Abstract:
Current-voltage characteristics of Au/Ni/n-GaN Schottky contacts have been measured in the
60-320 K temperature range. The zero bias barrier height, bo and ideality factor, n have been
studied as a function of temperature. The sharp increase in ideality factor at low temperatures
has been explained as an effect of thermionic field emission. The deviation of the
characteristics from the ideal thermionic behaviour are more pronounced with a decrease in
temperature, in which the results obtained indicate the presence of other current transport
mechanisms in the 60-280 K temperature range and the dominance of pure thermionic
emission current at 300 K. The increase in barrier height with increasing temperature has
been explained as an effect of barrier inhomogeneities.
