Cross-Section Transmission Electron Microscope Study of Ni/Au/Ge/Au Ohmic Contact to Gallium Arsenide

Abstract

The interfacial structures resulting from the metallurgical reactions between a Ni/Au/Ge/Au film and (100) GaAs substrate were studied by cross-section TEM. Annealing at 300 – 350°C causes a complicated solid-solid phase reaction, resulting in the multilayer structure of Ni₂Ge/Au₇Ga₂/NiAs/Au₇Ga,/GaAs. The contact shows non-ohmic character, since most of the doping element Ge is trapped in the surface Ni₂Ge layer When the contact is annealed at above 400°C. the layered structure is destroyed because one of the phases (Au-Ga) becomes liquid but other phases (Ni-Ge, Ni-As) remain solid Ge, which is captured in the surface layer, diffuses out of the Ni₂Ge phase into the contact/GaAs interface through the Au-rich melt. Above this temperature, a Ge-doped n⁺ region is probably formed at the NiAs/GaAs interface and the contact becomes ohmic. With increasing annealing temperature, continuous grain growth of NiAs is found to occur and the NiAs/GaAs interface area increases. Thus the ohmic behavior of Au-Ge-Ni on n-GaAs can be explained by the low barrier height of the NiAs/GaAs interface and the formation of Ge-doped n⁺ region under the NiAs phase.