Influence of Near-Surface Defects in Si Induced by Reactive Ion Etching on the Electrical Properties of the Pt/n-Si Interface

We investigated the influence of near-surface defects induced by reactive ion etching on the electrical properties of the Pt/n-Si interface. By analyzing the temperature dependence of the I-V characteristics of the damaged interface, we confirmed that the dominant current transport in the interface was the thermionic emission process under our experimental conditions. The Schottky barrier height was lowered due to the change in the Fermi-level position at the interface. The positively charged donor-like defects are responsible for the change in the Fermi-level at the damaged interface.