Effect of Pt barrier on thermal stability of Ti/Al/Pt/Au in ohmic contact with Si-implanted n-type GaN layers

We report the effect of the Pt barrier on the thermal stability of Ti/Al/Pt/Au in ohmic contact with Si-implanted n-type GaN layers. Ti/Al/Au (25/100/200 nm) and Ti/Al/Pt/Au (25/100/50/200 nm) multilayers were, respectively, deposited on as-implanted and recovered Si-implanted n-type GaN samples. The associated dependence of the specific contact resistance on the annealing time at various temperatures was compared. The long-term ohmic stability of a Ti/Al/Pt/Au multilayer in contact with a Si-implanted n-type GaN layer was much better than that of the Ti/Al/Au multilayer. This superior stability is attributed to the barrier function of the Pt interlayer. The Pt/Au bilayer can also passivate the propensity of oxidation for the conventional Ti/Al bilayer in contact with n-type GaN layers at elevated temperatures.