Patent · US Expired

Method for fabricating semiconductor devices

US5393698A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
3References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 1, 1989
Grant dateFeb 28, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 1, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S148/14
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A process for fabricating gold/gallium arsenide structures, in situ, on molecular beam epitaxially grown gallium arsenide. The resulting interface proves to be Ohmic, an unexpected result which is interpreted in terms of increased electrode interdiffusion. More importantly, the present invention surprisingly permits the fabrication of Ohmic contacts in a III-V semiconductor material at room temperature. Although it may be desireable to heat the Ohmic contact to a temperature of, for example, 200 degrees Centigrade if one wishes to further decrease the resistance of the contact, such low temperature annealing is much less likely to have any deleterious affect on the underlying substrate. The use of the term "in situ" herein, contemplates continuously maintaining an ultra-high vacuum, that is a vacuum which is at least 10.sup.-8 Torr, until after the metallization has been completed. An alternative embodiment of the present invention comprising an additional step, namely the termination of the gallium arsenide by a two monolayer thickness of epitaxial aluminum arsenide as a diffusion barrier, enables the recovery of Schottky barrier behavior, namely a rectified I-V characteristic. Th…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.