Metal-Semiconductor Contact Fermi Level Tunning Engineering
Talks, MECH7001 ME Department Student Seminar, The University of Hong Kong, HK
The ubiquitous metal-semiconductor contacts in semiconductor devices play the dominant role in device performance. They are as influential as semiconductor materials themselves. Two key factors affected by metal-semiconductor contact are the contact resistance and charge carrier barrier at the interface. These factors determine the electrical characteristics and efficiency of devices directly. The energy balance process after contact results in either facilitating or blocking effects on charge carrier transport across the interface, depending on the energy difference of the Fermi levels between two sides. This implies that adjusting the Fermi level before contact offers the potential to customize contact characteristics, allowing for larger flexibility in device fabrication and performance enhancement. In this talk, I will introduce the well-established theoretical models for evaluating metal-semiconductor contact, providing guidance for modifying and manipulating the material properties to design and improve device performance. Within this framework, I will discuss several selected works that demonstrated the engineering of Fermi level tunning through theoretical predictions and experimental validations. The successful manipulation of metal-semiconductor contacts propounds an effective strategy for designing ideal electronic devices with a better understanding of per se of the contact phenomenon.