contacts to <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-GaN

Schottky contact formation on p-GaN using W₂B/Pt/Au and W₂B₅/Pt/Au metallization schemes was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), current-voltage (I-V), and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements. The Schottky barrier height (SBH) determined from XPS is 2.71 eV and 2.87 eV for as-deposited W₂B- and W₂B₅-based contacts, respectively. By comparison, fitting of the I-V curves using the thermionic field emission model gives unphysical SBHs > 4 eV due to the presence of an interfacial layer acting as an additional barrier to carrier transport. Upon annealing to ∼600–700°C, the diodes show slight deterioration in rectifying behavior due to the onset of metallurgical reactions with the GaN. The experimental dependence of the reverse leakage current on bias and measurement temperature is inconsistent with both thermionic emission and thermionic field emission models, suggesting that leakage must originate from other mechanisms such as surface leakage or generation in the depletion layer through deep-level defects.     

Thermally stable Nb and Nb/Au ohmic contacts to p-GaN

We have investigated Nb single and Nb/Au metallization schemes for the formation of thermally stable ohmic contacts to p-GaN. It is shown that the asdeposited Nb and Nb/Au contacts exhibit rectifying behavior. However, both the contacts produce ohmic characteristics when annealed at 850°C. Measurements show that the 850°C Nb/Au and Nb contacts yield a specific contact resistance of 1.9×10⁻⁸ and 2×10⁻² ωcm², respectively. Schottky barrier heights are found to decrease with increasing annealing temperature. A comparison of the XRD and electrical results shows that the formation of gallide phases such as Ga-Nb and Ga-Au compounds, play a role in forming ohmic contacts. Atomic force microscopy results show that the surface morphology of the Nb contacts is fairly stable up to 850°C, while the Nb/Au contacts are slightly degraded upon annealing at 850°C.     

Long-term thermal stability of Ti/Al/Mo/Au ohmic contacts on n-GaN

Improved performance of the ohmic contacts on n-GaN has been demonstrated with the use of MoAu as the capping layer on TiAl metallization. Contact resistance as low as 0.13 Θ-mm was achieved in these ohmic contacts when annealed at 850°C for 30 sec. We have studied the long-term thermal stability of these contacts at 500°C, 600°C, 750°C, and 850°C, respectively. The Ti/Al/Mo/Au metallization forms low contact-resistance ohmic contacts on n-GaN that are stable at 500°C and 600°C after 25 h of thermal treatment. The ohmic-contact performance degrades after 10 h of thermal treatment at 750°C, while the contacts exhibit nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) characteristics after 1 h of thermal treatment at 850°C with the formation of oxide on the surface of the contacts accompanied by surface discoloration. The intermetallic reactions taking place in the contacts during the long-term thermal treatments were studied using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and the surface morphology was characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

The origins of leaky characteristics of Schottky diodes on p-GaN

The possible origins of the leaky characteristics of a Schottky barrier on p-GaN have been investigated. The as-grown samples did not show any electrical activity using Hall measurements. Ni diodes made on as-activated samples, either at 950/spl deg/C for 5 s or at 750/spl deg/C for 5 min exhibited quasiohmic behavior. Upon sequential etching of the sample to remove a surface layer of 150 /spl Aring/, 1200 /spl Aring/, and 5000 /spl Aring/ from the sample, the I-V behavior became rectifying. I-V-T measurements showed that the slopes of the lnI-V curves were independent of the temperature, indicative of a prominent component of carrier tunneling across the Schottky junction. C-V measurements at each etch-depth indicated a decreasing acceptor concentration from the surface. The highly doped (>1.7 /spl times/ 10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/) and defective surface region (within the top 150 /spl Aring/ from surface) rendered the as-activated Schottky diodes quasiohmic in their I-V characteristics. The leaky I-V characteristics, often reported in the literature, were likely to originated from the surface layer, which gives rise to carrier tunneling across the Schottky barrier. This highly doped/defective surface region, however, can play an important role in ohmic contact formation on p-GaN.     

Low resistance, thermally stable Au/Pt/Ti/WSiN ohmic contacts on n+-InGaAs/n-GaAs layer systems

The electrical properties of the ohmic contact systems Au/Pt/Ti/WSiN and Au/Pt/Ti to n⁺-InGaAs/GaAs layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy were investigated and compared to each other. The thermal stability properties of these contact systems were characterized by accelerated stress tests at elevated temperatures and by complementary thin film x-ray diffraction analysis to evaluate the microstructural properties of degraded and nondegraded structures. The goal of these efforts was to develop stable, homogeneous emitter contacts for power heterojunction bipolar transistors. It was found that for both contact systems the best (specific) contact resistance R_c (ρ _c) is about 0.05 Ωmm (2 × 10⁻⁷ Ωcm²) in the as-deposited state. Au/Pt/Ti/WSiN contacts show no degradation after aging at 400°C for more than 20 h. This is in contrast to standard Au/Pt/Ti contacts which significantly degrade even after short time annealing at 400°C. The good long-time stability of the Au/Pt/Ti/WSiN system is related to the advantageous properties of the reactively sputtered WSiN barrier layer.     

The effect of composition on the barrier height and contact resistance of Tixw1-x/si contacts

Barrier height is an important parameter for metal/silicon rectifying contacts. In this paper the barrier heights of Ti_xW{1-x}/Si contacts have been studied and found to range from 0.54 eV for high Ti content to 0.66 eV for pureW. Interpretation is made in terms of the parallel Schottky diode model of Tu. Ohmic contact measurements of Ti_xW_1-x/ Si metallization after heat treatment at 500° C have also been made and specific contact resistances of less than 10⁻⁶ ohm-cm² obtained in shallow implanted junction devices.     

Annealing temperature dependence of TiB2 schottky barrier contacts on n-GaN

The annealing temperature (25–700°C) dependence of Schottky contact characteristics on n-GaN using a TiB₂/Ti/Au metallization scheme deposited by sputtering is reported. The Schottky barrier height increased from 0.65 to 0.68 eV as the anneal temperature was varied from 25°C to 350°C and decreased to 0.55 eV after annealing at 700°C. The barrier height showed no measurable dependence on measurement temperature up to 150°C. The elemental profile obtained from samples annealed at 350°C showed limited Ti diffusion from the elemental Ti layer into the gold layer. Annealing at 700°C produced significant out-diffusion of this layer, while the TiB₂ layer retained its stability. These contacts show promise for applications requiring good thermal stability, such as power amplifiers, but much more work is needed to establish their long-term reliability. In addition, TiB₂ has a strong propensity for oxidation, and it is imperative that overlayers such as Au be deposited in the same deposition chamber.     

Thermally induced variation in barrier height and ideality factor of Ni/Au contacts to p-GaN

In this paper, we describe the change in barrier heights (ϕ_B) and ideality factors (n) of Ni/Au contacts to p-GaN determined from current-voltage measurements as a result of (a) rapid thermal annealing between 400–700°C under flowing nitrogen, and (b) testing at temperatures of 20–300°C. The lowest barrier height and ideality factor values were obtained from samples annealed at 500–600°C. These results provide supporting evidence that thermal processing helps to remove contaminants at the contact-GaN interface, thus decreasing effective barrier height and consequently, contact resistance.     

Electrical properties of metal-diamond-like-nanocomposite (Me-DLN) contacts to 6H SiC

We have fabricated tungsten-diamond-like-nanocomposite (W-DLN) Schottky contacts on n-type and p-type 6H SiC (Si-face). The as-deposited n-type and p-type contacts are rectifying and measurement results suggest that the electrical characteristics are dominated by the properties of the tungsten SiC interface. The n-type contacts have a reverse leakage current density of 4.1 × 10⁻³ Acm⁻² and the p-type contacts have a reverse leakage current density of 1.4 × 10⁻⁷ Acm⁻² at −10 V. The n-type contacts have an current-voltage (I-V) extracted effective ϕ_Bn of 0.7 eV with an ideality factor of 1.2 and a capacitance-voltage (C-V) extracted ϕ_Bn of 1.2 e V. The p-type contacts have an I-V extracted effective ϕ_Bp of 1.8 eV with an ideality factor of 1.7. Non-ideal I-V and C-V characteristics may be due to surface damage during W-DLN deposition.     

Processing-induced conduction mechanisms in metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes onzn-lnP

Current-voltage-temperature (I-V-T) studies were utilized in evaluating conduction mechanisms in metal/insulator/n-InP (MIS) diodes. Comparisons are made between thermal and chemical oxide growth, chemical preparation by H₂SO₄ ? HF versus Brmethanol and KOH-methanol, both with and without a proximity cap during sintering of the ohmic contact. Conventional thermal oxides gave non-linear I-V-T curves indicative of a significant continuous surface state control. An InP proximity cap used to protect the front surface of the sample during sintering of the ohmic contact gave more ideal characteristics. For example, thermionic emission control with barrier height(ø _B) increased from 0.590 to 0.677 eV resulted in an ideality factor of 1.10. Best I-V data were obtained using a chemical oxide to achieveø _B≈ 0.86 eV. A chemical oxide after proximity cap gave a high voltage thermionic field emission component. Deep level transient spectroscopy revealed a bulk trap with activation energyE _A≈ 0.64 eV and a surface trap withE _A= 0.60 eV.     

Electrical transport and current properties of rare-earth dysprosium Schottky electrode on p-type GaN at various annealing temperatures

The electrical and current transport properties of rapidly annealed Dy/p-GaN SBD are probed by I-V and C-V techniques. The estimated barrier heights (BH) of as-deposited and 200℃ annealed SBDs are 0.80 eV (I-V)/0.93 eV (C-V) and 0.87 eV (I-V)/1.03 eV (C-V). However, the BH rises to 0.99 eV (I-V)/ 1.18 eV(C-V) and then slightly deceases to 0.92 eV (I-V)/1.03 eV (C-V) after annealing at 300℃ and 400℃. The utmost BH is attained after annealing at 300℃ and thus the optimum annealing for SBD is 300℃. By applying Cheung''s functions, the series resistance of the SBD is estimated. The BHs estimated by I-V, Cheung''s and Ψ_S-V plot are closely matched; hence the techniques used here are consistency and validity. The interface state density of the as-deposited and annealed contacts are calculated and we found that the N_SS decreases up to 300℃ annealing and then slightly increases after annealing at 400℃. Analysis indicates that ohmic and space charge limited conduction mechanisms are found at low and higher voltages in forward-bias irrespective of annealing temperatures. Our experimental results demonstrate that the Poole-Frenkel emission is leading under the reverse bias of Dy/p-GaN SBD at all annealing temperatures.     

An electrical model with junction temperature for light-emitting diodes and the impact on conversion efficiency

We present an electrical model for quantum-well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a current-spreading layer. The LEDs studied have a multiquantum well (MQW) between p-GaN and the n-GaN grown on sapphire. The model consists of a diode connected with a series resistor resulting from the combined resistance of the p-n junction, contacts, and current spreader. Based upon this model, the I-V curve of the diode itself without the series resistance is extracted from the measured LED I-V curve. The model also includes an empirical diode current equation which was sought by matching the extracted I-V curve. In the seeking process, junction temperature (T/sub j/) rather than case temperature (T/sub c/) was used in the equation. The diode model allows one to calculate the reduction on conversion efficiency caused by the series resistor. Results show that the current-spreading layer causes 20% of the efficiency reduction at T/sub j/=107/spl deg/C.     

Ir Diffusion Barriers in Ni/Au Ohmic Contacts to <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Type CuCrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The use of Ir diffusion barriers in Ni/Au-based Ohmic contacts to p-type CuCrO₂ layers was investigated. A specific contact resistance of ~5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm² was achieved after annealing at 500°C for the Ir-containing contacts, and the contacts were rectifying for lower anneal temperatures. In this case, the contact resistance was basically independent of the measurement temperature, indicating that tunneling is the dominant transport mechanism in the contacts. The morphology for the Ir-containing contacts was still smooth at 500°C although Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling showed that some of the nickel had diffused to the surface and had oxidized. Contacts annealed at 800°C showed that some copper and most of the nickel had diffused to the surface and oxidized. The presence of the Ir diffusion barrier does increase the thermal stability of the contacts by ∼200°C compared to conventional Ni/Au contacts. By contrast, the use of other materials such as TaN, ZrN, and W₂B₅ as the diffusion barrier led to poorer thermal stability, with the contact resistance increasing sharply above 400°C.     

Mapping etching induced damages on GaN surfaces using scanning internal photoemission microscopy

In this study, we used scanning internal photoemission microscopy (SIPM) to investigate damage on the n-GaN surface, which were induced by inductive coupled plasma (ICP) etching in conjunction with a recovery process by annealing. We formed Pd Schottky electrodes on n-GaN surfaces including selectively ICP-etched regions, and conducted two-dimensional mapping of the photoyield (Y). With SIPM, we could clearly visualize the etched regions in the Y map, where Y increased 1.4 times and the Schottky barrier height (qϕ_B) decreased by 0.32 eV, as compared with unetched regions. Upon annealing at 700 °C and 800 °C, both Y and qϕ_B values recovered. When we increased the annealing temperature to 900 °C, Y decreased remarkably in the both etched and unetched regions, and the etching patterns in the Y maps disappeared. These results indicate that SIPM is effective for mapping etching damage and recovery processes with high sensitivity.     

Effects of vacuum annealing on electrical properties of GaN contacts

To understand formation and deterioration mechanisms of Ta/Ti ohmic contacts that were previously developed for p-GaN, the electrical properties of the Ta/Ti contacts, which were deposited on undoped GaN substrates and subsequently annealed in vacuum (where a slash (/) sign indicates the deposition sequence), were studied. The Ta/Ti contacts displayed good ohmic behavior after annealing at a temperature of 800°C for 10 min in vacuum, although the undoped GaN substrates were used. However, deterioration of the present ohmic contacts was observed during room-temperature storage. These contact properties were similar to those observed in the Ta/Ti contacts prepared on p-GaN. Hall-effect measurements revealed that thin n-type conductive layers were found to form on surfaces of both the undoped GaN and p-GaN substrates after annealing at 800°C in vacuum.     

An electrical method to characterize thermal reactions of Pd/GaAs and Ni/GaAs contacts

Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements were used to study the thermal reaction of Pd/GaAs contacts and Ni/GaAs contacts. The thickness of GaAs consumed by the metal/GaAs reaction during annealing was calculated from C-V analyses and I-V analyses. For annealing temperatures below 350°C, the Schottky characteristics of the diodes were good but the electrical junction moves into the GaAs after annealing. The amount of junction movement was calculated directly from our measurements. The diffusion coefficients of Pd and Ni in GaAs at 300°C were estimated both to be around 1.2 × 10¹⁴ cm₂/s.     

Mg fluctuation in p-GaN layers and its effects on InGaN/GaN blue light-emitting diodes dependent on p-GaN growth temperature

Correlation between material properties of bulk p-GaN layers grown on undoped GaN and device performance of InGaN/GaN blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a function of p-GaN growth temperature were investigated. The p-GaN layers of both structures grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition were heavily doped with Mg. As the growth temperature of the bulk p-GaN layer increased up to 1,080°C, N_A-N_D increased. However, above 1,110°C, N_A-N_D sharply decreased, while the fluctuation of Mg concentration ([Mg]) increased. At this time, a peculiar surface, which originated from inversion domain boundaries (IDBs), was clearly observed in the bulk p-GaN layer. The IDBs were not found in all LEDs because the p-GaN contact layer was relatively thin. The change in photoluminescence emission from the ultraviolet band to blue band is found to be associated with the fluctuation of [Mg] and IDBs in bulk p-GaN layers. The LED operating voltage and reverse voltage improved gradually up to the p-GaN contact-layer growth temperature of 1,080°C. However, the high growth temperature of 1,110°C, which could favor the formation of IDBs in the bulk p-GaN layer, yielded poorer reverse voltage and saturated output power of the LEDs.     

Investigations on Au,Ag, and Al schottky diodes on liquid encapsulated czochralski grown n-GaAs〈100〉

The Schottky barrier heights of metals Au, Ag, and Al fabricated by vacuum vapor deposition on liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) grown undoped ntype GaAs (n = 2.35 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³) were measured with current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) techniques. Good ohmic contacts were obtained through an after deposition anneal at 430°C for two minutes in an argon gas atmosphere. In the as-deposited state, Au, Ag, and Al gave very similar I-V characteristics for n-type substrates with the barrier height qϕ_b = 0.81-1.16 eV and ideality factor n = 1.02-1.15. The C-V measurement also gives the same value of barrier height. The distribution of carrier concentration along the radial distance of the wafer is of‘M’ shape. The Al/GaAs interfaces give the nonideal rectification behavior. The Au/GaAs interfaces give the near ideal rectification behavior. The barrier height of this interface is 0.89-0.92 eV and the ideality factor is about 1.10–1.19. Electron traps in the wafer have been found by constant capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (CC-DLTS). Mainly the EL2, EL6, and EL3 (EI1) trap levels are prominent.     

Pd/Ge contacts to n-type GaAs

Sintered metal-semiconductor contacts, formed by thin, evaporated layers of Pd and Ge on n-type GaAs, were studied using Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, current-voltage measurements, and capacitance-voltage measurements. Prior to sintering, the as-deposited Pd/Ge/GaAs contacts were rectifying and exhibited a reproducible Schottky barrier energy φ_Bn of 0.67±0.02 eV. Auger analysis indicated the initial behavior of the contact structure, upon sintering, to be an interdiffusion and reaction of Pd and Ge on a non-reacting GaAs substrate. Two germanide phases, Pd₂Ge and PdGe, were identified using X-ray diffraction and Auger analysis. The intervening Ge layer prevented the reaction of Pd with the GaAs substrate at low temperatures. Because of the PdGe reaction, φ_Bn increased to approximately 0.85 eV. Sintering at higher temperatures (i.e. between 300 and 400°C) produced additional reactions between Pd and the GaAs substrate. The electrical properties of the contact remained rectifying and φ_Bn exhibited little change from the value of 0.85 eV with the interdiffusion of Pd, Ga, and As. Sintering above 400°C resulted in the formation of ohmic contacts. The diffusion of Ge to the GaAs interface was found to correlate with the onset of ohmic behavior. Current conduction in the contact was best described by thermionic-field emission theory, and a specific contact resistance of 3.5 × 10^?4Ω-cm² was obtained after sintering above 550°C, independent of the initial impurity concentration in the substrate. Over the entire range of sintering temperatures (i.e. at or below 600°C), the interaction between the thin-film layers appeared to be governed by diffusion-controlled, solid-phase processes with no evidence of the formation of a liquid phase. As a result, the surface of the contact structure remained smooth and uniform during sintering.     

Formation of ohmic contacts to p-ZnTe

Formation and temperature stability of sputter deposited gold ohmic contacts to molecular beam epitaxially grown p-type ZnTe (doped with nitrogen to a free hole concentration of ≈3 × 1018 cm³) have been studied using current-voltage (I-V), Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and optical and scanning electron microscopy. The I-V characteristics of ≈1500Å Au/p-ZnTe contacts were measured as-deposited and after heat treatments at 150, 200, 250, and 350°C for 15 min intervals up to 90 min. As deposited, the contacts were poor Schottky contacts, but became ohmic after 15 min at all temperatures. There was an increased resistance at t>15 min for T≤250°C, and a very large resistance increase upon heat treatment for all times at 350°C. The interface between the metallization and ZnTe was initially very planar, and remained planar upon formation of the ohmic contact. Upon heating at T>250°C, Au diffused into ZnTe. The ohmic behavior of the Au/p-ZnTe contacts is attributed to this diffusion which created a highly doped near-surface region in the ZnTe. Microscopy showed that Au also migrated across the ZnTe surface forming an extended reaction zone (≈100 μm) around the dot contact at T≥250°C.