Investigation of ruthenium Schottky contacts to n-GaAs

Ruthenium was evaporated on n-GaAs to form Schottky contacts. Initial electrical measurements revealed a near ideal Schottky behaviour with low leakage currents. The Schottky diodes exhibit good stability upon thermal aging at elevated temperatures up to 300° C. However, the diode parameters rapidly deteriorate after aging at temperatures in excess of 400° C. The room temperature (300 K) median life of the diodes, based on a failure criterion of a tenfold increase in the diode saturation current, J_riv^s, from reverse bias current-voltage (I–V) data, was of the order of 10⁴ h.