Tunneling in CdTe Schottky Barriers

The tunneling characteristics of metal contacts on $n-\mathrm{CdTe}$ have been measured. Both the forward- and reverse-bias characteristics are in good agreement with the two-band model for the energy-complex-momentum relationship. The presence of trapping states increased the magnitude of the tunneling current at low levels by providing a two-step transition. The slope of the forward-bias ${log}_{e}J-\mathrm{versus}-V$ curves for tunneling through the intermediate states was reduced by a factor of 2.