Characteristic diode parameters in thermally annealed Ni/p-InP contacts

The Ni/p-InP Schottky diodes (SDs) have been prepared by DC magnetron sputtering deposition. After the diode fabrication, they have been thermally annealed at 700 °C for 1 min in N₂ atmosphere. Then, the current–voltage characteristics of the annealed and non-annealed (as-deposited) SDs have been measured in the measurement temperature range of 60–400 K with steps of 20 K under dark conditions. After 700 °C annealing, an improvement in the ideality factor value has been observed from 60 to 200 K and the barrier height (BH) value approximately has remained unchanged in the measurement temperature range of 200–400 K. The BH of the annealed diode has decreased obeying the double-Gaussian distribution (GD) of the BHs with decreasing measurement temperature from 200 to 60 K. The BH for the as-deposited diode has decreased with decreasing temperature obeying the single-GD over the whole measurement temperature range. An effective Richardson constant value of 54.21 A/cm²K² for the as-deposited SD has been obtained from the modified Richardson plot by the single-GD plot, which is in very close agreement with the value of 60 A/K²cm² for p-type InP. The series resistance value of the annealed SD is lower than that of the non-annealed SD at each temperature and approximately has remained unchanged from 140 to 240 K. Thus, it can be said that an improvement in the diode parameters has been observed due to the thermal annealing at 700 °C for 1 min in N₂ atmosphere. (paper)