Optimization of Transmission Line Measurement (TLM) Structures for Specific Contact Resistivity Determination

Low resistance ohmic contacts are of extreme importance to modern semiconductor devices. As device sizes continue to shrink, it implies a reduction in the specific contact resistance pc. There are various methods for the measurement of pc, however the Transmission Line Model (TLM) is most popularly used to determine the specific contact resistivity for Integrated Circuits (IC) and Silicon Photovoltaics (PV) applications. Inconsistencies have been observed in literature between IC and PV devices as pc determination may depend on dimensions. Therefore, TLM test geometries need to optimized in order to minimize error. Optimimum values of TLM widths were fabricated and tested and systematic error was compared with that from simulations