Enhanced Method of Schottky Barrier Diodes Performance Assessment

An elaborate characterization of Si Schottky diodes, fabricated with Ti and Mo contacts, is presented. Thermal treatment in forming gas is performed in order to improve the electrical performance of the fabricated samples. X-ray diffraction measurements show the presence of different metal silicides after the annealing. Contact inhomogeneity is confirmed following an electrical characterization over a wide temperature range (15-500K) for both types of Schottky diodes. Conventional parameterization demonstrates a variation with temperature for the main electrical parameters of a Schottky diode (ideality factor and Schottky barrier height). At least two Gaussian distributions of barriers on the contact surface are evinced by using a standard inhomogeneity model. In our case, this approach is limited to a temperature range of 25-200K. In order to assess the devices' behavior over a wider temperature range, our p-diode technique is used. According to it, each experimental sample is demonstrated to behave as three nearly ideal diodes connected in parallel. Thus, model-fitted curves are in excellent agreement with measurements in a temperature range of 60-500K. The comprehensive characterization techniques are able to identify Schottky diode sample performance over their entire operational domain.