Ohmic contacts of Au and Ag metals to n-type GdN thin films

The rare-earth nitrides appear as attractive alternatives to dilute ferromagnetic semiconductors for spintronics device applications. Most of them combine the properties of the ferromagnet and the semiconductor, an exceedingly rare combination. In this work we have grown n-type polycrystalline semiconducting GdN layers between pre-deposited contacts made of Cr/Au and Cr/Ag. The resistivity of the GdN layers ranges from 4.4×10-4 Ωcm to 3.1×10-2 Ωcm depending on the nitrogen pressure during the growth. The electrical properties of metal/n-type GdN/metal planar junctions are investigated as a function of the temperature. The current voltage characteristics of the junctions were linear for temperatures ranging from 300 K down to 5 K, suggesting an ohmic contact between the Au or Ag metal and the n-type GdN layer.