TITLE:
Theoretical Study on Electrical Properties of n-AlGaAs Schottky Barrier Diodes in a Diverse Temperature Range
AUTHORS:
Sonia Bouzgarrou, Hanan Al-Shamari
KEYWORDS:
Metal-Semiconductor Contacts, Thermionic Emission, Barrier Height, Electrical Behavior, Ideality Factor, Schottky Diodes
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: In this paper, we report the study of I-V characteristics for some metal work functions. The Schottky barrier structure is controlled by the metal work function using the MATLAB programming language. The study of the effect of metal work function proved its influence on device performance, and a significant dependence was observed between this parameter and the electrical parameters at room temperature. The temperature effect on the electrical characteristics of n-AlGaAs Schottky diodes has been investigated at various temperatures ranging from 50 K to 500 K. Thermionic emission theory is used to determine the electrical parameters of a device. As a result of I-V characteristics, the ideality factor (n) decreased with increasing temperature, while the barrier height (
∅
b
n
) increased. This strong dependence of Schottky diode parameters on temperature was attributed to the spatial inhomogeneity at the metal-semiconductor (MS) interface. By assuming a Gaussian distribution of the barrier heights at the MS interface, the inhomogeneity of the barrier height has been successfully explained. These results confirm the deviation of the TE current with decreasing temperature for Schottky diodes. These findings demonstrate that the n-AlGaAs structure exhibits a good diode and can be successfully applied in optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.