a-Si:H Schottky gate on n-GaInAs

The metal Schottky contact leads to low barrier heights on small-gap (<1 eV) semiconductors. This is the case of the n-type GaInAs material matched to InP where this barrier does not exceed 0.3 eV. We have found an original method to improve this result considerably by using a deposition of an amorphous semiconductor a-Si or a-Si: H. A Pt metal acts as the Schottky contact on the amorphous layer. The device behaves like a heterostructure of a high-gap (amorphous layer: Eg¿1.8 eV) on a small-gap (GaInAs:0.75 eV) material. The Schottky-barrier height (0.8 eV) is greater than the GaInAs bandgap (0.75 eV). The reverse current is very low: 20 nA at 1 V reverse voltage for a 0.6 mm diode diameter. An FET using a-Si: H as a gate realised on a GaInAs layer shows a good electrical characteristic.