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New Al-Ni-Ge Contacts on GaAs; Their Structure and Electrical Properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

Z. Liliental-Weber
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Materials, Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720
J. Washburn
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Materials, Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720
C. Musgrave
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Minerals Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
E. R. Weber
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Minerals Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
R. Zuleeg
Affiliation:
McDonnell Douglas Microelectronics Center, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
W. V. Lamper
Affiliation:
Materials Laboratory Air Force Wright Patterson Aeronautical Laboratories, AFWAL/MLBM, WPAFB, Ohio 45433-6533
T. W. Haas
Affiliation:
Materials Laboratory Air Force Wright Patterson Aeronautical Laboratories, AFWAL/MLBM, WPAFB, Ohio 45433-6533
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Abstract

The structure and composition of the recently developed Al-Ni-Ge ohmic contacts to n-GaAs were investigated by transmission electron microscopy combined with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Auger spectroscopy. The semiconductor/metal-alloy interface of these contacts remain very flat after annealing (500°C, for 1 min - contact resistance 1.4×10−6Ωcm2), in contrast to the widely used Au-Ni-Ge contacts. The metal sequence during deposition is found to be a critical factor in determining the electrical contact properties and the dispersion of the oxide layer on the semiconductor surface after chemical cleaning. Ge doping of the GaAs beneath the contact layer was observed by SIMS, and a tunneling mechanism through the n+GaAs:Ge layer was proposed to explain the ohmic properties of the contacts.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1988

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References

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