The effect of contact geometry on the value of contact resistivity extracted from Kelvin structures

A finite-element program that can model arbitrarily shaped contacts has been developed. It is used to evaluate the effects that changes in geometry, specific contact resistivity, sheet resistivity, and the modification of sheet resistivity under the contact have on contact systems. The Kelvin test structure is used to illustrate some of its capabilities. It is shown that the contact area of this test structure is of primary importance. The contact shape has little influence on the extracted value of contact resistance.