Thermal dependence on electrical characteristics of Au/(PVC:Sm₂O₃)/n-Si structure

In this study, we investigated the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Au/n-Si structure with an interfacial layer of Samarium Oxide (Sm₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix within a temperature range of 80–320 K. Applying the thermionic emission (TE) theory, essential electrical parameters such as reverse saturation current (I₀), ideality factor (n), zero bias barrier height (Φ_B0), series resistance (R_s), and rectification rate (RR) were carefully derived from the I–V data. The mean values of BH and Richardson constant obtained from the modified Richardson plot were determined to be 0.730 eV and 111.4 A/(cmK)², respectively. Remarkably, this A^* value closely matches its theoretical counterpart for n-type Si. Thus, our findings successfully highlight the effectiveness of the thermionic emission (TE) mechanism with the Gaussian distribution of BHs in explaining the I-V-T characteristics of the fabricated Schottky structure, shedding light on the intricate interplay between temperature and diode behavior. These insights offer valuable guidance for designing and optimizing thermal-sensitive devices based on this innovative structure.