ECE 663

Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces
Metal-Semiconductor contact
Schottky Barrier/Diode
Ohmic Contacts
MESFET
ECE 663
Device Building Blocks
Schottky (MS) p-n junction
HBT MOS
ECE 663
Energy band diagram of an isolated metal adjacent
to an isolated n-type semiconductor
q(|
s
-_) = E
C
E
F
= kTln(N
C
/N
D
) for n-type
= E
G
kTln(N
v
/N
A
) for p-type

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Energy band diagram of a metal-n semiconductor contact
in thermal equilibrium.
q|
Bn
= q|
ms
+ kTln(N
C
/N
D
)
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Measured barrier height |
ms
for metal-Si and metal-GaAs contacts
Theory still evolving (see review article by Tung)
ECE 663
Energy band diagrams of metal n-type and p-type semiconductors
under thermal equilibrium
ECE 663
Energy band diagrams of metal n-type and p-type semiconductors
under forward bias
Energy band diagrams of metal n-type and p-type semiconductors
under reverse bias
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Charge distribution
electric-field
distribution
E
m
= qN
D
W/K
s
c
0
E(x) = qN
D
(x-W)/K
s
c
0
(V
bi
-V) = - E(x)dx = qN
D
W
2
/K
s
c
0
0
W
V
bi
= |
ms
(Doping does not matter!)

|
Bn
= |
ms
+ kTln(N
C
/N
D
)

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D bi s
qN V V W / ) ( 2 c =
) ( 2 V V N q W QN Q
bi D s D
c = =
Depletion width
Charge per unit area
Depletion
q
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Capacitance
( ) W V V
N q
V
Q
C
s
bi
D s
c
=

c
=
c
c
=
2
Per unit area:
( )
D s
bi
N q
V V
C c

=
2 1
2
Rearranging:
Or:
( )
(
(

c
=
dV
C
d
q
N
s
D
/
1
1 2
2
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1/C
2
versus applied voltage for W-Si and W-GaAs diodes

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1/C
2
vs V
If straight line constant doping profile
slope = doping concentration
If not straight line, can be used to find profile
Intercept = V
bi
can be used to find |
Bn

|
.
|

\
|
=
+ = |
i
D
n
bi n Bn
n
N
q
kT
V
V V
ln
ECE 663
Current transport by the thermionic emission process
Thermal equilibrium forward bias
reverse bias
J = J
sm
(V) J
ms
(V)
J
ms
(V) = J
ms
(0) = J
sm
(0)
Barrier from metal side is pinned

Els from metal must jump over barrier

Current is limited by speed of jumping
electrons (that the ones jumping from
the right cancel at equilibrium)

Unipolar majority carrier device, since
valence band is entirely inside metal band

Note the difference with p-n junctions!!
Barrier is not pinned

Els with zero kinetic energy can slide
down negative barrier to initiate current

Current is limited by how fast minority
carriers can be removed (diffusion rate)

Both el and hole currents important
(charges X-over and become min. carriers)
In both cases, were modulating the population
of backflowing electrons, hence the Shockley
form, but
V > 0
V < 0
V > 0
V < 0
ECE 663
Lets roll up our sleeves and do the algebra !!
J
sm
= 2qf(E
k
-E
F
)v
x
v
x
> v
min
,v
y
,v
z
dk
x
dk
y
dk
z
v
x
e
-(E
k
-E
F
)/kT
(
]
(2t)
3
/O
= 2q
E
k
-E
F
= (E
k
-E
C
) + (E
C
-E
F
)
E
C
- E
F
= q(|
Bn
-V
bi
)
E
k
- E
C
= m(v
x
2
+ v
y
2
+ v
z
2
)/2
m*v
min
2
/2 = q(V
bi
V)
k
x,y,z
= m*v
x,y,z
/
V > 0
V
bi
- V
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This means
J
sm
= q(m*)
3
O/4t
3

3


dv
y
e
-m*v
y
2
/2kT
(
]

-
dv
z
e
-m*v
z
2
/2kT
(
]

-
dv
x
v
x
e
-m*v
x
2
/2kT
(
]

v
min
x e
-q(|
Bn
-V
bi
)/kT

\(2tkT/m*) \(2tkT/m*) (kT/m*)e
-m*v
min
2
/2kT

= (kT/m*)e
-q(V
bi
-V)kT

= qm*k
2
T
2
/2t
2

3
e
-q(|
Bn
-V)kT

= A*T
2
e
-q(|
Bn
-V)kT

A* = 4tm*qk
2
/h
3

= 120 A/cm
2
/K
2

dxe
-x
2
/2o
2

= o\2t

-
(
]
dx xe
-x
2
/2o
2

= o
2
e
-A
2
/2o
2


A
(
]
J = A*T
2
e
-q|
BN
/
kT
(e
qV/kT
-1)
In regular pn junctions, charge needs to move through
drift-diffusion, and get whisked away by RG processes

MS junctions are majority carrier devices, and RG is not
as critical. Charges that go over a barrier already have
high velocity, and these continue with those velocities to
give the current
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Forward current density vs applied voltage of W-Si and W-GaAs diodes
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Thermionic Emission over the barrier low doping
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Tunneling through the barrier high doping
Schottky barrier becomes Ohmic !!
ECE 663