SURFACE PLASMON MODES AT A METAL-SEMICONDUCTOR CONTACT.

An investigation is made of the appearance of surface plasmon modes in the case when a metal is directly in contact with a semiconductor and also when there is an intermediate layer. The spectrum of surface plasmons is found for various parameters of the media in contact as a function of the thickness of the intermediate layer. It is shown that low-energy plasmons at metal-semiconductor contacts are an exception rather than the rule. It is concluded that the concept of surface plasmons is not self-consistent when used to account for the covalent-ionic correlation in the theory of Schottky barriers.