Junction Boundary Conditions for Heterojunctions

Y. F. Chang

Citation: Journal of Applied Physics 36, 3350 (1965); doi: 10.1063/1.1702978
View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1702978
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JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS VOLUME 36. NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 1965
Communications
Junction Boundary Conditions for Heterojunctions
Y. F. CHANG'
Purdue University. Lafayette. Indiana
(Received 4 January 1965; in final form 28 May 1965)
A
SET of junction boundary conditions for semiconductor
homojunctions based on the assumption of quasi-equilibrium
Boltzmann statistics was first proposed by Fletcher.! Harrick
2
arrived at the same results and experimentally verified the bound-
ary conditions by measurement of the injected carrier concentra-
tions by infrared techniques. The same analysis can be applied to
heterojunctions, a device composed of dissimilar semiconductors.3,4
Given two nondegenerate semiconductor materials in intimate
contact forming an abrupt heterojunction, their energy levels will
be related as shown in Fig. 1. Since the materials are nondegener-
ate the Boltzmann approximation of the Fermi-Dirac statistics
is 'and the conduction and valence bands can be considered
as energy levels Ec and Ev with associated equivalent densities
of states Nc and N
v
. The equilibrium concentrations of electrons
and holes in the two regions are related by the Boltzmann relations
Nc! exp(LJ..Ec) and f!.= Nv! exp(LJ..Ev). (1)
n2 Ne2 kT' P2 Nv2 kT
Initially, the forward direction of bias is taken as that which
will decrease LJ..Bc and increase LJ..Ev. The varying concentrations
of electrons and holes in the two regions are related by the qausi-
equilibirum Boltzmann statistics
and
n(l) = n1+o1= Nel exp(LJ..Ec-qV)
n(2) n2+o2 Ne2 kT'
pel) =PI+OI= Nv! exp(LJ..Ev+qv)
p(2) P2+IJ2 Nv2 kT'
(2)
where neutrality exists in the bulk regions, and iiI and 0, are the
injected carrier concentrations in regions land 2, respectively. It
is interesting to note that the carrier products in the two regions
are related by a voltage-independent parameter of the hetero-
junction, the ratio of intrinsic carrier concentrations,
p(l)n(l) = Nc1Nvl exp (/j,Ee +/j,Ev) = nil'. (3)
p(2)n(2) Ne2Nv2 kT ni"
It should be possible to verify this relationship by the technique of
Harrick 2 and establish the validity of Eq. (2), as was done for
Equation (2) can be easily solved for the injected
carrier concentrations;
01 =PI(e
aV
n2PIe2av) ,
pz P2nl
and (4)
REGION
E REGION I
"=:E
EVI N., - -__ -lL.-__ ..,.,... __ _
N'II Ev2
FIG. 1. Energy level relationship of a heterojunction.
REGION 2
REGION I
0,
FIG. 2. Discontinuities
in the energy bands of a
heterojunction.
Note added in proof: In
this figure. !>E, and D,
should be !>E, and D,.
The-above injection relations, Eq. (4), are for the case where
n2PJ/n!P2 is less than one. The forward bias is one that will de-
crease t:..Ec and increase t:..Ev. For the opposite case where nzPI/nlPz
is greater than one, the forward bias is one that will increase LJ..Ec
and decrease LJ..Ev, and the injection relations are then
and
(5)
With an eye on the injection relations for homojunctions, where
the denominator is [1-exp2a(V - Vb)], it is possible to define the
barrier potential of the heterojunction as
Vb= kTlln(nlP2) 1= I/j,Ec-t:..Evl + kTlln(NclNv2) I. (6)
2q PIn2 2q 2q Nv!Ne2
In terms of the effective masses, the second term becomes
3kT /4qlln (md*mh2*/mh!*me2*) I. This is the order of kT/q and is
very unlikely to be larger than 2kT/q. Therefore, it is neglected
in the discussion to follow.
Figure 2 is an energy-band diagram for a heterojunction where
LJ..Ec is larger than LJ..Ev. The discontinuities Dc and Dv are related
to t:..Ec and LJ..E. by
(7)
Substituting the simple expression for Vb, Eq. (6), into Eq. (7),
one obtains
This result states that, except for the possible correction of about
kT /q, the two discontinuities are equal to each other and the
average of LJ..Ec and LJ..E . This is in direct contrast to the Anderson
concept involving the electron affinity.3 In homojunctions, /j,Ec
and !lEv-as defined in Fig. 1-are equal and opposite; then, the
discontinuities are zero as they should be.
The polarity of forward bias is determined by the relative
magnitudes of t:..Ec and LJ..Ev, except for the possible correction of
kT/q. If t:..Ec is larger than dE., forward bias will be with positive
electrical potential on the wide-gap material. If LJ..Ec is smaller
than /j,E., forward bias will be with negative potential on the
wide-gap material. The Fermi levels in the two semiconductors
determine the polarity of forward bias in so far as they determine
the relative magnitudes of LJ..Ee and LJ..E . Lindley' has verified the
direction of forward bias and ts relation with LJ..Ec and LJ..E. using
the negative-temperature-gradient alloying technique.
6
* On sabbatical leave at the University of California. Los Angeles,
California during 1964-65.
1 N. H. Fletcher. J. Electron. 2. 610 (1957).
2 N. J. Harrick. J. Appl. Phys. 29. 764 (1958).
3 R. L. Anderson. Solid State Electron. 5. 341 (1962).
W. G. Oldham and A. G. Milnes. Solid State Electron. 6. 121 (1963).
W. T. Lindley (private communication).
Y. F. Chang and H. W. Thompson, Jr . J. Appl. Phys. 34, 3137 (1963).
3350
[This article is copyrighted as indicated in the article. Reuse of AIP content is subject to the terms at: http://scitation.aip.org/termsconditions. Downloaded to ] IP:
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