3.1 The Metal-Semiconductor Junction - Introduction


Table of Contents - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R S ¬ ­ ®

3.1 The Metal-Semiconductor Junction - Introduction

Metal-to-semiconductor contacts are of great importance since they are present in every semiconductor device. They can behave either as a Schottky1 barrier or as an ohmic contact dependent on the characteristics of the interface. This chapter contains an analysis of the electrostatics of the M-S junction (i.e. the charge, field and potential distribution within the device) followed by a derivation of the current voltage characterisitics due to diffusion, thermionic emission and tunneling and a discussion of the non-ideal effects in Metal-Semiconductor junctions.


1Named after Walter Schottky
3. ¬ ­ ® 3.2

© Bart Van Zeghbroeck 1997