Strained Pt Schottky diodes on n-type Si and Ge

The variation of electron barrier height and built-in voltage of Pt Schottky diodes on the mechanically strained n-type Si and Ge is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The mechanical strain is measured by Raman spectroscopy and analyzed by the finite element method. The built-in voltage and barrier height measured by capacitance-voltage and current-voltage methods, respectively, decrease with increasing external tensile strain. The reduction of the built-in voltage and barrier height originates mainly from the conduction band lowering with strain. The extracted value of conduction band lowering is consistent with the theoretical calculations using the "stress-free" boundary condition. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.