The electrical properties of Cu-germanide(Cu3Ge)/n-type Ge Schottky contacts formed as a result of a solid state reaction between Cu and n-type Gewere investigated as a function of the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature and correlated with its microstructural evolution driven by the RTA process. The variations of the barrier height of Cu3Ge/ n-type Ge Schottky rectifiers caused by the RTA process were determined using current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) methods. The Cu3Ge film formed after annealing at 400 degrees C exhibited a relatively uniform surface and interface morphology. This led to the formation of a laterally homogenous Schottky barrier in the Cu3Ge/ n-type Ge Schottky diode, resulting in an improvement of its rectifying I-V behavior. On the other hand, after annealing above 500 degrees C, the Cu3Ge film was severely agglomerated without film continuity and eventually evolved into isolated islands at 600 degrees C. Such structural degradation of Cu3Ge led to a rapid decrease in the barrier height and an increase in the reverse leakage current of the Cu3Ge/ n-type Ge Schottky diode. The electric field dependence of the reverse current showed that the reverse leakage current in the Cu3(G)e/ n-type Ge Schottky diodes was dominated by a Poole-Frenkel emission mechanism, regardless of the RTA temperatures. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.