CONTACT RESISTIVITY AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF METAL ELECTRODES ONTO MAGNESIUM SILICIDE AND HMS MATERIALS

In this work, the characterization of metal-semiconductor contacts on n-type polycrystalline Mg2Si and HMS substrate for the application of thermoelectric devices is presented. Different metal (e.g. Au, Cu, Ni) and interlayer (Al, Ti) were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering while an Ag-based alloy was melted onto the sample. Tribological measurements were carried out on the electrodes in order to evaluate their adhesion properties to the substrates. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) coupled with Field Emission Scanning Electron FE-SEM microscopy were applied to characterize the composition and morphology of the pellets on a heating stage. The electrical properties of the metal-semiconductor interfaces was investigated in term of their current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and contact resistance. The contact resistance was obtained with a custom-built apparatus, in which a tungsten carbide µ-probe shifts along the electrode/semiconductor interface, measuring the resistance at each point.