Temperature dependence of the Schottky-barrier height of tungsten on n-type and p-type silicon

Abstract

The Schottky-barrier heights of W and its silicide WSi 2 on both n-type and p-type Si(100) have been measured in the temperature range 77–295 K with the use of current-voltage and capacitance-voltage techniques. Auger-electron and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies were used to characterize the Si(100) surfaces prior to metal deposition, and to monitor the reaction between W and Si. Silicide formation has very little or no effect on both the barrier height and its temperature dependence. The n-type barrier height for both the metal and the reacted silicide phase decreases with increasing temperature with a coefficient almost equal to the temperature coefficient of the indirect band gap in Si. The p-type barrier height does not exhibit a temperature dependence. These results suggest that the Fermi level at the interface is pinned relative to the valence-band edge. These results deviate from the predictions of models of Schottky-barrier formation based on the suggestion of Fermi-level pinning in the center of the semiconductor indirect band gap. Along with results previously reported for metal(silicide)-Si systems with a wide range in metal electronegativity, the present results show that both the silicon barrier height and its temperature dependence are affected by the metal.