Effects of Low-Energy Gas Discharges on Evaporated Metal-Semiconductor Contacts

Abstract
Exposure of the surface of chemically clean 5 ohm-cm germanium to a low-energy gas discharge prior to evaporating onto it a platinum diode produced results dependent on the gas used. Exposure of n-type material to an oxygen or nitrogen discharge destroyed rectification completely; exposure to a hydrogen or argon discharge not only maintained it but tended to counteract the effect of the former gases. These results indicate that such oxygen and nitrogen bombardment lower the effective barrier, making the surface more n-type, but hydrogen and argon bombardment make it more p-type. This can be explained by the introduction of gas-dependent interface states.

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