title: Well-patterned metal-semiconductor interface improving contact conductance.
abstract: In an aluminum/silicon system, contact conductance (Gc) and Al crystallization can improve by using the hole array on Si, which is built by electron-beam lithography, and increase with decreasing hole size; this improves Gc from 0.004 microS to 13.390 microS. TEM results show Al crystals located inside and near the holes. The ratio of the total Al grain area over the pad area, defined in short form as Ac, is improved from 0.007 to 0.359. An experimental model demonstrates that Gc is proportional to Ac, divided by the square of the interfacial oxygen content. The well-known Al/Si system, chosen as a vehicle, verifies this paper's methodology and provides an alternative to a highly doped or annealing process for Gc improvement. Most significantly, it yields a more robust and well-controlled interface and overcomes obstacles in the newly introduced material system. It also addresses devices with the size narrowed into the deep nanoscale domain. The methodology prevents an inherently non-planar Al/Si interface.
authors: Graduate Institute of Electronics Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors: Jong-Lih
authors: JL
authors: Li
authors: Chieh-Hsiung
authors: CH
authors: Kuan
authors: Ting-Wei
authors: TW
authors: Liao