Schottky barriers on n-type GaN films grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are characterized and derived. A thin Pt or a Pd layer is deposited by electron-gun evaporation to form Schottky contacts in a vacuum below 1×10−6 Torr. The Schottky barrier heights of Pt on the n-GaN film are determined to be 1.04 and 1.03 eV by current–voltage (C–V) and current density–temperature (J–T) measurements, respectively. Also based on C–V and J–T measurements, the measured barrier height of Pd on n-GaN is 0.94 and 0.91 eV, respectively. Schottky characteristics of Pt and Pd observed in the experiment are compared with those of Au and Ti in previous reports.
The Schottky barrier height of Ni on n-GaN has been measured to be 0.56 and 0.66 eV by capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–density–temperature (J–T) methods, respectively. Gallium nickel (Ga4Ni3) is formed as Ni is deposited on the GaN film, which affects the barrier height markedly. The thermal stability of Ni on GaN is also investigated by annealing these specimens at various temperatures. Specimen annealing at temperatures above 200 °C leads to the formation of nickel nitrides Ni3N and Ni4N at the interface of Ni and GaN. These interfacial compounds change the measured barrier height to 1.0 and 0.8 eV by C–V and J–T methods, respectively. Comparisons of Schottky characteristics of Ni with those of Pt, Pd, Au, and Ti are also discussed.
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