In-situ study of electrical transport in Pd/n-Si under high energy ion irradiation

The understanding of the influence of energetic ions on the transport properties of semiconductor materials is essential to design the devices for use in a radiation environment. In this article, an in-situ investigation of the effect of 100 MeV O7+ irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics of the Pd/n-Si Schottky barrier structure is carried out. It is observed that the interface barrier parameters (Ideality Factor, Schottky barrier height and reverse saturation current) are a strong function of ion fluence. The voltage dependence of conduction mechanisms indicates the presence of defects near the interface as well as in bulk silicon. The energy loss mechanisms of energetic ions in the Pd/n-Si structure are used to explain the observed results after irradiation.