Analysis of temperature sensitive electrical performance of sputter grown Ni and Ni–Cr Schottky contacts on 4 H-SiC

Abstract

This paper studies the temperature-dependent electrical transport properties of nickel (Ni) and nickel–chromium (Ni–Cr) sputtered on n-type 4 H-SiC substrate. Barrier inhomogeneities have been found to affect the electrical parameter of the Schottky barrier diode (SBD) from 323 to 423 K temperature range, We have done current–voltage characterization of Ni and Ni–Cr Schottky junctions. The barrier height , reverse saturation current , ideality factor and series resistance were obtained from I–V characteristics of Ni and Ni–Cr and these parameters are observed to be highly dependent on temperature. It has been observed that Ni–Cr contact has exhibited better electrical characteristics as well as thermal sensitivity as compared to Ni. This may be attributed to the smaller number of barrier inhomogeneities at the Ni–Cr/4 H-SiC interface. In the temperature range from 323 to 423 K, Ni and Ni–Cr-based Schottky contacts, Following observation has been noticed (a). Schottky barrier height (SBH) increased from 1.24 to 1.37 eV and 1.15 to 1.45 eV, (b). Ideality factors reduced from 3.76 to 2.61 and 3.20 to 2.53, (c). Series resistance decreased from 10.22 to 3.37 and 2.45 to 1.16 , and (d). Reverse leakage current to A and to A respectively. The V–T curves for both SBDs are investigated (for the same temperature range) to calculate their thermal sensitivity at and A, respectively. The V–T curves with linear behavior are used to calculate the thermal sensitivity coefficient , which was found to be 7.11 to 7.93 mV/K for the Ni–Cr SBD, and 7.1 to 20.01 mV/K for the Ni/4 H-SiC contacts. The sensitivity-current characteristics for the Ni/4 H-SiC SBD were found to be a non-linear comparison with Ni–Cr/4 H-SiC SBD, which may be attributed to the presence of a highly resistive and non-uniform coating of Ni at the interface.