The Schottky barrier and charge transport through the Cu/Al2O3 interface

The charge transport through the interface between metal and semiconductor is important for conductive performance. In this work, we systematically studied the Schottky barrier and charge transport properties of the Cu/Al2O3 interface. Using density functional theory plus the nonequilibrium green function method, a 8.8 eV bandgap of Al2O3 is obtained and the Schottky barrier is calculated for the oxygen and aluminium terminated interfaces. The charge transport properties are found to depend sensitively on the combination of the interfaces. The Schottky barrier and charge transport properties found in the Cu/Al2O3 interface can guide its applications in the field of integrated circuits and metal-ceramic composites.