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Local density of states at metal-semiconductor interfaces: an atomic scale study
T Iffländer1, S Rolf-Pissarczyk1, L Winking1
1IV. Physical Institute - Solids and Nanostructures, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Abstract:
We investigate low temperature grown, abrupt, epitaxial, nonintermixed, defect-free n-type and p-type Fe/GaAs(110) interfaces by cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy with atomic resolution. The probed local density of states shows that a model of the ideal metal-semiconductor interface requires a combination of metal-induced gap states and bond polarization at the interface which is nicely corroborated by density functional calculations. A three-dimensional finite element model of the space charge region yields a precise value for the Schottky barrier height.
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