Electrodeposition of Ni-Si Schottky barriers

Electrodeposition is being used to fabricate magnetic microstructures directly on patterned n-type Si wafers of various substrate resistivities. The Ni-Si Schottky barrier is characterized and found to be of high quality for relatively low Si resistivities (1-2 Ω·cm), with extremely low reverse leakage. It is shown that a direct correlation exists among the electrodeposition potential, the roughness, and the coercivity of the films. A conductive seed layer or a back contact is not compulsory for electrodeposition on Si with resistivities up to 15 Ω·cm. This shows that electrodeposition of magnetic materials on Si might be a viable fabrication technique for magnetoresistance and spintronics applications.