Current-voltage characteristics of AlxGa1−xAs Schottky barriers and p-n junctions

Abstract

Studies of temperature‐dependent current‐voltage (I‐V) characteristics of Al_xGa_1−xAs Schottky barriers and p‐n junctions indicate a gradual departure from theoretical behavior with decrease in temperature. The diode ideality factor n, which takes values between 1 and 2 at room temperature, increases to values between 1.5 and 4 at 94 K. It is shown that, if the ideality factor‐ambient temperature product is replaced by an appropriate effective temperature T*, the I‐V data appear to obey the theoretical formula at all temperatures. It is also shown that the 1‐kT I‐V characteristic of a p‐n diode can be described either by standard diffusion or thermionic emission theory. This enables one to determine the barrier heights of p‐n diodes from their 1‐kT I‐V plots.