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Nb Contacts to GaAs: Thermal Stability and Phase Formation

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Abstract

The applicability of Nb as a Schottky barrier on GaAs depends to a large extent on the thermal stability of the contacts. In this study, bulk diffusion couple and phase diagram studies in addition to thin film studies were completed to understand the stability of and the reactions at the Nb/GaAs interface. Nb thin films were deposited onto GaAs substrates by dc magnetron sputtering and were annealed in the temperature range 300 to 1000°C. Analysis was done using plan-TEM and XTEM. The Nb/GaAs interface was found to break down into a series of binary compounds above 500°C. Bulk diffusion couples annealed at 600°C were analyzed using an electron microprobe. The stable sequence of phases formed in the couple, i.e., the diffusion path, was determined and was used to rationalize the observed compound formation in the thin film contact system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metallurgical and Mineral Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1509 University Avenue, WI, 53706, Madison, USA

    Kevin J. Schulz, Xiang-Yun Zheng & Y. Austin Chang

Authors
  1. Kevin J. Schulz
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  2. Xiang-Yun Zheng
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  3. Y. Austin Chang
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Additional information

This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract No. DE-FGO2-86ER452754.

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Schulz, K., Zheng, XY. & Chang, Y. Nb Contacts to GaAs: Thermal Stability and Phase Formation. MRS Online Proceedings Library 108, 455–460 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-108-455

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-108-455

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