The barrier height inhomogeneity in identically prepared Pb/p-type Si Schottky barrier diodes

Abstract

We have studied the experimental linear relationship between barrier heights (BHs) and ideality factors for Pb/p-type Si(100) Schottky contacts with a doping density of about 1015 cm−3. The BH for the Pb/p-type Si(100) diodes from the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics varied from 0.686 to 0.735 eV, the ideality factor n varied from 1.054 to 1.191, and from capacitance–voltage (C−2–V) characteristics the BH varied from 0.751 to 0.928 eV. The experimental BH distributions obtained from the I–V and C−2–V characteristics were fitted by a Gaussian function, and their mean BH values were found to be 0.709 and 0.799 eV, respectively. The laterally homogeneous BH value of approximately 0.741 eV for the H-terminated Pb/p-type Si(100) Schottky diodes was obtained from the linear relationship between experimental effective BHs and ideality factors.