Fluctuations of the Au-Si(100) Schottky barrier height

Schottky barrier height fluctuations of Au films on Si(100) are directly imaged with nm-scale resolution by ballistic electron emission. Fluctuations are made visible by using a highly doped (Nd{}10¹⁷ cm^-3) substrate. Randomly distributed (approximately 10¹³ cm^-2) spots (about 2 nm in diameter) of reduced barrier height (typical {Δ}{Φ}=20--50 meV) are observed. The microscopic distribution of barrier heights effective in emission is consistent with mean barrier height values measured by standard techniques.