Metal Semiconductor

Junctions
Dr. Rajan Pandey
Associate Professor, SENSE
 Ohmic Contacts
• How does the band diagram look like for a MS junction with a Schottky barrier height of zero?
What about Si?

n-InAs work function is larger

than the metal work function

• Semiconductor devices are connected to each other in an integrated circuit through metals.
• The semiconductor to metal contacts should have sufficiently low resistance so that they do
not overly degrade the device performance.
• Careful engineering is required to reach that goal. These low-resistance contacts are called
ohmic contacts. How to create them?
 Ohmic Contacts
• An ohmic metal–semiconductor contact is desired, having a linear I–V characteristic in both biasing directions.
• A typical integrated circuit is a maze of p and n regions, which must be contacted and interconnected.
• It is important that such contacts be ohmic, with minimal resistance and no tendency to rectify signals.

• When Φm < Φs (n-type), the Fermi

levels are aligned at equilibrium by
transferring electrons from the metal
to the semiconductor.

• This raises the semiconductor electron

energies (lowers the electrostatic
potential) relative to the metal at
equilibrium.

• The barrier to electron flow between

the metal and the semiconductor is
small and easily overcome by a small
voltage.
• Notice that there is no depletion region on semiconductor side, but rather the majority carrier accumulation!
 Ohmic Contacts
• Similarly, Φm > Φs (p-type) results in
easy hole flow across the junction.

• Unlike the rectifying contacts, no

depletion region occurs in the
semiconductor in these cases.

• This is because the electrostatic

potential difference required to align
the Fermi levels at equilibrium calls for
accumulation of majority carriers in the
semiconductor.

• A practical method for forming ohmic contacts is by doping the semiconductor heavily in the contact region.
• If a barrier exists, the depletion width is small enough to allow carriers to tunnel through the barrier.
• Au containing a small % of Sb can be alloyed to n-type Si, forming an n+ layer at the semiconductor surface
and an excellent ohmic contact.
• Similarly, p-type material requires a p+ surface layer in contact with the metal.
• In the case of Al on p-type Si, the metal contact also provides the acceptor dopant.
• The required p+ surface layer is formed during a brief heat treatment of the contact after the Al is deposited.
 Practical Ohmic Contact

• To achieve a contact which conducts easily in both directions,

we dope the semiconductor very heavily.

• Wdep becomes so narrow that carriers can tunnel directly

through the barrier.
 Practical Ohmic Contact
• To achieve a contact which conducts easily in both directions, we dope the
semiconductor very heavily.

• Wdep becomes so narrow that carriers can tunnel directly through the barrier.

Quantum Mechanical Tunneling

Tunneling probability:
 Ohmic Contacts
Notice φBn
instead of
φbi

Tunneling probability:
⁄

The tunneling barrier
height, is φBn. The barrier
thickness T may be taken as
A heavily doped Si results in good ohmic contacts. The depletion layer
is only tens of Å thin because of the high dopant concentration.
When the potential barrier is very thin, the electrons can pass through
the barrier by tunneling with a larger tunneling probability.

• Assuming that Nd = 1020 /cm3, P would be about 0.1 and

( )/ JSM ≈ 108 A/cm2. (This is a very large current density.)
At a forward bias V • If a small voltage is applied across the contact, the barrier is
→ reduced from φBn to (φBn – V). A large current will flow.
 0.3 μm (diameter) TiSi2
Ohmic contact on N+Si and P+Si.

Contacts

/
/
4𝜋
𝐻= 𝜀 𝑚 /𝑞 1
ℎ 𝐽 → ≈ 𝑞𝑁 𝑣 𝑃
2
• Rc is the specific contact resistance (Ω cm2), the resistance of a 1 cm2 contact.
• Also applicable to P+ contacts if φBn, mn, and Nd are replaced by φBp, mp, and Na.
• The I-V characteristics of a silicide–Si contact is approximately linear, or ohmic.
• The resistance decreases with increasing temperature due to increasing thermal velocity, vthx.
Summary
Metal-Semiconductor Junction
/

• Schottky diodes have large reverse saturation

current, determined by the Schottky barrier
height φB, and therefore lower forward voltage
at a given current density.

• Ohmic contacts rely on tunneling. Low

resistance contact requires low φB and
higher doping concentration.

( / )
• Q: In a W-n type Si Schottky barrier, the semiconductor has a doping of
1016 cm-3 and an Area of 10-3 cm2. (a) Calculate the 300 K diode current
at a forward bias of 0.3 V. (b) Consider a Si p+n junction diode with same
area and with doping of Na = 1019 cm-3, and Nd = 1016 cm-3, and τp = τn =
10-6 s. At what forward bias will the pn diode have the same current as
the Schottky diode? Dp = 10.5 cm2/s, Schottky barrier height of W-n-Si is
0.67 V. Comment on the results obtained.
• Q2: Consider a tungsten barrier on silicon with a measured Schottky
barrier height of 0.67 eV. The effective Richardson constant is K = 114
A /K2-cm2. Let T = 300 K. Consider a silicon pn junction with the
following parameters at T = 300 K: Na = 1018 cm-3, Nd = 1016 cm-3, Dp =
10 cm2/s, Dn = 25 cm2/s, τp = τn = 10-7 s. Calculate the ideal reverse-
saturation current densities of a Schottky barrier diode and a pn
junction diode. Comment on the results. Determine the forward-bias
voltages required to produce a current of 10 µA in each diode.
Assume each cross-sectional area is 10-4 cm2. What are the
applications of Schottky diode?