Interaction of Au with GaSb and its Impact on the Formation of Ohmic Contacts

Interfacial reactions between GaSb and Au were studied by Rutherford backscattering, X-ray diffraction, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Evaluation of the extent to which the GaSb substrate decomposes was of primary concern. The results give evidence that the reaction takes place even at temperatures as low as 180°C. High reactivity of gold towards GaSb revealed by this study demonstrates that Au-based metallization is not a good candidate for device quality ohmic contacts to GaSb-based devices.