Electrical characterization of CVD diamond-n(+) silicon junctions

The electrical characteristics of CVD-diamond/n(+)-Si heterojunction devices are reported. Below 250 K the diodes show an unusual inversion of their rectification properties. This behavior is attributed to an enhanced tunneling component due to interface states, which change their occupation with the applied bias. The temperature dependence of the loss tangent shows two relaxation processes with different activation energies. These processes are likely related with two parallel charge transport mechanisms, one through the diamond grain, and the other through the grain boundary. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. Ah rights reserved.

UV and visible photoconductivity of undoped diamond films: morphology and related electrical transport phenomena

UV and visible photoconductivity and electrical features of undoped diamond thin films grown by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition (MP-CVD) on silicon and copper substrates are studied. The results are correlated with morphology properties analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-Raman. The photoconductivity presents several bands from 1.8 to 3.8 eV that are dependent on the substrate used to grow the samples in spite of some common bands observed. The J-V curve tin DC) in samples grown on Si has a rectifier behaviour (Schottky emission) in opposition to the samples grown on Cu that have no rectification (SCLC conduction). With these results we can conclude that diamond based optoelectronic devices behaviour is controlled by two kinds of structural defects localized in microcrystal and in its boundaries. A general structure model for the optoelectronic behaviour is discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Electrical characterization of the rectifying contact between aluminium and electrodeposited poly(3-methylthiophene)

A detailed investigation both of the DC and of the AC electrical properties of the Schottky barrier formed between aluminium and electrodeposited poly(3-methylthiophene) is reported. The devices show rectification ratios up to 2 x 10(4) which can be increased further after post-metal annealing. The reverse characteristics of the devices follow predictions based on the image-force lowering of the Schottky barrier, from which the doping density can be estimated, As the forward voltage increases, the device current is limited by the bulk resistance of the polymer with some evidence for injection limitation at the gold counter-electrode at high bias. In the bulk-limited regime, the device current is thermally activated near room temperature with an activation energy in the range 0.2-0.3 eV. Below about 150 K the device current is almost independent of temperature. Capacitance-voltage plots obtained at frequencies well below the device relaxation frequency indicate the presence of two distinct acceptor states, A set of shallow acceptor states are active in forward bias and are believed to determine the bulk conductivity of the polymer. A set of deeper accepters are active only for very small forward voltages and for all reverse voltages, namely when band banding causes the Fermi energy to cross these states. The density of these deeper states is approximately an order of magnitude greater than that of the shallow states. Evidence is presented also for the influence of fabrication conditions on the formation of an insulating interfacial layer at the rectifying interface. The presence of such a layer leads to inversion at the polymer surface and a modification of the I-V characteristics.

Polycrystalline diamond thin film as wide bandgap material: the optoelectronic behaviour and the relationship with the structure

In this work metal - Microwave Plasma CVD diamond Schottky devices were studied. The current density vs. applied voltage reveals rectification ratios up to 10(4) at \ +/- 2V \. Under illumination an inversion and increase of the rectification is observed. The carrier density is 10(15) cm(-3) and the ideality factors near 1.5. The dark current vs. temperature shows that below 150 K the bulk transport is controlled by a hopping process with a density of defects of 10(16) cm(-3). For higher temperatures an extrinsic ionisation with activation energy of 0.3 eV takes place. The correlation with the polycrystalline nature of the samples is focused.

Interface properties and capacitance-voltage behaviour of diamond devices prepared by microwave-assisted CVD

Free standing diamond films were used to study the effect of diamond surface morphology and microstructure on the electrical properties of Schottky barrier diodes. By using free standing films both the rough top diamond surface and the very smooth bottom surface are available for post-metal deposition. Rectifying electrical contacts were then established either with the smooth or the rough surface. The estimate of doping density from the capacitance-voltage plots shows that the smooth surface has a lower doping density when compared with the top layers of the same film. The results also show that surface roughness does not contribute significantly to the frequency dispersion of the small signal capacitance. The electrical properties of an abrupt asymmetric n(+)(silicon)-p(diamond) junction have also been measured. The I-V curves exhibit at low temperatures a plateau near zero bias, and show inversion of rectification. Capacitance-voltage characteristics show a capacitance minimum with forward bias, which is dependent on the environment conditions. It is proposed that this anomalous effect arises from high level injection of minority carriers into the bulk.

Charge transport in poly(3-methylthiophene) schottky barrier diodes

Schottky-barrier devices were formed from electropolymerised films of poly (3-methylthiophene) (PMeT). Thermal annealing of a partially undoped film led to diodes with rectification ratios as high as 5900 at 1 V and 50,000 at 2.5 V and ideality factors slightly above 2. The temperature dependence of ac loss tangent and forward currents are identical suggesting that bulk effects dominate device behaviour event at very low forward voltages. Below 250 K forward currents are essentially independent of temperature. Preliminary TSC measurements show the presence of at least two trapping levels in the devices. © 1993.

Photoconductivity and electrical properties of diamond films grown by MPCVD

The electrical and photoconductive features of as-grown microwave-plasma-assisted chemical-vapour deposition (MPCVD) diamond films are studied in correlation with magnetic results obtained from electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Also, the morphology is analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) showing [111] crystals with a good uniformity of the deposit. The photoresponse as well the current-voltage features observed show an efficient photogeneration of carriers while the optoelectronic characteristics of the metal-diamond junction have an ideality factor of 1.6 together with a rectification ratio of about 10(4) at +/-2.5 V. The nature of the mechanisms responsible for the conduction is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.