Analysis of Temperature‐Dependent Characteristics of Cr/P‐Doped Si Schottky Barrier Diodes before and after 5.4 MeV 241 Am 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 241 Am source at a fluence of 1.3 × 10 10 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.