Deep levels introduced during electron-beam deposition of metals on n-type silicon

Near-surface damage introduced during fabrication of Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) by electron-beam (E-beam) deposition of various metals on n-type silicon has been investigated using deep level transient spectroscopy. The main defect was observed at Ec -0.42 eV and is annealed out at 400 °C. The interaction of E-beam deposition induced defects with defects which had been introduced in the substrate by irradiation with high-energy electrons was also observed in Pd and Pd/Au SBDs. Therefore erroneous conclusions can be made when using SBDs fabricated by E-beam deposition to characterize defects introduced by some other process near the interface of a SBD.