The Barrier's Heights and Its Inhomogeneities on Diamond Silicon Interfaces.
Szymon Łoś1, Kazimierz Fabisiak2, Kazimierz Paprocki3
1Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Profesora Sylwestra Kaliskiego 7, 85796 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 9, 2022
Summary
Electrical properties of polycrystalline diamond/silicon heterojunctions were studied. Barrier height increases with temperature, while ideality factor decreases, indicating interface imperfections and a double Gaussian distribution of barrier heights.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Solid State Physics
Background:
- Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) is a promising material for electronic devices.
- Heterojunctions involving PCD and silicon (Si) are crucial for advanced semiconductor applications.
- Understanding the electrical characteristics of PCD/n-Si heterojunctions is essential for device optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature-dependent electrical parameters of p-PCD/n-Si heterojunctions.
- To analyze the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and determine barrier properties.
- To explore the influence of interface imperfections on device performance.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of p-polycrystalline diamond/n-silicon heterojunctions.
- Measurement of temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) characteristics from 80 K to 280 K.
- Analysis of I-V data using thermionic emission theory (TE) and modified Richardson plots.
Main Results:
- The energy barrier height (φ) increases with temperature, while the ideality factor (n) decreases.
- Evidence of a double Gaussian distribution (DGD) of barrier heights was observed.
- Mean barrier heights (φ¯b = 1.06 eV) and standard deviations (σ = 0.43 eV) were determined.
- Different effective Richardson constants (A*) were found for distinct temperature ranges.
Conclusions:
- Interface imperfections and non-homogeneous barrier distributions significantly affect heterojunction electrical properties.
- The study confirms the presence of a double Gaussian distribution in the p-PCD/n-Si heterojunction.
- The findings provide valuable insights for the design and fabrication of diamond-based electronic devices.
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