Properties of Schottky contacts of aluminum on strained Si1−x−yGexCy layers

Schottky contacts of Al/Si1−x−yGexCy were fabricated using conventional Si technology. Effects of thermal processing of the alloys on the electrical properties of the Al/Si1−x−yGexCy Schottky diodes were investigated. Current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V), and x‐ray diffraction measurements were performed. These thick alloy films (100–150 nm) experienced strain relaxation upon annealing at 700 °C. Nearly ideal I–V and C–V behaviors were obtained for strain‐compensated samples. I–V and C–Vcharacteristics show evidence of dislocation‐related traps for strain‐relaxed samples. Carbon incorporation improves the I–V and C–V characteristics by lessening the extent of lattice relaxation due to thermal processing.