Disorder induced interface states and their influence on the AI/Ge nanowires Schottky devices

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Processo FAPESP: 09/51740-9

It has been demonstrated that the presence of oxide monolayers in semiconductor surfaces alters the electronic potential at surfaces and, consequently, can drastically affect the electronic transport features of a practical device such as a field effect transistor. In this work experimental and theoretical approaches to characterize Al/germanium nanowire Schottky devices by using samples covered with a thin oxide layer (2nm width) were explored. It was also demonstrated that the oxide layer on Ge causes a weak dependence of the metal work function on Schottky barrier heights indicating the presence of Fermi level pinning. From theoretical calculations the pinning factor S was estimated to range between 0.52 and 0.89, indicating a weak Fermi level pinning which is induced by the presence of charge localization at all nanowires' surface coming from interface states. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.