Characteristics of aluminum-silicon Schottky barrier diode

Abstract

Aluminum n-type silicon Schottky barrier diodes which can be fabricated by a very simple process and exhibit near-ideal electricaI characteristics have recently been developed. In this paper, the processing and characteristics of such a Schottky barrier will be discussed. The I-V characteristics agree well with the theoretical thermionic emission model. The barrier height is determined from the saturation current, temperature dependence of forward current, and photoemission to be 0.69 ± 0.01 eV. Minority carrier injection from this Schottky barrier has been measured using a transistor structure with Al as emitter. Negligible minority carrier injection is found even up to high current levels. This is further confirmed by diode switching measurements. The low-frequency noise is very low and is comparable to the best p-n junctions and guard-ring Schottky barriers. This is particularly significant since it is the first time such good noise characteristics have been achieved for a Schottky barrier on n-Si without a guard ring. Excellent stability is found under life tests at elevated temperarures. These desirable features, coupled with the simple and economical processing which is completely compatible with present day integrated circuit technology, should make these Schottky barriers ideal in a variety of applications.