Resistance fluctuations in ohmic contacts due to discreteness of dopants

Abstract
The role of fluctuations in the potential due to randomly distributed dopants in the depletion layer of a metal‐semiconductor junction is explored. To be specific, the case of n‐GaAs is considered. Monte Carlo simulation techniques are used to calculate the potential in the junction. By using the WKB approximation and the two‐band model, the small‐signal resistance at zero bias is found to be lowered by up to half an order of magnitude from the result assuming a continuum distribution of dopant charge. The resistance is found to vary by an order of magnitude in the plane of the interface resulting in a very nonuniform distribution of the current.

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