Microstructural analysis of Au/Pt/Ti contacts to p-type InGaAs

A detailed study on the microstructural changes that occur on annealing of Au/Pt/Ti ohmic contacts to n-type InGaAs has been carried out. The metal layers were deposited sequentially by electron beam evaporation onto InGaAs, doped with Zn to a level of 7 × 10¹⁸ cm^–3, that was epitaxially grown on < 100 > InP substrates. The deposition sequence and metal layer thicknesses were: Ti (25 or 30 nm), Pt (25 or 30 nm) and Au (250 or 300 nm). Samples were annealed at temperatures ranging from 250–425 C in a nitrogen atmosphere. As-deposited contacts were Schottky barriers, while a minimum contact resistance of 2 × 10^–5 cm² was obtained by annealing in the 375–425 C range. Annealing resulted in the inward diffusion of Ti and outward diffusion of In and As, leading to the formation of TiAs, metallic In and Ga-rich InGaAs at the Ti/InGaAs interface. The Pt diffusion barrier was effective in preventing In diffusion into the outer Au layer and minimizing Au diffusion to the semiconductor.     

两步镀膜Ti/Al/Ti/Au的n型GaN欧姆接触研究

报道了一种可靠稳定且低接触电阻的n型GaN欧姆接触。首先在掺硅的n型GaN(3×1018cm-3)蒸镀Ti(30nm)/Al(500nm),然后在氮气环境530℃合金化3min,最后蒸镀Ti(100nm)/Au(1000nm)用于保护Al层不被氧化。该接触电极有良好的欧姆接触特性,比接触电阻率为8.8×10-5Ωcm2,表面平坦、稳定、易焊线,可应用于制作高性能的GaN器件.     

Ti/Al/Ni/Au在N-polar GaN上的欧姆接触

N-polar GaN以其特有的材料特性和化学活性日益受到研究者关注,而N-polar GaN上欧姆接触也成为研究的热点。以Ti/Al/Ni/Au作为欧姆接触金属,分析了N-polar GaN上欧姆接触的最优退火条件,并借助剖面透射电子显微镜(TEM)和能量色散X射线能谱仪(EDX)研究了金属和N-polar GaN之间的反应生成物。结果表明,当退火温度升高到860℃时,可得到比接触电阻率ρc为1.7×10~(-5)Ω·cm~2的最优欧姆接触特性。TEM和EDX测试发现,除了生成已报道的AlN,还会在界面处产生多晶AlO_x,两者共同作用会进一步拉高势垒,从而对N-polar GaN上欧姆接触产生不利影响。     

Ti/Al/Ni/Au与n型GaN的欧姆接触研究

通过电流 电压 (I V)特性和传输线方法 (TLM )测量研究在n型GaN上淀积Ti/Al/Ni/Au电极形成欧姆接触的机制。Ni/Au作为Ti/Al的覆盖层起了阻止Ti ,Al,Au的互扩散及抗接触层氧化的作用。在 4 0 0℃到 90 0℃范围内 ,Ti/Al/Ni/Au与n型GaN的接触电阻随温度升高先略有上升 ,到 5 0 0℃以后单调下降。而表面形貌却在合金温度高于6 0 0℃以后随温度升高逐步变差。通过两步合金法得到了n GaN上Ti/Al/Ni/Au形成的接触电阻低达 9.6 5× 1 0 - 7Ωcm2 。最后还对两步合金法形成n GaN欧姆接触的机制进行了讨论。     

An investigation of Au/Mn contacts to p-type InP

The performance of a Au/Mn contact metallization to p-type InP has been reported. Electrical resistance measurements done on annealed contacts have been correlated to the accompanying microstructural changes, by means of electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Manganese was found to react readily with the underlying InP, leading to the formation of Mn₂P followed by MnP. Subsequent outward diffusion of indium towards the gold layer led to the formation of Au₃In, which replaced the original gold layer. Inward diffusion of gold resulted in the formation of an Au-In-Mn ternary phase at the MnP-InP interface. This phase may have supplied the necessary manganese for InP doping required to lower the contact resistance. A minimum resistance of 6 x 10^-4Ωcm² was obtained.     

Al and Ti/Al contacts on n-GaN

Al(60 nm) and Ti(40 nm)/Al(160 nm) metal layers have been deposited by thermal evaporation onto n-GaN epitaxial layers grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) on a c-plane sapphire substrate. The samples have been annealed at 300, 400, 700 or 900 °C for 10 min in vacuum. The microstructural and electrical properties of the contacts have been investigated by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and by current-voltage measurements. As-deposited Al and Ti/Al contacts were rectifying with Schottky barrier heights below 0.35 eV and 0.38 eV, respectively. After heat treatment at 300 °C and 400 °C both contacts exhibited linear current-voltage characteristics. After annealing at 700 °C Al contacts became rectifying with a barrier height of 0.42 eV, while Ti/Al contacts remained nearly linear at the same temperature. The electrical characteristics and XRD analysis indicated that the upper metal in Ti/Al contact diffused in the Ti layer already during deposition. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy revealed that in the case of Ti/Al contacts, the continuity of the Ti layers ceased when annealing above 700 °C. X-ray diffractions showed, that a Ti₂N interface phase formed in Ti/Al contacts at 700 and 900 °C, and an AlN interface phase developed in the same contact at 900 °C.     

Improved Al/Si ohmic contacts to p-type 4H-SiC

An AlSi-based ohmic contact with a new composition is reported in this paper. AlSi(2%)Ti(0.15%) contacts are formed by evaporation on p-type 4H-SiC grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and annealed in the temperature range from 700 to 950°C. The ohmic behaviour has been checked by I–V characteristics and the contact resistivity has been measured by the linear transmission-line-model (TLM) method. The dependence of the contact resistivity on the annealing conditions has been studied. An ohmic behaviour has been established at 700°C while the lowest contact resistivity value of 9.6×10⁻⁵ Ω cm² has been obtained after annealing at 950°C. The thermal stability of both Al/Si/SiC and AlSiTi/SiC contacts at a temperature of 600°C has been studied. It has been found that the AlSiTi/SiC contacts are stable for 100 h at this ageing temperature while the Al/Si/SiC contacts deteriorate after 24 h.     

Structural and electrical properties of Au and Ti/Au contacts to n-type GaN

Au and Ti/Au layers were deposited on n-GaN. The samples were annealed at 400, 700 and 900 °C for 10 min in vacuum. The contacts were rectifying up to 700 °C and the highest Schottky barrier height of 1.07 eV was obtained for an Au single layer by current-voltage measurements. A binary phase of Au₂Ga was identified at the interface of the n-GaN/Ti/Au contact after annealing at 900 °C. The formation of Ti₂N and TiN (twin) phases epitaxially grown on GaN was also observed in the same contact as well as some gold diffusion into the topmost region of the GaN epilayer.     

Microstructure evolution and development of annealed Ni/Au contacts to GaN nanowires

The development of Ni/Au contacts to Mg-doped GaN nanowires (NWs) is examined. Unlike Ni/Au contacts to planar GaN, current-voltage (I-V) measurements of Mg-doped nanowire devices frequently exhibit a strong degradation after annealing in N(2)/O(2). This degradation originates from the poor wetting behavior of Ni and Au on SiO(2) and the excessive void formation that occurs at the metal/NW and metal/oxide interfaces. The void formation can cause cracking and delamination of the metal film as well as reduce the contact area at the metal/NW interface, which increases the resistance. The morphology and composition of the annealed Ni/Au contacts on SiO(2) and the p-GaN films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Adhesion experiments were performed in order to determine the degree of adhesion of the Ni/Au films to the SiO(2) as well as observe and analyze the morphology of the film's underside by SEM. Device degradation from annealing was prevented through the use of a specific adhesion layer of Ti/Al/Ni deposited prior to the nanowire dispersal and Ni/Au deposition. I-V measurements of NW devices fabricated using this adhesion layer showed a decrease in resistance after annealing, whereas all others showed an increase in resistance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on a cross-section of a NW with Ni/Au contacts and a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer showed a lack of void formation at the contact/NW interface. Results of the XRD and TEM analysis of the NW contact structure using a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer suggests Al alloying of the Ni/Au contact increases the adhesion and stability of the metal film as well as prevents excessive void formation at the contact/NW interface.     

Au/Ti/W/Ti与n-GaAs欧姆接触的特性研究

用磁控溅射系统和快速合金化法制备了Au/Ti/W/Ti多层金属和n-GaAs材料的欧姆接触,用传输线法对其比接触电阻进行了测试,并利用俄歇电子能谱(AES)和X射线衍射图谱(XRD)对接触的微观结构进行了研究。结果表明该接触在700℃时比接触电阻为1.5×10~(-4)Ω·cm~2,快速合金化后呈现欧姆特性可能与接触界面处生成的TiAs相有关。     

The effect of Cr barrier on interfacial reaction of Au/Zn/Au/Cr/Au contacts to p-type InGaAs/InP

Alloy-type metal is widely used to reduce contact resistance in optoelectronic devices. Among the alloy-types, Au/Zn is one of the most common metallization systems. In this paper, we studied the alloy morphology of p-InP/p-InGaAs/Au/Zn/Au/Cr/Au systems. We found that the amount of Au-Zn alloy depended upon the thickness of the Cr layer. When Cr thickness was reduced to 135 Å, both Au-rich and GaAs-rich excessive compound formation started to occur. The Au diffusion punched through the InGaAs layer and penetrated into the InP. Comparison of Au/Zn/Au and Au/Zn/Au/Cr/Au suggested that the top Au layer maybe very influential during the alloy reaction. The Au-Zn alloy was significantly less in the Au/Zn/Au than that in the Au/Zn/Au/Cr/Au.     

Thermally stable and low-resistance W/Ti/Au contacts to n-type GaN

We report on the formation of thermally stable and low-resistance Ti/Au-based ohmic contacts to n-type GaN (4.0 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³) by using a W barrier layer. It is shown that the electrical characteristic of the sample is considerably improved upon annealing at 900 °C for 1 min in a N₂ ambient. The contacts produce the specific contact resistance as low as 6.7 × 10⁻⁶ Ω cm² after annealing. The Norde and current–voltage methods are used to determine the effective Schottky barrier heights (SBHs). It is shown that annealing results in a reduction in the SBHs as compared to that of the as-deposited sample. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) examinations show that nitride and gallide phases are formed at the contact/GaN interface. Based on the AES, STEM and XRD results, a possible ohmic formation mechanism is described and discussed.     

SiC上Ti/Ni/Au多层金属的欧姆接触特性

采用Ti/Ni/Au多层金属在高掺杂n型4H-SiC外延层上制作了欧姆接触测试图形,通过传输线法(Transmission Line Method,TLM)测量得到的最小比接触电阻为1.4×10-5Ω·cm2,经500℃N2老化后接触电阻大约有一个数量级的增加并保持稳定.     

Nb-Ti/Al/Ni/Au based ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN

In this paper, we report on a novel Nb-Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallic system proposed to form ohmic contact to AlGaN/GaN heterostructure. The metallic system uses deposition of thin niobium layer as the first layer in contact with the AlGaN barrier layer before deposition of the conventional Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallic system. The fabrication and electrical characterization of the Nb-Ti/Al/Ni/Au based ohmic contacts are presented. We have shown that Nb-based ohmic contacts at optimal alloying temperatures seem to be superior to that of conventional Ti/Al/Ni/Au in both surface morphology and contact resistivity evaluation. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) are also used to evaluate the improved ohmic contact formation.     

Ni/Au、Pd/Au与p-AlGaN材料的接触特性

在AlGaNpin型日盲紫外探测器结构中的p-AlGaN层上生长了Ni/Au和Pd/Au,并在600～850℃温度下进行快速热退火,测量其退火前后传输线模型中各金属接触间的电学性质。实验发现,Ni/Au与Pd/Au在p-AlGaN上表现出了不同的接触性能。为了更好的说明金属与p-AlGaN材料接触之间在退火后电流的变化,还测量了p-AlGaN材料裸片两点之间I-V曲线在退火前后的变化。实验表明,比起Ni/Au来,Pd/Au在p-AlGaN材料上制备欧姆接触具有一定的优势,并在文中进行了分析。     

Effect of silicon on microstructure of Ti3Al alloys containing niobium

Abstract

The effect of silicon content on the microstructure and phases present in Ti–(20–23)Al–11Nb alloys has been studied in the temperature range 800–1270°C.Four phases, β_o, α₂, O, and a silicide, are formed. The parent β_o is ordered at 1270°C. At 1050°C α₂ is formed which exhibits a higher silicon solubility than the parent β_o. A peritectoid transformation β₀+silicide→α₂ is proposed. Assuming that niobium substitutes for titanium and silicon for aluminium, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic data suggest that the α₂ phase, unlike that in binary Ti–Al alloys, is highly stoichiometric and of the form (Ti+Nb)₃(Al+Si). Similarly the silicide corresponds to binary Ti₅Si₃ with the same site substitution as in the α₂ phase. The O phase is orthorhombic and similar in composition to the α₂ which it replaces: its formation is promoted by silicon.

MST/3088     

Influence of thermal treatment on the formation of ohmic contacts based on Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization to n-type AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

Interfacial reactions between Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization and GaN(cap)/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures at various annealing temperatures ranging from 715 to 865 °C were studied. Electrical current-voltage (I?CV) characteristics, van der Pauw Hall mobility measurements and surface topography measurement with atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed. The ohmic metallizations were annealed at various temperatures in a rapid thermal annealing system and the annealing time of 60 seconds was kept for all samples. To study the influence of the parameters of annealing process on the properties of the 2 dimensional electron gas (2DEG) the van der Pauw Hall mobility measurement was used. Interfacial reactions between the contact metals and heterostructures were analyzed through depth profiles of secondary ion mass spectroscopy. It was observed that transition from nonlinear to linear I-V behavior occurred after the annealing at 805 °C. For the studied samples, the most promising results were obtained for the annealing temperature of 805 °C. This temperatue ensured not only low contact resistance but also made possible to preserve the 2DEG.     

Ohmic contacts to p-type Hg0.3Cd0.7Te by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition of HgTe

Ohmic contacts were obtained to p-type Hg_0.3Cd_0.7Te crystals by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) of HgTe as an interface material between the crystals and the contacting metal. Deposition at a reduced temperature of 350C did not lead to an obvious change in the material performance. Electronic-transport data are given. Two acceptor levels, at 4.8 and 60 meV above the valence-band edge, were found.     

表面处理对n-GaN上无合金化Ti/Al欧姆接触的作用

本文研究了表面处理对n-GaN上无合金化的Ti/Al电极起的作用,比较了(NH4)2Sx和CH3CSNH2两种不同的表面处理方法.在用CH3CSHN2/NH4OH溶液处理过的样品上制作的无合金化的Ti/Al电极,可得到较低的(4.85～5.65)×10-4Ω·cm2的接触电阻率,而且材料的发光特性也有明显提高.     

Nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni/Au contacts on p-type GaN for low contact resistance and high reflectivity

We synthesized the vertical-structured LED (VLED) using nano-scaled Pt between p-type GaN and Ag-based reflector. The metallization scheme on p-type GaN for high reflectance and low was the nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni/Au. Nano-scaled Pt (5 A) on Ag/Ni/Au exhibited reasonably high reflectance of 86.2% at the wavelength of 460 nm due to high transmittance of light through nano-scaled Pt (5 A) onto Ag layer. Ohmic behavior of contact metal, Pt/Ag/Ni/Au, to p-type GaN was achieved using surface treatments of p-type GaN prior to the deposition of contact metals and the specific contact resistance was observed with decreasing Pt thickness of 5 A, resulting in 1.5 x 10(-4) ohms cm2. Forward voltages of Pt (5 A)/Ag/Ni contact to p-type GaN showed 4.19 V with the current injection of 350 mA. Output voltages with various thickness of Pt showed the highest value at the smallest thickness of Pt due to its high transmittance of light onto Ag, leading to high reflectance. Our results propose that nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni could act as a promising contact metal to p-type GaN for improving the performance of VLEDs.