Micro-structural and temperature dependent electrical characterization of Ni/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

Micro-structural investigation of Ni/GaN Schottky barrier diodes has been carried out using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction spectrum in order to emphasize the role of Ni/GaN interface in controlling the Schottky diode behavior. Variable temperature Hall effect measurement of GaN samples along with the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Ni/n-GaN Schottky barrier diodes have been measured in 100–380 K temperature range. Results are analyzed in terms of thermionic emission theory by incorporating the concept of barrier inhomogeneity at the metal/semiconductor interface. The observed anomaly of temperature dependence of Schottky barrier height and ideality factor are explained by invoking two sets of Gaussian distribution of SBH in the temperature ranges of 100–180 K and 220–380 K, respectively. The value of A** (effective Richardson constant) as determined from the modified Richardson plot is 29.2 A/(cm² K²), which shows an excellent agreement with the theoretical value (26.4 A/(cm² K²)) in the temperature range of 220–380 K.     

Current-conduction mechanisms in Au/n-CdTe Schottky solar cells in the wide temperature range

The current-conduction mechanisms in Au/n-CdTe Schottky solar cells have been investigated by considering the series resistance (R_s) effect in the temperature range 120–380 K. The obtained values of main electrical parameters such as zero-bias barrier height (Φ_bo), ideality factor (n) and R_s were found strongly function of temperature. While the Φ_bo increases, the n decreases with the increasing temperature. Such behavior can be explained on the basis of the thermionic emission (TE) theory with the Gaussian distribution (GD) of the barrier height (BH) being related to inhomogeneities at the metal/semiconductor (M/S) interface. The results show that the conduction mechanism in Au/n-CdTe Schottky solar cells can be successfully explained on the basis of the TE mechanism with a GD of the BHs. In addition, the capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics of Au/n-CdTe solar cells have been investigated at room temperature and 1 MHz.     

表面钝化前后Al0.22Ga0.78N/GaN异质结势垒层应变的高温特性

用高分辨X射线衍射仪(HRXRD)研究了表面钝化前后Al0.22Ga0.78N/GaN异质结势垒层应变的高温特性,温度变化范围从室温到813K.结果表明,对未钝化的异质结,当测试温度高于523K时,Al0.22Ga0.78N势垒层开始出现应变弛豫;钝化后,在Al0.22Ga0.78N势垒层中会产生一个附加的平面拉伸应变,并随着温度的增加,势垒层中的平面拉伸应变会呈现出一个初始的增加,接着应变将减小,对100nm厚的Al0.22Ga0.78N势垒层,应变只是轻微地减小,但对于50nm厚的Al0.22Ga0.78N势垒层,则出现了严重的应变弛豫现象.     

Determination of the series resistance under the Schottky contacts of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

Rectangular AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) were fabricated,and the gate and the source of the HFETs consisted of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs).Based on the measured forward current-voltage and the capacitance-voltage characteristics of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs,the series resistance under the Schottky contacts (RS) was calculated using the method of power consumption,which has been proved to be valid.Finally,the method of power consumption for calculating R S was successfully used to study the two-dimensional electron gas electron mobility for a series of circular AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs.It is shown that the series resistance under the Schottky contacts cannot be neglected and is important for analysing and characterizing the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs and the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs.     

Determination of the series resistance under the Schottky contacts of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

Rectangular AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) were fabricated, and the gate and the source of the HFETs consisted of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). Based on the measured forward current-voltage and the capacitance-voltage characteristics of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs, the series resistance under the Schottky contacts (R_S) was calculated using the method of power consumption, which has been proved to be valid. Finally, the method of power consumption for calculating R_S was successfully used to study the two-dimensional electron gas electron mobility for a series of circular AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs. It is shown that the series resistance under the Schottky contacts cannot be neglected and is important for analysing and characterizing the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs and the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs.     

Schottky forward current transport mechanisms in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs over a wide temperature range

The behavior of Schottky contacts in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) is investigated by temperature-dependent current–voltage(T –I–V) measurements from 300 K to 473 K. The ideality factor and barrier height determined based on the thermionic emission(TE) theory are found to be strong functions of temperature, while present a great deviation from the theoretical value, which can be expounded by the barrier height inhomogeneities. In order to determine the forward current transport mechanisms, the experimental data are analyzed using numerical fitting method,considering the temperature-dependent series resistance. It is observed that the current flow at room temperature can be attributed to the tunneling mechanism, while thermionic emission current gains a growing proportion with an increase in temperature. Finally, the effective barrier height is derived based on the extracted thermionic emission component, and an evaluation of the density of dislocations is made from the I–V characteristics, giving a value of 1.49 × 107cm-2.     

Photovoltaic characteristics of Au/PVA (Bi-doped)/n-Si Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) at various temperatures

The charge conduction properties of the Au/PVA (Bi-doped)/n-Si Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) were investigated using current–voltage–temperature (I–V–T) measurements in dark and under various illumination levels. For this purpose, the main diode parameters such as reverse-saturation current (I_o), zero-bias barrier height (Φ_Bo), ideality factor (n), series resistance (R_s) and shunt resistance (R_sh) of diode were obtained as function of temperature and illumination level. Experimental results show that all of these electrical parameters are strong functions of illumination and temperature. The change in all electrical parameters becomes more important at low temperatures and illumination levels. While the n value decreases with increasing temperature and illumination level, Φ_Bo value increases. The fill factor (FF = V_m·I_m/V_oc·I_sc) values were obtained as 0.34 at 80 K and 0.40 at 320 K under 50 W and these values are near to a photodiode. Therefore, the fabricated diode can be used as a photodiode in optoelectronic applications. The forward bias I–V characteristics of the diode have also been explained by the space charge limited current (SCLC) model.     

Frequency- and voltage-dependent dielectric properties and electrical conductivity of Au/PVA (Bi-doped)/n-Si Schottky barrier diodes at room temperature

In this study, frequency and voltage dependence of dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), loss tangent (tanδ), the real and imaginary parts of electric modulus (M′ and M″) and ac electrical conductivity (σ _ac) of an Au/PVA (Bi-doped)/n-Si Schottky barrier diode have been investigated in detail by using experimental C–V and G–V measurements in the wide frequency range of 5 kHz–10 MHz and the voltage range of ±2 V at room temperature. Experimental results indicate that the values of ε′,ε″, tanδ and σ _ac are strongly frequency and voltage dependent. It has found that the values of ε′,ε″ and tanδ decrease while the values of σ _ac, M′ and M″ increase. It is clear that the values of M″ show a distinctive peak with a U-shape and its position shifts towards the positive-bias region with increasing frequency. Such behavior of the peak can be attributed to the particular distribution of interface states located at the Si/PVA interface and interfacial polarization. It can be concluded that the interfacial polarization and the charge at the interface can easily follow the ac signal at low frequencies.     

The origin of negative capacitance in Au/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) prepared by photolithography technique in the wide frequency range

Capacitance–voltage (C–V) and conductance–voltage (G/ω–V) measurements of the Au/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) in the wide frequency range of 10 kHz–10 MHz at room temperature were carried out in order to evaluate the reason of negative capacitance (NC). Experimental results show that C and G/ω are strong functions of frequency and bias voltage especially in the accumulation region. NC behavior was observed in the C–V plot for each frequency and the magnitude of absolute value of C increases with decreasing frequency in the forward bias region. Contrary to C, G/ω increases with decreasing frequency positively in this region. NC behavior may be explained by considering the loss of interface charges at occupied states below Fermi level due to impact ionization processes. Such behavior of the C and G/ω values can also be attributed to the increase in the polarization especially at low frequencies and the introduction of more carriers in the structure. The values of R_s decrease exponentially with increasing frequency according to literature. In addition, the values of C and G/ω at 1 MHz were corrected to obtain the real diode capacitance by taking the effect of R_s into account.     

Different influences of Schottky metal on the strain and relative permittivity of barrier layer between AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diodes

Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are fabricated.Based on the measured current–voltage and capacitance-voltage curves,the polarization sheet charge density and relative permittivity are analyzed and calculated by self-consistently solving Schrdinger’s and Poisson’s equations.It is found that the values of relative permittivity and polarization sheet charge density of AlN/GaN diode are both much smaller than the ones of AlGaN/GaN diode,and also much lower than the theoretical values.Moreover,by fitting the measured forward I–V curves,the extracted dislocations existing in the barrier layer of the AlN/GaN diode are found to be much more than those of the AlGaN/GaN diode.As a result,the conclusion can be made that compared with AlGaN/GaN diode the Schottky metal has an enhanced influence on the strain of the extremely thinner AlN barrier layer,which is attributed to the more dislocations.     

Effects of chemical treatment on barrier height and ideality factors of Au/GaN Schottky diodes

We have studied Au/n-GaN Schottky barrier diodes. GaN surfaces have been prepared by cleaning in HCl and (NH₄)₂S prior to metal deposition. The zero-biased barrier heights and ideality factors obtained from the current-voltage characteristics differ from diode to diode, although all the samples were prepared identically. The statistical analysis for the reverse bias C-V data yielded mean value of (1.35±0.04) eV for Schottky barrier height of HCl treated sample and (1.20±0.03) eV for (NH₄)₂S sample, where 9 dots were considered from each cleaning method. It was found that the barrier height values obtained from the C⁻²-V (1.43 eV) and I-V characteristics (0.89 eV) are different from each other by 0.54 eV. The inhomogeneous barrier heights were found to be related to the effect of the high series resistance on diode parameters (Akkiliç et al., 2004) [1].     

Anomalous current transport in Au/low-doped n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes at low temperatures

0 effect, the zero-bias barrier height was found to exhibit two different trends in the temperature ranges of 77–160 K and 160–300 K. The variation in the flat-band barrier height with temperature was found to be -(4.7±0.2)×10⁴ eVK^-1, approximately equal to that of the energy band gap. The value of the Richardson constant, A^**, was found to be 0.27 A cm^-2K^-2 after considering the temperature dependence of the barrier height. The estimated value of this constant suggested the possibility of an interfacial oxide between the metal and the semiconductor. Investigations suggested the possibility of a thermionic field-emission-dominated current transport with a higher characteristic energy than that predicted by the theory. The observed variation in the zero-bias barrier height and the ideality factor could be explained in terms of barrier height inhomogenities in the Schottky diode. Received: 4 December 1997/Accepted: 28 July 1998     

表面钝化前后Al0.22Ga0.78N/GaN异质结势垒层应变的高温特性

用高分辨X射线衍射仪(HRXRD)研究了表面钝化前后Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/ GaN异质结势垒层应变的高温特性，温度变化范围从室温到813K.结果表明，对未钝化的异质 结，当测试温度高于523K时，Al_0.22Ga_0.78N势垒层开始出现应变 弛豫；钝化后，在Al_0.22Ga_0.78N势垒层中会产生一个附加的平面 拉伸应变，并随着温度的增加，势垒层中的平面拉伸应变会呈现出一个初始的增加，接着应 变将减小，对100nm厚的Al_0.22Ga_0.78N势垒层，应变只是轻微地减 小，但对于50nm厚的Al_0.22Ga_0.78N势垒层，则出现了严重的应变 弛豫现象. 关键词： 0.22Ga_0.78N/GaN异质结')" href="#">Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/GaN异质结 应变 3 N₄钝化')" href="#">Si₃ N₄钝化 高温XRD     

Electrical characteristics of Pt/Au Schottky contacts to plasma-etched Al0.45Ga0.55N

The effects of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching on electrical properties of Pt/Au–Al_0.45Ga_0.55N Schottky contacts are investigated. There are two linear parts in the ln I–V curves of ICP-etched Schottky contacts at small forward currents at 198–298 K. Thermionic field emission (TFE) theory analysis shows that Schottky contact with ICP etching has much lower barrier height and higher tunnel transmission probability than that without ICP etching, which could be attributed to plasma damage introduced on the ICP-etched surface. The down linear part is probably connected to surface tunneling component originated from plasma-etched surface which joins Schottky area to Ohmic area.     

Leakage current reduction by thermal oxidation in Ni/Au Schottky contacts on lattice-matched Ino.18Al0.82N/GaN heterostructures

By using temperature-dependent current-voltage, variable-frequency capacitance-voltage, and Hall measurements, the effects of the thermal oxidation on the electrical properties of Ni/Au Schottky contacts on lattice-matched Ino.18Alo.82N/GaN heterostructures are investigated. Decrease of the reverse leakage current down to six orders of magni- tude is observed after the thermal oxidation of the Ino.18Alo.82N/GaN heterostructures at 700 ℃. It is confirmed that the reverse leakage current is dominated by the Frenkel-Poole emission, and the main origin of the leakage current is the emis- sion of electrons from a trap state near the metal/semiconductor interface into a continuum of electronic states associated with the conductive dislocations in the InxAll-xN barrier. It is believed that the thermal oxidation results in the formation of a thin oxide layer on the InxAll-xN surface, which increases the electron emission barrier height.     

Electrical characteristics of the hydrogen pre-annealed Au/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes as a function of temperature

We investigated the passivation effects of hydrogen gas on the Au/n-GaAs Schottky barrier diodes in a wide temperature range. Reference diodes were prepared by evaporating barrier metal on semiconductor wafers un-annealed in N₂ gas atmosphere. The other diodes were made by evaporating barrier metal on n-GaAs semiconductor substrates annealed in H₂ atmosphere. Then, electrical measurements of all diodes were carried out by using closed-cycle Helium cryostat by steps of 20 K in the temperature range of 80-300 K in dark. The basic diode parameters such as ideality factor and barrier height were consequently extracted from electrical measurements. It was seen that ideality factors increased and barrier heights decreased with the decreasing temperature. The case was attributed to barrier inhomogeneity at the metal/semiconductor interface. Barrier heights of the diodes made from samples annealed in H₂ gas atmosphere were smaller than those of reference diodes at low temperatures. Here, it was ascribed to the fact that hydrogen atoms passivated dangling bonds on semiconductor surface in accordance with former studies.     

Investigation of GaAs Schottky barrier diodes in the THz range

The properties of GaAs Schottky barrier diodes as video detectors and mixing elements were investigated in the frequency range from 0.8–2.5 THz. For the most sensitive diode, the video responsivity and system noise temperature were measured as a function of incident laser power. The highest video responsivity was 2,000 V/W at 214m and 60 V/W at 118m. For five diodes differing in doping, capacitance, series resistance and anode diameter, the system noise temperature was measured at 214m and 118m. The best single sideband (SSB) values are 12,300 K and 24,200 K at 214m and 118m, respectively. The system noise temperature versus frequency is given over the range from 0.5–3 THz for two specific diodes demonstrating that the sharpness of the I–V characteristics is only of secondary importance for mixer perfomance at such high frequencies.     

The leakage current mechanisms in the Schottky diode with a thin Al layer insertion between Al0.245Ga0.755N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact

This paper investigates the behaviour of the reverse-bias leakage current of the Schottky diode with a thin Al inserting layer inserted between Al0.245Ga0.755 N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact in the temperature range of 25-350°C. It compares with the Schottky diode without Aluminium inserting layer. The experimental results show that in the Schottky diode with Al layer the minimum point of I-V curve drifts to the minus voltage, and with the increase of temperature increasing, the minimum point of I-V curve returns the 0 point. The temperature dependence of gate-leakage currents in the novelty diode and the traditional diode are studied. The results show that the Al inserting layer introduces interface states between metal and Al0.245Ga0.755N. Aluminium reacted with oxygen formed Al2O3 insulator layer which suppresses the trap tunnelling current and the trend of thermionic field emission current. The reliability of the diode at the high temperature is improved by inserting a thin Al layer.