Radiation effects and interphase interactions in ohmic and barrier contacts to indium phosphide as induced by rapid thermal annealing and irradiation with γ-ray ⁶⁰Co photons

Abstract

The radiation resistance of Au-Pd-Ti-Pd-n ⁺⁺-InP ohmic contacts and Au-TiB _x -n-n ⁺-n ⁺⁺-InP barrier contacts—both initial and subjected to a rapid thermal annealing and irradiated with ⁶⁰Co γ-ray photons with doses as high as 10⁹ R—has been studied. Before and after external effects, the electrical characteristics of the barrier and ohmic contacts, distribution profiles for components, and phase composition in the metallization layers have been measured. In ohmic Pd-Ti-Pd-Au contacts subjected to rapid thermal annealing and irradiation, a significant distortion of the layered structure of metallization occurs; this distortion is caused by the thermal and irradiation-stimulated transport of Pd over the grain boundaries in polycrystalline Ti and Au films. However, the specific contact resistance ρ _c does not change appreciably, which is related to a comparatively unvaried composition of the contact-forming layer at the Pd-n ⁺-InP interface. In the initial sample and the sample subjected to the rapid thermal annealing at T = 400°C with the Au-TiB _x -n-n ⁺-n ⁺⁺-InP barrier contacts and irradiated with the dose as high as 2 × 10⁸ R, a layered structure of metallization is retained. After irradiation with the dose as high as 10⁹ R, in the samples subjected to a rapid thermal annealing at T = 400°C, the layered structure of metallization becomes completely distorted; however, this structure is retained in the initial sample. The electrical properties of the contact structure appreciably degrade only after irradiation of the sample preliminarily subjected to a rapid thermal annealing at T = 400°C.