Analysis of Temperature-Dependent Characteristics of Cr/P-Doped Si Schottky Barrier Diodes before and after 5.4 MeV ²⁴¹Am Irradiation

Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) based on chromium contacts on n-type silicon (Cr/n-Si) were fabricated using electron beam deposition and systematically characterised before and after 5.4 MeV alpha-particles from a ²⁴¹Am source at a fluence of 1.3 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻². Temperature-dependent current–voltage (IV) and capacitance–voltage (CV) measurements from 60 to 300 K revealed strong temperature and irradiation influence on Cr/n-Si SBD parameters. The reverse leakage current decreased at lower temperatures, indicating suppressed activity of deep-level defects. Alpha-particle irradiation introduced barrier height inhomogeneities and caused a slight deviation in the modified Richardson constant from the theoretical value for n-Si (112 A.cm⁻².K⁻²). Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) confirmed the introduction of additional electrically active defects after irradiation. Despite these changes, the diodes maintained stable rectifying behaviour, demonstrating their potential of Cr/n-Si SBDs for use in radiation-hardened and cryogenic electronic applications.