Standard Ohmic Contact Research Articles

(Invited) Electrical Properties of (100) β-Ga2O3 Schottky Diodes with Four Different Metals

Due to its large bandgap (~4.6-4.8 eV), wide range of n-type doping, and single-crystal wafer availability, β-Ga2O3 holds promise for high-efficiency power devices. R&D of β-Ga2O3 has been conducted in Japan for more than a decade; however, funded research programs on this semiconductor material began in the U.S. only five years ago, highlighting its early stage of development. Device development of a semiconductor technology requires the ability to produce suitable ohmic and rectifying (Schottky) contacts. Whereas ohmic and Schottky contacts have been demonstrated on n-type β-Ga2O3, certain characteristics of contacts to β-Ga2O3 differ from contacts to other wide bandgap semiconductors. For example, we found that morphology was problem with many ohmic contact metals, and it was concluded that metal work function is not a dominant predictive factor for forming an ohmic contact to β-Ga2O3 [1]. Furthermore, thermal instability of the standard ohmic contact metallization (Ti/Au) is a concern for operation of devices at elevated temperatures. Schottky contacts to β-Ga2O3 have shown dependence on the orientation, growth method, and choice of metal. For example, on (-201) β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier heights calculated from I-V measurements were typically between 0.9 and 1.3 eV and displayed little dependence on the metal work function [2]. Our preliminary measurements of selected metals on (100) β-Ga2O3 substrates yielded lower ideality factors and a correlation between barrier height and metal workfunction. The results for Schottky contacts on the (100) surface show some similarities to those previously reported on the (010) surface. In this presentation specific examples of ohmic and Schottky contact metallizations to β-Ga2O3 will provide a platform for more detailed discussion. [1] Y. Yao, R.F. Davis, and L.M. Porter, J. Electron. Mater. 46(4), 2053-2060 (2016). [2] Y. Yao, R. Gangireddy, J. Kim, K. Das, R.F. Davis, and L.M. Porter, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 35(3), 03D113.1-7 (2017).

Fabrication of 15-$\mu$ m Pitch $640\times512$ InAs/GaSb Type-II Superlattice Focal Plane Arrays

We present the fabrication of large format $640\times512$ , 15- ${\mu }\text{m}$ pitch, mid-wave infrared region (MWIR) InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) focal plane array (FPA). In this report, the details of device design and fabrication processes are withheld adhering to the common practice of most of the manufactures and developers because of the strategic importance; however, information about fabrication processes of T2SLs FPA is presented to a certain extent. Comparison of etching techniques, passivation materials and methods, and substrate thinning (mechanical and chemical) is given besides of details regarding the standard ohmic contact and indium (In) bump formations. Morphological investigations of fabrication step are included. Large area pixels, $220\,\,{\mu }\text{m}\,\,\times 220\,\,{\mu }\text{m}$ , fabricated by different etching methods and passivation materials/methods are compared in terms of dark current levels. Wet passivation with (NH4)2S is discussed in terms of morphological investigations, and dark current results are compared with untreated samples. Large area pixel level characterizations as well as image level benchmarking of mechanical and chemical substrate thinning are reported. Effect of GaSb substrate on device performance and the way of reducing stress of In bumps are revealed. The importance of complete substrate removal is demonstrated through FPA images.

Enhanced X-ray Sensitivity of MAPbBr3 Detector by Tailoring the Interface-States Density.

An important factor for the high performance of light-harvesting devices is the presence of surface trappings. Therefore, understanding and controlling the carrier recombination of the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite surface is critical for the device design and optimization. Here, we report the use of aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) as the anode to construct a p-n junction structure MAPbBr3 nuclear radiation detector. The AZO/MAPbBr3/Au detector can tolerate an electrical field of 500 V·cm-1 and exhibit a very low leakage current of ∼9 nA, which is 1 order of magnitude lower than that of the standard ohmic contact device. The interface state density of AZO/MAPbBr3 contact was reduced from 2.17 × 1010 to 8.7 × 108 cm-2 by annealing at 100 °C under an Ar atmosphere. Consequently, a photocurrent to dark current ratio of 190 was realized when exposed to a green light-emitting diode with a wavelength of 520 nm (∼200 mW·cm-2). Simultaneously, a high X-ray sensitivity of ∼529 μC·Gyair-1 cm-2 was achieved under 80 kVp X-ray at an electric field of 50 V·cm-1. These results demonstrate the use of surface engineering to further optimize the performance of MAPbBr3 detectors, which have many potential applications in medical and security detection with low radiation dose brought to the human body.

Extension of Shockley’s transmission line method (TLM) to characterize ohmic contacts

A method to extract the resistance of the metallic pad of ohmic contacts is presented. It utilizes the transmission line method array of ohmic contacts and measurements required to obtain their specific contact resistance plus just an additional current voltage measure. The method was applied to fully characterize, included their reliability, standard ohmic contacts on p-GaAs and n-GaInP thin epitaxial layers whose measured sheet resistances were 96 and 6.86 (Ohms Sq–1) respectively. Our extended method found contact pad sheet resistances of RshMP = 0.9 and 0.09 (Ohms Sq–1) for those on p-GaAs and n-InGaP, respectively, giving a ratio of 1%–2%, in this case. For their reliability it was found that after 430 °C for a 30 min thermal anneal, those on n-InGaP strongly degrade. The degradation initiates increasing the metallic pad sheet resistance and then the contact resistance, while those on p-GaAs remain unchanged. This method should contribute to a better characterization of ohmic contacts.

Aging and Stability of GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors and Light-Emitting Diodes With $\hbox{TiB}_{2}$- and Ir-Based Contacts

There is interest in developing more stable contacts to a variety of GaN-based devices. In this paper, we give two examples of devices that show improved thermal stability when boride or Ir diffusion barriers are employed in ohmic-contact stacks. AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were fabricated with Ti/Al/X/Ti/Au source-drain ohmic (where X is or Ir) contacts and were subjected to long-term annealing at 350 . By comparison with companion devices with conventional Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contacts, the HEMTs with boride-based ohmic metal showed superior stability of both source-drain current and transconductance after 25 days of aging at 350 . The gate current for standard HEMTs increases during aging, and the standard ohmic contacts eventually fail by shorting to the gate contact. Similarly, InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes (MQW-LEDs) were fabricated with either Ni/Au//Ti/Au or Ni/Au/Ir/Au p-ohmic contacts. Both of these contacts showed superior long-term thermal stability compared to LEDs with conventional Ni/Au contacts.

High Temperature Stable Contacts for GaN HEMTs and LEDs

AbstractThere is continued interest in developing more stable contacts to a variety of GaN-based devices. In this paper we give two examples of devices that show improved thermal stability when boride, nitride or Ir diffusion barriers are employed in Ohmic contact stacks. AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) were fabricated with Ti/Al/X /Ti/Au source/ drain Ohmic (where X is TiB2, ZrN, TiN, TaN or Ir) contacts and subjected to long-term annealing at 350°C. For GaN layers with an electron concentration of ∼3×1017 cm-3, the minimum specific contact resistance achieved is 6×10-5 Ω cm2 for Ti/Al/TiN/Ti/Au after annealing at 800°C. The specific contact resistance was found to strongly depend on the doping level, suggesting that tunneling is the dominant mechanism of current flow. By comparison with companion devices with conventional Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic contacts, the HEMTs with boride-based Ohmic metal showed superior stability of both source-drain current and transconductance after 25 days aging at 350°C. The gate current for standard HEMTs increases during aging and the standard Ohmic contacts eventually fail by shorting to the gate contact. Similarly, InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes (MQW-LEDs) were fabricated with either Ni/Au/TiB2/Ti/Au or Ni/Au/Ir/Au p-Ohmic contacts. Both of these contacts showed superior long-term thermal stability compared to LEDs with conventional Ni/Au contacts.

CAPACITIVE CONTACTS: MAKING FOUR-POINT CHARACTERIZATIONS WITHOUT OHMIC CONTACTS

Four-point measurements are carried out on a Hall bar using specially designed capacitive contacts, reproducing the transport characteristics Rxx measured using standard ohmic contacts. All Rxx measurements using various combinations of ohmic and capacitive contacts are in quantitative agreement, with a calibrated scaling factor arising because of the device and measurement setup capacitances. Also amplitude and phase measurements represented with the Bode plots for all combinations of ohmic and capacitive contacts are carried out and the results compare favorably with our circuit analysis.

Electric and Morphology Studies of Ohmic Contacts on AlGaN/GaN

ABSTRACTAlGaN/GaN is a promising system for high power electron devices. Quality of ohmic contacts is a critical parameter in determining the performance of the device. Although we have achieved a transfer resistance (Rc) of 0.35Δmm and ρc of 9.5×10−7 Δcm−2 the morphology and edge acuity of the contacts are poor. The standard ohmic contact recipes consist of a combination of Titanium and Aluminum with Nickel and/or Gold. This is annealed at 800°C-950°C [1-5]. In this work we study ohmic contacts on unintentionally doped Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN system. We look at ratios of Ti/Al from 0 to 2 to determine which is the optimum ratio in terms of surface morphology and electrical characteristics. From our studies we conclude that morphology of a Ti/Al contact is good over a ratio of 0.3 and the contact resistance is minimized at a Ti/Al of 0.6. The ohmic contacts are improved electrically if a layer of gold is added on top. The best electrical contacts however were obtained with a four layer recipe of Ti/Al/Ti/Au, which gave contact resistance (Rc) around 0.45Δmm, but the morphology of the contacts was poor.

ZnO films deposited on GaAs substrates with a SiO2 thin buffer layer

Sputter deposition of ZnO films on GaAs substrates has been investigated. ZnO films were radio frequency (rf)-magnetron sputter deposited on GaAs substrates with or without SiO2 thin buffer layers. Deposition parameters such as rf power, substrate-target distance, and gas composition/pressure were optimized to obtain highly c-axis oriented and highly resistive films. Deposited films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), capacitance, and resistivity measurements. Thermal stability of sputter-deposited ZnO films (0.5–2.0 μm thick) was tested with a post-deposition heat treatment at 430°C for 10 min, which is similar to a standard ohmic contact alloying condition for GaAs. The ZnO/SiO2/GaAs films tolerated the heat treatment well while the ZnO/GaAs films disintegrated. The resistivity (1011 Ω-cm) of the ZnO films on SiO2-buffered GaAs substrates remained high during the heat treatment. The post-deposition anneal treatment also enhances c-axis orientation of the ZnO films dramatically and relieves intrinsic stress almost completely. These improvements are attributed to a reduction of grain boundaries and voids with the anneal treatment as supported by SEM and x-ray diffraction measurement results.

Thermally stable ZnO films deposited on GaAs substrates with a SiO2 thin buffer layer

SiO2 thin films (1000-Å thick) were sputter deposited on GaAs substrates as a buffer layer in order to alleviate a thermal mismatching problem between ZnO films and GaAs substrates. Thermal stability of sputter-deposited ZnO films (0.5–2.0 μm thick) was tested on such a buffered GaAs substrate with a postdeposition heat treatment at 430 °C for 10 min, which is similar to a standard ohmic contact alloying condition. The films sustained the heat treatment well, not showing any crumbling, which has usually been a problem when a ZnO film is deposited directly on a GaAs substrate. The postdeposition anneal treatment also dramatically enhances c-axis orientation of the ZnO films and relieves intrinsic stress almost completely. These improvements are attributed to a reduction of grain boundaries and voids with the anneal treatment as supported by the scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction measurement results.