Shallow and Low-Resistive Ohmic Contacts to p-In_0.53Ga_{0. 47}As Based on Pd/Au and Pd/Sb Metallizations

Abstract

InP/In0.53Ga0.47As heterojunction bipolar transistors with high current gain for optoelectronic applications place stringent requirements on the ohmic contact to the base layer of moderately doped (p < 1×1019 cm−3) In0.53Ga0.47As. Contact resistivity should be <l×10−6 Ωcm2 and low depth of penetration is necessary considering the small base thickness of approximately 100 nm. The authors have recently presented data on Pd/Zn/Au/LaB6/Au contacts on p-In0.53Ga0.47As (doped to 4×1018 cm−3) with low contact resistivities of l×10−6 Ωcm2. In this paper, details are given on the optimization of the contact composition and annealing conditions of the metallization that resulted in shallow and low-resistive contacts. Alternatively, it is shown that Au-free Pd/Zn/Sb/Pd contacts on p-In0.53Ga0.47As have exhibited even lower resistivities, i.e. 3-6×10−7 Ωcm2. Backside SIMS measurements revealed a depth of penetration as low as 20 nm for this contact scheme. Aging tests at temperatures of 300 - 400 °C have demonstrated that the electrical characteristics of both types of metallization were sufficiently stable to withstand the typical processing steps for device passivation.