Tunneling spectroscopy in p-type silicon

Tunneling in boron doped p-type silicon metal-semiconductor and metal-insulator-semiconductor tunnel junctions has been studied at low temperatures by measuring the derivatives, di/dV and d2i/dV2, of the current-voltage characteristics as functions of applied bias voltage V. The junctions were prepared by evaporating metal contacts onto vacuum and air cleaved silicon surfaces. The general features of the tunneling conductance were found to be in qualitative agreement with existing theories of tunneling in semiconductors. Structure in the derivative data resulting from the interaction of tunneling electrons with silicon zone center optical phonons and boron local-mode phonons has been observed. The optical phonon lineshapes in the most heavily doped MIS units are shown to compare well with the theoretical line shapes in which modifications in the bulk semiconductor states arising from electron-optical phonon interactions in the semiconductor electrode have been included. Anomalous zero-bias conductance minima were observed in the tunneling characteristics of the silicon MS junctions. At least a part of this structure is attributed to intermediate state tunneling whereby electrons tunnel from one electrode to the other in two steps via intermediate states localized in the depletion region of the semiconductor. The source of the remaining structure is not known.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Cullen, Donald E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Compton, W.D.

• tunneling spectroscopy
• p-type silicon
• boron doped silicon metal semiconductor
• metal insulator semiconductor

Statement dc:rights

• 1970 Donald Edward Cullen

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

6059317

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/25807