Electrical characteristics of n-type nanocrystalline FeSi₂/intrinsic Si/ p-type Si heterojunctions prepared by facing-targets direct-current sputtering

n-Type nanocrystalline FeSi₂/intrinsic Si/p-type Si heterojunctions were prepared by FTDCS. In order to estimate their diode parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height and series resistance, their current-voltage characteristics were measured in the temperature range from 300 to 77 K and analyzed on the basis of thermionic emission theory and Cheung's method. Based on thermionic emission theory, the ideality factor was calculated from the slope of the linear part from the forward lnJ-V characteristics. The barrier height was calculated once the saturation current density was derived from the straight line intercept of lnJ-V plot at a zero voltage. The obtained results exhibit an increase of ideality factor and a decrease of barrier height at low temperatures, which might be owing to inhomogeneity of material and non-uniformity of charge at the interface. Based on Cheung's method, the ideality factor and barrier height were estimated from y-axis intercept of dV/d(lnJ)-J plot and y-axis intercept of H(J)-J plot, respectively. The series resistance was analyzed from the slopes of dV/d(lnJ)-J and H(J)-J plots. The values of ideality factor and barrier height obtained from this method are in agreement with those obtained from the thermionic emission theory. The obtained series resistances from dV/d(lnJ)-J and H(J)-J plots, which were approximately equal to each others, were increased as the temperature decreased. This result should be owing to the increased ideality factor and remarkably reduced carrier concentrations at low temperatures.