I-V characteristics of Schottky/metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes with tunnel thin barriers

Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and their temperature dependence, of Schottky and metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes with tunnel thin insulating layers, are theoretically and experimentally studied. The effective barrier height of a Schottky diode becomes low and strongly dependent upon the applied voltage, when the impurity density of the semiconductor increases such that the tunnel current dominates the total current. The I-V curves and their temperature dependence, of the tunnel thin MIS diodes strongly reflect the characteristics of the Schottky diodes, although the insulating layers suppress the currents, depending upon their I-layers thickness.