Heat transfer modeling in metal-semiconductor structures

The paper reports on the first results of heat transfer modeling performed for metal-semiconductor structures based on A/sup 2/B/sup 6/ compounds. Current-voltage dependences were studied and numerically simulated in order to clarify the effect of thermal generation from the metallic contacts regions observed under electric field application. It is shown that one of principal parameters of the current-voltage dependence (determining the mode of operation of an active device), namely the non-ideality factor, is strongly influenced by the heat flowing through the contact regions.