Temperature dependent current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Au/n-Si (1 1 1) Schottky barrier diodes with PVA(Ni,Zn-doped) interfacial layer

Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Au/PVA/n-Si (1 1 1) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) have been investigated in the temperature range 80–400 K. Here, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been used as interfacial layer between metal and semiconductor layers. The zero-bias barrier height (Φ_B0) and ideality factor (n) determined from the forward bias I–V characteristics were found strongly dependent on temperature. The forward bias semi-logarithmic I–V curves for different temperatures have an almost common cross-point at a certain bias voltage. The values of Φ_B0 increase with the increasing temperature whereas those of n decrease. Therefore, we have attempted to draw Φ_B0 vs. q/2kT plot in order to obtain evidence of a Gaussian distribution (GD) of the barrier heights (BHs). The mean value of BH and standard deviation (σ₀) were found to be 0.974 eV and 0.101 V from this plot, respectively. Thus, the slope and intercept of modified vs. q/kT plot give the values of and Richardson constant (A^?) as 0.966 eV and 118.75 A/cm²K², respectively, without using the temperature coefficient of the BH. This value of A^* 118.75 A/cm²K² is very close to the theoretical value of 120 A/cm²K² for n-type Si. Hence, it has been concluded that the temperature dependence of the forward I–V characteristics of Au/PVA/n-Si (1 1 1) SBDs can be successfully explained on the basis of the Thermionic Emission (TE) theory with a GD of the BHs at Au/n-Si interface.     

Thermally annealed Ni/n-GaAs(Si)/In Schottky barrier diodes

We have identically prepared as many as eight Ni/n-GaAs/In Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) using an n-type GaAs substrate with a doping density of about 7.3 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³. The thermal stability of the Ni/n-GaAs/In Schottky diodes has been investigated by means of current-voltage (I-V) techniques after annealed for 1 min in N₂ atmosphere from 200 to 700 °C. For Ni/n-GaAs/In SBDs, the Schottky barrier height Φ_b and ideality factor n values range from 0.853 ± 0.012 eV and 1.061 ± 0.007 (for as-deposited sample) to 0.785 ± 0.002 eV and 1.209 ± 0.005 (for 600 °C annealing). The ideality factor values remained about unchanged up to 400 °C annealing. The I-V characteristics of the devices deteriorated at 700 °C annealing.     

Electrical and interfacial properties of Au/P3HT:PCBM/n-Si Schottky barrier diodes at room temperature

In this study, a gold/poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester/n-type silicon (Au/P3HT:PCBM/n-Si) metal-polymer-semiconductor (MPS) Schottky barrier diode (SBD) was fabricated. To accomplish this, a spin-coating system and a thermal evaporation were used for preparation of a P3HT/PCBM layer system and for deposition of metal contacts, respectively. The forward- and reverse-bias current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the MPS SBD at room temperature were studied to investigate its main electrical parameters such as ideality factor (n), barrier height (Φ_B), series resistance (R_s), shunt resistance (R_sh), and density of interface states (N_ss). The I–V characteristics have nonlinear behavior due to the effect of R_s, resulting in an n value (3.09) larger than unity. Additionally, it was found that n, Φ_B, R_s, R_sh, and N_ss have strong correlation with the applied bias. All results suggest that the P3HT/PCBM interfacial organic layer affects the Au/P3HT:PCBM/n-Si MPS SBD, and that R_s and N_ss are the main electrical parameters that affect the Au/P3HT:PCBM/n-Si MPS SBD. Furthermore, a lower N_ss compared with that of other types of MPS SBDs in the literature was achieved by using the P3HT/PCBM layer. This lowering shows that high-quality electronic and optoelectronic devices may be fabricated by using the Au/P3HT:PCBM/n-Si MPS SBD.     

Current transport mechanisms and deep level transient spectroscopy of Au/n-Si Schottky barrier diodes

The temperature-dependent electrical characteristics of the Au/n-Si Schottky diodes have been studied in the temperature range of 40-300 K. Current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of these diodes have been analyzed on the basis of thermionic emission theory with Gaussian distribution model of barrier height. The basic diode parameters such as rectification ratio, ideality factor and barrier height were extracted. Under a reverse bias, the conduction process at low voltage is determined by Schottky emission over a potential barrier but at higher voltage the Poole Frenkel effect is observed. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) features of the Au/n-Si Schottky diodes were characterized in the high frequency of 1 MHz. The barrier heights values obtained from the J-V and C-V characteristics have been compared. It has been seen that the barrier height value obtained from the C-V measurements is higher than that obtained from the J-V measurements at various temperatures. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are presented. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) has been used to investigate deep levels in Au/n-Si. Three electron trap centers, having different emission rates and activation energies, have been observed. It is argued that the origin of these defects is of intrinsic nature. A correlation between C-V and DLTS measurements is investigated.     

Effect of deposition rate and thickness on the structural and electrical properties of evaporated Ni/glass and Ni/Si(1 0 0) thin films

We have studied the effect of substrates [glass and Si(1 0 0)], of Ni thickness (t_Ni) and of the deposition rate [v₁=13 nm/min and v₂=22 nm/min] on the structural and electrical properties of evaporated Ni thin films. The Ni thickness, measured by the Rutherford backscattering (RBS) technique, ranges from 28 to 200 nm. From X-ray diffraction, it was found that all samples are polycrystalline and grow with the 〈1 1 1〉 texture. From the measure of the lattice constant, we inferred that Ni/Si samples are under a higher tensile stress than the Ni/glass ones. Moreover, in Ni/glass deposited at v₁, stress is relived as t_Ni increases while those deposited at v₂ are almost stress-free. The grain size (D) in Ni/glass with low deposition rate monotonously increases (from 54 to 140 Å) as t_Ni increases and are lower than those corresponding to Ni/Si. On the other hand, samples grown at v₂ have a constant D, for small t_Ni with D in Ni/glass larger than D in Ni/Si. Ni/glass deposited at low v₁ are characterized by a higher electrical resistivity (ρ) than those deposited at v₂. For the latter series, ρ is practically constant with t_Ni but decreases with increasing grain size, indicating that diffusion at the grain boundaries rather than surface effect is responsible for the variation of ρ in this thickness range. For the Ni/glass deposed at v₁ and the Ni/Si series, ρ has a more complex variation with thickness and deposition rate. These results will be discussed and correlated.     

Enhancement in electrical properties of Au/n-GaAs Schottky diodes exposed to 60Co gamma rays

The effect of γ-ray exposure on the electrical characteristics of Au/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes has been investigated using current–voltage and capacitance–voltage techniques. The results indicate that irradiation with a cumulative dose of 10 Mrad (Si) improves the electrical characteristics of the diode. The parameters like ideality factor, series resistance and reverse leakage current determined from the current–voltage data decreases, whereas the barrier height and rectification ratio increases upon irradiation. The effective barrier height deduced from the capacitance–voltage technique has also increased with irradiation. The irradiated diode shows a higher carrier concentration compared to the virgin diode. The observed overall improvement in the diode quality is attributed to the annealing effect of γ-rays.     

On the profile of frequency dependent dielectric properties of (Ni/Au)/GaN/Al0.3Ga0.7N heterostructures

The voltage (V) and frequency (f) dependence of dielectric characteristics such as dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε^″), dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) and real and imaginary part of electrical modulus (Μ′ and M^″) of the (Ni/Au)/GaN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N heterostructures have been investigated by using experimental admittance spectroscopy (capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/w-V)) measurements at room temperature. Experimental results show that the values of the ε′, ε^″, tan δ and the real and imaginary parts of the electric modulus (Μ′ and M^″) obtained from the C and G/w measurements were found to be strong function of frequency and applied bias voltage especially in depletion region at low frequencies. These changes in dielectric parameters can be attributed to the interfacial GaN cap layer, interface polarization and a continuous density distribution of interface states and their relaxation time at metal/semiconductor interface. While the values of the ε′ decrease with increasing frequencies, tan δ, Μ′ and M^″ increase with the increasing frequency. Also, the dielectric loss (ε^″) have a local maximum at about frequency of 100 kHz. It can be concluded that the interface polarization can occur more easily at low frequencies with the number of interface states located at the metal/semiconductor interface.     

Electrical characterization of interface states in Ni/n-Si(111) Schottky diodes from (C-V) characteristics

Experiments have been performed on Ni/n-Si(111) Schottky diodes fabricated by the vacuum vapor deposition of Ni at 10⁻⁵ Torr pressure on an n-type «111å oriented silicon wafer. Measured current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics in range frequency range 10 kHz-1 MHz have been analysed. Interface states parameters have been extracted from (C-V) characteristics using a metal-thin interfacial layer-semiconduct (MIS) structure model. The interface states density has been found to be in the range of 10¹¹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ with a peak in the band gap of Si at about 0·51 eV below the conduction band edge.     

Temperature dependent electrical and dielectric properties of Sn/p-Si metal-semiconductor (MS) structures

In this study, we investigated temperature dependent electrical and dielectric properties of the Sn/p-Si metal-semiconductor (MS) structures using capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/ω-V) characteristics in the temperature range 80-400 K. The dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε′′), dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) and ac electrical conductivity (σ_ac) were calculated from the C-V and G/ω-V measurements and plotted as a function of temperature. The values of the ε′, ε′′, tan δ and σ_ac at low temperature (=80 K) were found to be 0.57, 0.37, 0.56 and 1.04 × 10⁻⁷, where as the values of the ε′, ε′′, tan δ and σ_ac at high temperature (=400 K) were found to be 0.75, 0.44, 0.59 and 1.21 × 10⁻⁶, respectively. An increase in the values of the ε′, ε′′, tan δ and σ_ac where observed with increase in temperature. Furthermore, the effects of interface state density (N_SS) and series resistance (R_S) on C-V characteristics were investigated in the wide temperature range.     

Frequency and temperature dependence of the dielectric and AC electrical conductivity in (Ni/Au)/AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

The dielectric properties and AC electrical conductivity (σ_ac)of the (Ni/Au)/Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/AlN/GaN heterostructures, with and without the SiN_x passivation, have been investigated by capacitance-voltage and conductance-voltage measurements in the wide frequency (5kHz-5 MHz) and temperature (80-400 K) range. The experimental values of the dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε′′), loss tangent (tanδ), σ_ac and the real and imaginary part of the electric modulus (M′ and M′′) were found to be a strong function of frequency and temperature. A decrease in the values of ε′ and ε′′ was observed, in which they both showed an increase in frequency and temperature. The values of M′ and M′′ increase with increasing frequency and temperature. The σ_ac increases with increasing frequency, while it decreases with increasing temperature. It can be concluded, therefore, that the interfacial polarization can occur more easily at low frequencies and temperatures with the number of interface states density located at the metal/semiconductor interface. It contributes to the ε′ and σ_ac.     

Effect of 6 MeV electron irradiation on electrical characteristics of the Au/n-Si/Al Schottky diode

Electron irradiation of the Au/n-Si/Al Schottky diode was performed by using 6 MeV electrons and 3 × 10¹² e⁻/cm² fluency. The current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and capacitance-frequency (C-f) characteristics of the unirradiated and irradiated Schottky diode were analyzed. It was seen that the values of the barrier height, the series resistance, and the ideality factor increased after electron irradiation. However, there was a decrease in the leakage current with electron irradiation. The increase in the barrier height and in the series resistance values was attributed to the dopant deactivation in the near-interface region. The interface states, N_ss, have been decreased significantly after electron irradiation. This was attributed to the decrease in recombination centre and the existence of an interfacial layer. A decrease in the capacitance was observed after electron irradiation. This was attributed to decrease in the net ionized dopant concentration with electron irradiation.     

Dielectric Properties of Au/PVA (Cobalt-Doped)/n-Si Photoconductive Diodes

The voltage (V) and frequency (f) dependence of dielectric parameters such as the dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), dielectric loss tangent (tan δ), real and imaginary parts of electrical modulus (M′ and M″), and alternating-current (AC) electrical conductivity (σ _AC) of Au/PVA (cobalt-doped)/n-Si structures have been investigated by using experimental admittance measurements conducted at room temperature. The values of ε′, ε″, and tan δ were found to be strong functions of voltage and frequency, especially at low frequencies in the positive voltage region. It was observed that the values of ε′ and ε″ increase as the frequency decreases. The M′ values increase with increasing frequency due to increasing dielectric relaxation, while M″ values, in general, remain stable as frequency is changed. The σ _AC values at each bias voltage increase with increasing frequency.     

Current transport mechanisms and trap state investigations in (Ni/Au)-AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

The current transport mechanisms in (Ni/Au)-AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) were investigated by the use of current-voltage characteristics in the temperature range of 80-380 K. In order to determine the true current transport mechanisms for (Ni/Au)-AlN/GaN SBDs, by taking the J_s(tunnel), E₀, and R_s as adjustable fit parameters, the experimental J-V data were fitted to the analytical expressions given for the current transport mechanisms in a wide range of applied biases and at different temperatures. Fitting results show the weak temperature dependent behavior in the saturation current and the temperature independent behavior of the tunneling parameters in this temperature range. Therefore, it has been concluded that the mechanism of charge transport in (Ni/Au)-AlN/GaN SBDs, along the dislocations intersecting the space charge region, is performed by tunneling.In addition, in order to analyze the trapping effects in (Ni/Au)-AlN/GaN SBDs, the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/ω-V) characteristics were measured in the frequency range 0.7-50 kHz. A detailed analysis of the frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance data was performed, assuming the models in which traps are located at the heterojunction interface. The density (D_t) and time constants (τ_t) of the trap states have been determined as a function of energy separation from the conduction-band edge (E_c − E_t) as D_t≅(5-8)×10¹², respectively.     

Studies of Ti- and Ni-germanide Schottky contacts on n-Ge(1 0 0) substrates

In this study, we investigated fabrication and characteristics of germanides Schottky contacts on germanium. Ti- and Ni-germanides were fabricated on n-Ge(1 0 0) substrates by sputtering metal Ti or Ni on Ge followed by a furnace annealing. The influence of annealing temperature on the electrical properties of Ti- and Ni-germanide on n-Ge(1 0 0) substrates was investigated. The low temperature ∼300 °C annealing helped to obtain the optimized Schottky contact characteristics in both Ti-germanide/Ge and Ni-germanide/Ge substrates contacts. The well-behaved Ti-germanides/n-Ge Schottky contact with 0.34 eV barrier height was obtained by using a 300 °C annealing process.     

Structural, electrical and magnetic characterizations of Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diodes prepared by liquid phase epitaxy

In this paper, we have investigated the structural, electrical and magnetic characterizations of Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode prepared by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Current density-voltage (J-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and capacitance-frequency (C-f) measurements were performed to determine the conduction mechanisms as well as extracting the important diode parameters. Rectifying properties were obtained, which definitely of the Schottky diode type. At low voltages, (0 < V ? 0.4 V), current density in the forward direction was found to obey the diode equation, while for higher voltages, (0.5 < V ? 1.5 V), conduction was dominated by a space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism. Analysis of the experimental data under reverse bias suggests a transition from electrode-limited to a bulk-limited conduction process for lower and higher applied voltages, respectively. Diode parameters such as, the built-in potential, V_b, the carrier concentration, N, the width of the depletion layer, W, of the Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode were obtained from the C-V measurements at high frequency (1 MHz). The capacitance-frequency measurements showed that the values of capacitance were highly frequency dependent at low frequency region but independent at high frequencies. The Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode showed magnetic properties due to the effect of Ni in the heterostructure.     

Effect of the design and technology factors on electrical characteristics of the Au/Ti-n-GaAs Schottky diodes

Electrical properties of the Au/Ti-n-GaAs Schottky diodes are studied in relation to the production technology. The forward and reverse current-voltage characteristics of the diodes at low electric fields are analyzed on the basis of the mechanism of thermionic emission through the metal-semiconductor barrier. It is assumed that an increase in the reverse currents in the voltage range from 20 to 60 V can be accounted for by the Pool-Frenkel effect. The excess reverse currents at voltages higher than 60 V are caused by the phonon-assisted tunneling via deep states in the depletion region of the semiconductor.     

Structural and electrical properties of Er-doped HfO2 and of its interface with Ge (0 0 1)

Er-doped HfO₂ thin films with Er content ranging from 0% to 15% are deposited by atomic layer deposition on native oxide free Ge(001). The crystallographic phase is investigated by X-ray diffraction and is found to depend on the Er%. The cubic fluorite structure develops on Ge for Er% as low as 4% and is stable after annealing at 400 °C in N₂. Microstrain increases with increasing the Er content within the fluorite structure. Time of flight secondary ion mass and electron energy loss spectroscopy evidence a Ge diffusion from the substrate that results in the formation of a Ge-rich interfacial region which does not present a structural discontinuity with the oxide. The diffusion of Ge is enhanced by the annealing and causes a reordering of the crystal lattice. In annealed films the interface defect density measured by low temperature conductance measurements is found to decrease with decreasing the Er content.     

Temperature and frequency dependent electrical and dielectric properties of Al/SiO2/p-Si (MOS) structure

The electrical and dielectric properties of Al/SiO₂/p-Si (MOS) structures were studied in the frequency range 10 kHz-10 MHz and in the temperature range 295-400 K. The interfacial oxide layer thickness of 320 Å between metal and semiconductor was calculated from the measurement of the oxide capacitance in the strong accumulation region. The frequency and temperature dependence of dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) and the ac electrical conductivity (σ_ac) are studied for Al/SiO₂/p-Si (MOS) structure. The electrical and dielectric properties of MOS structure were calculated from C-V and G-V measurements. Experimental results show that the ε′ and ε″ are found to decrease with increasing frequency while σ_ac is increased, and ε′, ε″, tan δ and σ_ac increase with increasing temperature. The values of ε′, ε″ and tan δ at 100 kHz were found to be 2.76, 0.17 and 0.06, respectively. The interfacial polarization can be more easily occurred at low frequencies, and the number of interface state density between Si/SiO₂ interface, consequently, contributes to the improvement of dielectric properties of Al/SiO₂/p-Si (MOS) structure. Also, the effects of interface state density (N_ss) and series resistance (R_s) of the sample on C-V characteristics are investigated. It was found that both capacitance C and conductance G were quite sensitive to temperature and frequency at relatively high temperatures and low frequencies, and the N_ss and R_s decreased with increasing temperature. This is behavior attributed to the thermal restructuring and reordering of the interface. The C-V and G/ω-V characteristics confirmed that the N_ss, R_s and thickness of insulator layer (δ) are important parameters that strongly influence both the electrical and dielectric parameters and conductivity in MOS structures.     

Study of Ni/Si(1 0 0) solid-state reaction with Y addition

The characteristics of Ni/Si(1 0 0) solid-state reaction with yttrium (Y) addition are studied in this paper. Film stacks of Ti(20 nm)/TiN(40 nm)/Ni(8 nm)/Y(4 nm)/Ni(8 nm)/Si(1 0 0) and Ti(20 nm)/TiN(40 nm)/Ni(7 nm)/Y(6 nm)/Ni(7 nm)/Si(1 0 0) were prepared by physical vapor deposition. After solid-state reaction between metal films and Si was performed by rapid thermal annealing, various material analyses show that NiSi forms even with the addition of Y, and Ni silicidation is accompanied with Y diffusion in Ni film toward its top surface. The electrical characteristic measurements reveal that no significant Schottky barrier height modulation with the addition of Y occurs.     

Study on the frequency dependence of electrical and dielectric characteristics of Au/SnO2/n-Si (MIS) structures

In this paper, we present a detailed investigation of the electrical and dielectric properties of the Au/SnO₂/n-Si (MIS) structures. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/ω-V) characteristics have been measured in the frequency range of 1 kHz-1 MHz at room temperature. Calculation of the dielectric constant (?′), dielectric loss (?″), loss tangent (tan δ), ac electrical conductivity (σ_ac), ac resistivity (ρ_ac) and the electric modulus are given in the studied frequency ranges. Experimental results show that the values of dielectric parameters are a strong function of frequency. The decrease of ?′ and ?″ with increasing frequency were observed. In addition the increase of σ_ac with increasing frequency is founded. Also, electric modulus formalism has been analyzed to obtain the experimental dielectric data. The interfacial polarization can be more easily occurred at the lower frequency and/or with the number of interface state density between SnO₂/Si interface, consequently, contribute to the improvement of dielectric properties of MIS structure.