Superior device characteristics of needle-contact Ge Schottky barrier diodes for low-power applications

Abstract We measured and compared the I – V characteristics of needle- and junction-contact Ge Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The threshold voltage ( V th ) of I – V characteristics in needle-contact SBDs was revealed to be lower than that of junction-contact SBDs, which resulted in higher current in the low-voltage region. This indicates that needle-contact SBDs are more suitable for low-power applications. The lower V th in needle-contact SBDs indicates the lower Schottky barrier height. We proposed a band diagram of needle-contact SBDs, where the lower Schottky barrier height is assumed considering the effect of surface potential. We confirmed the validity of the model by fitting analysis.