Microstructure and Schottky-barrier height of the Yb/GaAs interface

Different interfacial structures are found for Yb/GaAs(001) contacts with different Yb thicknesses, namely 3 and 20 A{}, by grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction with the use of synchrotron radiation. Different Schottky-barrier height values are also found for these samples. It is concluded that the metal-semiconductor contact, accompanied by reaction and diffusion, is homogeneous in the vicinity of the interface and that the Schottky-barrier height is not finally determined at the initial stage of interface formation for this system.