A Composite TE-TFE-FE Model for Schottky Barrier Reverse Current over the Entire Electric-Field Range

Abstract

Schottky barriers in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors can sustain very large electric fields under reverse bias due to the access of very large barrier heights (>1 eV) and the very high intrinsic breakdown field (>3 MV/cm) of WBG semiconductors [1]. Under high surface electric-fields (E), the ideal reverse-bias leakage current (JR) is dominated by barrier tunneling rather than thermionic emission (TE), thus thermionic-field-emission (TFE) or field-emission (FE) becomes the dominant mechanism [1] [2]. Therefore, to accurately describe the reverse current over the entire surface electric-field range, TFE and FE models are required in addition to the TE model.