Abstract
The effects of indentation on the electrical resistance of rectifying gold-chromium contacts on silicon and germanium have been studied using nanoindentation techniques. The DC resistance of circuits consisting of positively and negatively biased contacts with silicon and germanium in the intervening gap was measured while indenting either directly in the gap or on the contacts. Previous experiments showed that a large decrease in resistance occurs when an indentation bridges a gap, which was used to support the notion that a transformation from the semiconducting to the metallic state occurs beneath the indenter. The experimental results reported here, however, show that a large portion of the resistance drop is due to decreases in the resistance of the metal-to-semiconductor interface rather than the bulk semiconductor. Experimental evidence supporting this is presented, and a simple explanation for the physical processes involved is developed which still relies on the concept of an indentation-induced, semiconducting-to-metallic phase transformation.
References
27
Referenced
122
10.1103/PhysRevLett.59.2795
{'key': 'S0884291400016289_ref026', 'first-page': '195', 'volume': '12', 'author': 'Puttick', 'year': '1979', 'journal-title': 'J. Phys.'}
/ J. Phys. by Puttick (1979)10.1007/BF00569288
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb05119.x
10.1557/JMR.1988.0141
{'key': 'S0884291400016289_ref021', 'first-page': '90', 'volume-title': 'ASTM STP 889', 'author': 'Oliver', 'year': '1986'}
/ ASTM STP 889 by Oliver (1986)10.1557/JMR.1991.1129
{'key': 'S0884291400016289_ref017', 'first-page': '54', 'volume-title': 'The Science of Hardness Testing and Its Research Applications', 'author': 'Gilman', 'year': '1973'}
/ The Science of Hardness Testing and Its Research Applications by Gilman (1973)10.1038/273406a0
10.1038/271732a0
10.1007/BF02652912
10.1007/BF00720435
- 13. Sargent P. M. , “Factors Affecting Microhardness of Solids”, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Cambridge (1981).
10.1002/pssa.2210140121
10.1063/1.332434
10.1080/01418618308234914
10.1063/1.327714
10.1063/1.1754832
10.1016/0036-9748(89)90488-2
10.1103/PhysRevB.34.4679
10.1103/PhysRevLett.60.2156
10.1557/JMR.1986.0162
10.1016/0022-3697(62)90085-9
10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.775
10.1016/0375-9601(84)90219-6
{'key': 'S0884291400016289_ref025', 'first-page': '13', 'volume': '3', 'author': 'Sata', 'year': '1969', 'journal-title': 'Bull. Jpn. Soc. Prec. Engrg.'}
/ Bull. Jpn. Soc. Prec. Engrg. by Sata (1969)10.1080/14786437408213238
Dates
Type | When |
---|---|
Created | 17 years, 11 months ago (Sept. 27, 2007, 6:39 a.m.) |
Deposited | 4 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 24, 2021, 4:42 p.m.) |
Indexed | 2 months ago (June 26, 2025, 6:46 a.m.) |
Issued | 33 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 1992) |
Published | 33 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 1992) |
Published Online | 14 years, 6 months ago (Jan. 31, 2011) |
Published Print | 33 years, 4 months ago (April 1, 1992) |
@article{Pharr_1992, title={Electrical resistance of metallic contacts on silicon and germanium during indentation}, volume={7}, ISSN={2044-5326}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/jmr.1992.0961}, DOI={10.1557/jmr.1992.0961}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Materials Research}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Pharr, G.M. and Oliver, W.C. and Cook, R.F. and Kirchner, P.D. and Kroll, M.C. and Dinger, T.R. and Clarke, D.R.}, year={1992}, month=apr, pages={961–972} }