Reliability of Ohmic Contacts for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe reliability of ohmic contacts to thin, heavily doped layers of GaAs is investigated. Pd/Ge/Au contacts to n-type GaAs display excellent electrical stability over extended periods of thermal stress. The contact resistance stays below 0.5Ω-mm during a 2500h, 280°C bake. Reactive ion beam assisted evaporation of Ti with N forms TiN which is introduced as a barrier layer in Pt/TiN/Ti/Au contacts to a thin p+ layer. The TiN layer allows greater process latitude in the sintering process and improves long term stability of the ohmic contact. The microstructure of the p-type contacts is examined with TEM and Auger profiling at different instances of the 2500h, 280°C bake and compared to the contact resistance measurements.