Physical properties of Co/n-Ge Schottky contacts

Abstract

To investigate the role of the interface state on the physical properties of Schottky contacts, Co/n-Ge Schottky diodes that have undergone various cleaning methods (HF etching and in situ thermal cleaning) were studied by transmission electron microscopy, deep-level transient spectroscopy and by a detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the characteristics of the diodes. It is shown that Schottky barrier height characteristics are sensitive to the nature of the interface. The strongest Fermi level (FL) pinning and the highest spatial inhomogeneities are observed for intimate metal/semiconductor contacts. The presence of a thin oxide interlayer, even of Ge native oxide, allows the FL to be released towards the conduction band and leads to more homogeneous contacts. Finally, our results suggest that a pure GeO2 oxide interlayer should present a better depinning efficiency than the native Ge oxide.