Highly rectifying heterojunctions of n-type nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films to p-type 4H-SiC substrates are fabricated to develop p-n junction diodes operable at high temperatures. In reverse bias condition, a potential barrier for holes at the interface prevents the injection of reverse leakage current from the NCD into the SiC and achieves the high rectification ratios of the order of 107 at room temperature and 104 even at 570 K. The mechanism of the forward current injection is described with the upward shift of the defect energy levels in the NCD to the conduction band of the SiC by forward biasing. The forward current shows different behavior from typical SiC Schottky diodes at high temperatures.
Electrical contacts of Ni, NiSi, Cu, Au, Al, and Ti electrodes to an n-type nanocrystalline diamond film are studied at temperatures between room temperature and 500 °C in a vacuum by the transmission line measurement. Direct current-voltage characteristics measured between pairs of electrodes on the film show almost straight lines, typical of ohmic contacts, for all kinds of electrode materials. The measured series resistance is divided into resistance of the film, resistance of the electrode, and the contact resistance between the electrode and film. The Ni electrode has the lowest contact resistance, which decreases from about 380 to 200 mΩ cm2 with temperature. The contact resistance accounts for a large portion of the total resistance at low temperatures. The results confirm that the contact resistance has a close relation with the work function of electrodes such that the larger the work function, the lower the contact resistance.
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