No Arabic abstract
We show the operation of a Cu/Al_2O_3/Cu/n-Si hot-electron transistor for the straightforward determination of a metal/semiconductor energy barrier height even at temperatures below carrier-freeze out in the semiconductor. The hot-electron spectroscopy measurements return a fairly temperature independent value for the Cu/n-Si barrier of 0.66 $pm$ 0.04 eV at temperatures below 180 K, in substantial accordance with mainstream methods based on complex fittings of either current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The Cu/n-Si hot-electron transistors exhibit an OFF current of ~2 * 10^-13 A, an ON/OFF ratio of ~10^5 and an equivalent subtreshold swing of ~96 mV/dec at low temperatures, which are suitable values for potential high frequency devices.
We demonstrate tunable Schottky barrier height and record photo-responsivity in a new-concept device made of a single-layer CVD graphene transferred onto a matrix of nanotips patterned on n-type Si wafer. The original layout, where nano-sized graphene/Si heterojunctions alternate to graphene areas exposed to the electric field of the Si substrate, which acts both as diode cathode and transistor gate, results in a two-terminal barristor with single-bias control of the Schottky barrier. The nanotip patterning favors light absorption, and the enhancement of the electric field at the tip apex improves photo-charge separation and enables internal gain by impact ionization. These features render the device a photodetector with responsivity (3 A/W for white LED light at 3 mW/cm2 intensity) almost an order of magnitude higher than commercial photodiodes. We extensively characterize the voltage and the temperature dependence of the device parameters and prove that the multi-junction approach does not add extra-inhomogeneity to the Schottky barrier height distribution. This work represents a significant advance in the realization of graphene/Si Schottky devices for optoelectronic applications.
Bardeens model for the non-ideal metal-semiconductor interface was applied to metal-wrapped cylindrical nanowire systems; a significant effect of the nanowire diameter on the non-ideal Schottky barrier height was found. The calculations were performed by solving Poissons equation in the nanowire, self-consistently with the constraints set by the non-ideal interface conditions; in these calculations the barrier height is obtained from the solution, and it is not a boundary condition for Poissons equation. The main finding is that thin nanowires are expected to have tens of meV higher Schottky barriers compared to their thicker counterparts. What lies behind this effect is the electrostatic properties of metal-wrapped nanowires; in particular, since depletion charge is reduced with nanowire radius, the potential drop on the interfacial layer, is reduced - leading to the increase of the barrier height with nanowire radius reduction.
We use electronic transport and atom probe tomography to study ZnO:Al / SiO2 / Si Schottky junctions on lightly-doped n- and p-type Si. We vary the carrier concentration in the the ZnO:Al films by two orders of magnitude but the Schottky barrier height remains constant, consistent with Fermi level pinning seen in metal / Si junctions. Atom probe tomography shows that Al segregates to the interface, so that the ZnO:Al at the junction is likely to be metallic even when the bulk of the ZnO:Al film is semiconducting. We hypothesize that Fermi level pinning is connected to the insulator-metal transition in doped ZnO, and that controlling this transition may be key to un-pinning the Fermi level in oxide / Si Schottky junctions.
Schottky Barrier (SB)-MOSFET technology offers intriguing possibilities for cryogenic nano-scale devices, such as Si quantum devices and superconducting devices. We present experimental results on a novel device architecture where the gate electrode is self-aligned with the device channel and overlaps the source and drain electrodes. This facilitates a sub-5 nm gap between the source/drain and channel, and no spacers are required. At cryogenic temperatures, such devices function as p-MOS Tunnel FETs, as determined by the Schottky barrier at the Al-Si interface, and as a further advantage, fabrication processes are compatible with both CMOS and superconducting logic technology.
Schottky barrier field-effect transistors (SBFETs) based on few and mono layer phosphorene are simulated by the non-equilibrium Greens function formalism. It is shown that scaling down the gate oxide thickness results in pronounced ambipolar I-V characteristics and significant increase of the minimal leakage current. The problem of leakage is especially severe when the gate insulator is thin and the number of layer is large, but can be effectively suppressed by reducing phosphorene to mono or bilayer. Different from two-dimensional graphene and layered dichalcogenide materials, both the ON-current of the phosphorene SBFETs and the metal-semiconductor contact resistance between metal and phosphorene strongly depend on the transport crystalline direction.