An Investigation of the Al/n-GaAs Diodes with High Schottky Barrier Heights

Abstract

Thermally stable Al/n-GaAs Schottky contacts, up to annealing temperature at 500 °C for 20 seconds, have been realized by sputter deposition from an Al target to (100) n-GaAs at a base pressure ∼2×10−7 Torr. The Schottky barrier height was 0.75 eV (0.9 eV) when using the I-V (C-V) method with an ideality factor of 1.09 for the as-deposited samples. The Schottky barrier height increased to 0.97 eV (1.06 eV) with an ideality factor of 1.07 after annealing at 400 °C for 20 seconds. This barrier height, 0.97 eV, is the highest value reported for Al/n-GaAs diodes. The interfacial stability between Al and GaAs has been examined by cross section transmission electron microscopy. A (200) dark field cross section transmission electron microscopy image of the contact after annealing at 600 °C showed that the (Ga,Al)As phase formed at the interface and the enhancement of the Schottky barrier height was due to the formation of this phase.