Open AccessFermi‐level depinning in germanium Schottky junction using nitrogen plasma treatment
Author(s) -
Janardhanam V.,
Yun H.J.,
Jyothi I.,
Lee H.K.,
Lee S.N.,
Won J.,
Choi C.J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
electronics letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.375
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1350-911X
pISSN - 0013-5194
DOI - 10.1049/el.2018.1066
Subject(s) - ohmic contact , germanium , passivation , materials science , plasma , fermi level , schottky barrier , schottky diode , condensed matter physics , layer (electronics) , nitrogen , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , silicon , electron , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , diode
Fermi‐level depinning in germanium (Ge) through nitrogen (N 2 ) plasma treatment is demonstrated. The Ge surface was exposed to N 2 plasma for 1 min without heat treatment, resulting in the formation of 2.5 nm‐thick GeO x N y layer with uniform surface and interface morphologies. Ohmic and Schottky behaviours were obtained for Al contacts to N 2 plasma‐treated n‐ and p‐type Ge with barrier heights of 0.09 and 0.40 eV, respectively. Fermi‐level depinning could be attributed to the reduction in interface states caused by the passivation of Ge surface by highly uniform GeO x N y layer.