Detailed analysis of possible current-transport mechanisms (CTMs) in Au/(P3DMTFT)/n-GaAs Schottky diodes (SDs) in a wide range of temperature

In this study, Au/Poly[3-(2,5-dimethyl-4-thienyl)phenylthiophene](P3DMTFT)/n-GaAs Schottky diodes were produced, and their CTMs were evaluated between 80 and 320 K using current/voltage (I-V)characteristics. Using the standard thermionic emission (TE) theory/model, basic electrical parameters were extracted from the forward bias voltages at each temperature. Fluctuations in the barrier height ( BH, Phi B0 ), and ideality factor (n) were attributed to BH inhomogeneity, which was assumed to follow a Gaussian distribution (GD) across the metal-semiconductor contact. The Richardson-Arrhenius curve deviated from linearity at lower temperatures. The A B0 and n against q/2 kT graphs exhibited two distinct linear regions with differing slopes. These are two key indicators that there is a double Gaussian distribution between metal and semiconductor. To improve the analysis, a modified Richardson plot was created utilizing the standard deviation (sigma s0) values from the slopes of the two linear sections of Phi B0-q/2 kT. The energy-dependent profiles of the surface states (Nss) were also derived using the forward-bias I-V data.