High-Temperature Characteristics of Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic Contacts to n-GaN

We present the high-temperature characteristics of Ti/Al/Ni/Au（15 nm/220 nm/40 nm/50 nm） multiplayer contacts to n-type GaN （Nd = 3.7 × 10^17 cm^-3, Nd = 3.0 × 10^18 cm^-3）. The contact resistivity increases with the measurement temperature. Furthermore, the increasing tendency is related to doping concentration. The higher the doped, the slower the contact resistivity with decreasing measurement temperature. Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contact to heavy doping n-GaN takes on better high temperature reliability. According to the analyses of XRD and AES for the n-GaN/Ti/Al/Ni/Au, the Au atoms permeate through the Ni layer which is not thick enough into the AI layer even the Ti layer.     

Study of Ti/Au,Ti/Al/Au,and Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contacts to <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN

The contacts of Ti/Au, Ti/Al/Au, and Ti/Al/Ni/Au films deposited on n-GaN were studied by current–voltage (I–V) and transmission-line-method measurements. The effect of annealing temperature on specific contact resistivity has been investigated by changing the annealing temperature from 400 to 900 °C. Ti/Al/Au and Ti/Al/Ni/Au films were superior to the bilayer (Ti/Au) in ohmic contact characteristics and thermal stability. The Ti/Al/Ni/Au composite showed the best thermal stability due to the fact that Ni plays a more important role than the alloy of Ti/Al in preventing the interdiffusion of Ti, Al, and Au. The lowest contact resistivity (10^-7cm²) to n-GaN was obtained for the Ti/Al/Ni/Au sample by short-time/high-temperature annealing. The formation mechanism of ohmic contacts to n-GaN is also discussed. PACS 73.40.Cg; 73.61.Ey     

Use of TiB2 diffusion barriers for Ni/Au ohmic contacts on p-GaN

The use of a TiB₂ diffusion barrier for Ni/Au contacts on p-GaN is reported. The annealing temperature (25-950 °C) dependence of ohmic contact characteristics using a Ni/Au/TiB₂/Ti/Au metallization scheme deposited by sputtering were investigated by contact resistance measurements and auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The as-deposited contacts are rectifying and transition to ohmic behavior for annealing at ≥500 °C . A minimum specific contact resistivity of ∼3 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm⁻² was obtained after annealing over a broad range of temperatures (800-950 °C for 60 s). The contact morphology became considerably rougher at the higher end of this temperature range. AES profiling showed significant Ti and Ni outdiffusion through the TiB₂ at 800 °C. By 900 °C the Ti was almost completely removed to the surface, where it became oxidized. Use of the TiB₂ diffusion barrier produces superior thermal stability compared to the more common Ni/Au, whose morphology degrades significantly above 500 °C.     

Low specific contact resistivity to graphene achieved by AuGe/Ni/Au and annealing process

Low metal-graphene contact resistance is important in making high-performance graphene devices.In this work,we demonstrate a lower specific contact resistivity of Au_(0.88)Ge_(0.12)/Ni/Au-graphene contact compared with Ti/Au and Ti/Pt/Au contacts.The rapid thermal annealing process was optimized to improve AuGe/Ni/Au contact resistance.Results reveal that both pre- and post-annealing processes are effective for reducing the contact resistance.The specific contact resistivity decreases from 2.5 × 10~(-4) to 7.8 × 10~(-5) Ω·cm~2 by pre-annealing at 300 ℃ for one hour,and continues to decrease to9.5 × 10~(-7) H·cm~2 after post-annealing at 490 ℃ for 60 seconds.These approaches provide reliable means of lowering contact resistance.     

Ti--Al based ohmic contacts to n-type 6H-SiC with P+ ion implantation

The Ti--Al ohmic contact to n-type 6H-SiC has been fabricated. An array of TLM (transfer length method) test patterns with Au/Ti/Al/Ti/SiC structure is formed on N-wells created by P⁺ ion implantation into Si-faced p-type 6H-SiC epilayer. The specific contact resistance \rho _c as low as 8.64×10^-6\Omega\cdot cm² is achieved after annealing in N₂ at 900℃ for 5\,min. The sheet resistance R_sh of the implanted layers is 975\Omega/\sqcap\!\!\!\!\sqcup. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the formation of Ti_-3SiC₂ at the metal/n-SiC interface after thermal annealing, which is responsible for the low resistance contact.     

Improving performances of ITO/GaP contact on AlGaInP light-emitting diodes

In this paper AlGaInP light emitting diodes with different types of electrodes:Au/Zn/Au-ITO Au/Ti-ITO Au/Ge/Ni-ITO and Au-ITO are fabricated. The photoelectricity properties of those LEDs are studied. The results show that the Au/Zn/Au electrode greatly improves the performance of LEDs compared with the other electrodes. Because the Au/Zn/Au electrode not only forms a good Ohmic contact with indium tin oxide (ITO), but also reduces the specific contact resistances between ITO and GaP, which are 1.273×10-6 ·cm2 and 1.743×10-3 ·cm2 between Au/Zn/Au-ITO and ITO-GaP respectively. Furthermore, the textured Zn/Au-ITO/Zn electrode is designed to improve the performances of LEDs, reduce the forward-voltage of the LED from 1.93 to 1.88 V, and increase the luminous intensity of the LEDs from 126 to 134 mcd when driven at 20 mA.     

Thin Film Solar Cell Based on ZnSnN2/SnO Heterojunction

In this article, we report the growth of zinc‐tin nitride (ZnSnN₂) thin films as a potential absorber for photovoltaic applications by fabricating a heterojunction of n‐ZnSnN₂/p‐SnO. The performance of the heterojunction has been monitored through selective deposition of top electrode with different materials (Ni/Au or Al). The electron‐transfer process from the ZnSnN₂ layer to the cathode is facilitated by selecting metal electrode with relatively low work function, which also boosts up the electron injection or/and extraction. The diode exhibits a good J–V response in the dark with a rectification ratio of 3 × 10³ at 1.0 V and an ideality factor of 4.2 in particular with Al as the top electrode. Under illumination, the heterostructure solar cell demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of ≈0.37% with an open circuit voltage of 0.25 V and a short circuit current density of 4.16 mA cm^?2. The prime strategies, on how to improve solar cell efficiency concerning band offsets and band alignment engineering are also discussed.     

ZrB2-based Ohmic contacts to p-GaN

The annealing temperature dependence of contact resistance and layer stability of ZrB₂/Ti/Au and Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au Ohmic contacts on p-GaN is reported. The as-deposited contacts are rectifying and transition to Ohmic behavior for annealing at ≥750 °C, a significant improvement in thermal stability compared to the conventional Ni/Au Ohmic contact on p-GaN, which is stable only to <600 °C. A minimum specific contact resistance of ∼2 × 10⁻³ Ω cm⁻² was obtained for the ZrB₂/Ti/Au after annealing at 800 °C while for Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au the minimum value was 10⁻⁴ Ω cm⁻² at 900 °C. Auger Electron Spectroscopy profiling showed significant Ti, Ni and Zr out diffusion at 750 °C in the Ni/Au/ZrB₂/Ti/Au while the Ti and Zr intermix at 900 °C in the ZrB₂/Ti/Au. These boride-based contacts show promise for contacts to p-GaN in high temperature applications.     

Near infrared lights emission of <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar<Superscript>16+</Superscript> impacting on metal surfaces

The highly charged ion ⁴⁰Ar¹⁶⁺ with the velocity (kinetic energy E _K=150 keV, velocity V=8.5×10⁵ m/s) smaller than Bohr velocity (V _Bohr=2.9×10⁶ m/s) was found to hove impacts on the surfaces of metals Ni, Mo, Au and Al, and the Ar atomic infrared light lines and X-rays spectra were simultaneously measured. The experimental results show that the highly charged ion that captures electrons is neutralized, and the multiply-excited hollow atom forms. The hollow atom cascade decay radiates lights from infrared to X-ray spectrum. The intensity of infrared lights shows that the metallic work functions play an important role in the neutralization process of highly charged ions during their interaction with metallic surfaces, which verifies the classical over-the-barrier model. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10574132), the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2007A05) and the Talents Introduction Project of Xianyang Normal University (Grant No. 05XSYK103)     

低接触电阻率Ni/Ag/Ti/Au反射镜电极的研究

研究了Ag的厚度、退火时间、沉积温度对于Ni/Ag/Ti/Au电极的反射率及与p-GaN欧姆接触性能的影响. 利用分光光度计测量反射率, 采用圆形传输线模型计算比接触电阻率. 结果表明: 随着Ag厚度的增加, Ni/Ag/Ti/Au电极的反射率逐渐增大; 在氧气氛围中, 随着退火时间从1 min增至10 min, 300 ℃退火时, 比接触电阻率持续下降, 而对于400-600 ℃退火, 比接触电阻率先减小后增大; 在300和400 ℃氧气中进行1-10 min 的退火后, Ni/Ag/Ti/Au的反射率变化较小, 退火温度高于400 ℃时, 随着退火时间的增加, 反射率急剧下降; 在400 ℃氧气中3 min退火后, 比接触电阻率可以达到3.6×10^-3 Ω·cm². 此外, 适当提高沉积温度可以增加Ni/Ag/Ti/Au的反射率并降低比接触电阻率, 沉积温度为120 ℃条件下的Ni/Ag/Ti/Au电极在450 nm处反射率达到90.1%, 比接触电阻率为6.4×10^-3 Ω·cm². 综合考虑电学和光学性能, 在沉积温度为120 ℃下蒸镀Ni/Ag/Ti/Au (1/200/100/100 nm)并在400 ℃氧气中进行3 min退火可以得到较优化的电极. 利用此电极制作的垂直结构发光二极管在350 mA电流下的工作电压为2.95 V, 输出光功率为387.1 mW, 电光转换效率达到37.5%.     

Contact passivation in silicon solar cells using atomic‐layer‐deposited aluminum oxide layers

Atomic‐layer‐deposited aluminum oxide (AlO_x) layers are implemented between the phosphorous‐diffused n⁺‐emitter and the Al contact of passivated emitter and rear silicon solar cells. The increase in open‐circuit voltage V_oc of 12 mV for solar cells with the Al/AlO_x/n⁺‐Si tunnel contact compared to contacts without AlO_x layer indicates contact passivation by the implemented AlO_x. For the optimal AlO_x layer thickness of 0.24 nm we achieve an independently confirmed energy conversion efficiency of 21.7% and a V_oc of 673 mV. For AlO_x thicknesses larger than 0.24 nm the tunnel probability decreases, resulting in a larger series resistance. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Thermal stability of Ti/Al/Pt/Au and Ti/Au Ohmic contacts on n-type ZnCdO

The specific contact resistivity and chemical intermixing of Ti/Au and Ti/Al/Pt/Au Ohmic contacts on n-type Zn_0.05Cd_0.95O layers grown on ZnO buffer layers on GaN/sapphire templates is reported as a function of annealing temperature in the range 200-600 °C. A minimum contact resistivity of 2.3 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm² was obtained at 500 °C for Ti/Al/Pt/Au and 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm² was obtained at 450 °C for Ti/Al. These values also correspond to the minima in transfer resistance for the contacts. The Ti/Al/Pt/Au contacts show far smoother morphologies after annealing even at 600 °C, whereas the Ti/Au contacts show a reacted appearance after 350 °C anneals. In the former case, Pt and Al outdiffusion is significant at 450 °C, whereas in the latter case the onset of Ti and Zn outdiffusion is evident at the same temperature. The improvement in contact resistance with annealing is suggested to occur through formation of TiO_x phases that induce oxygen vacancies in the ZnCdO.     

Thermal annealing behaviour of Al/Ni/Au multilayer on n-GaN Schottky contacts

Recently GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have revealed the superior properties of a high breakdown field and high electron saturation velocity. Reduction of the gate leakage current is one of the key issues to be solved for their further improvement. This paper reports that an Al layer as thin as 3 nm was inserted between the conventional Ni/Au Schottky contact and n-GaN epilayers, and the Schottky behaviour of Al/Ni/Au contact was investigated under various annealing conditions by current--voltage (I--V) measurements. A non-linear fitting method was used to extract the contact parameters from the I--V characteristic curves. Experimental results indicate that reduction of the gate leakage current by as much as four orders of magnitude was successfully recorded by thermal annealing. And high quality Schottky contact with a barrier height of 0.875 eV and the lowest reverse-bias leakage current, respectively, can be obtained under 12 min annealing at 450°C in N₂ ambience.     

Microstructure and current transport in Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contacts to n-type AlGaN epilayers grown on Si(111)

The microstructure and the current transport in Ti/Al/Ni/Au ohmic contacts on AlGaN were investigated in this paper.Significant structural changes of the metal stack occurred upon annealing and ohmic contacts were obtained after thermal treatments above 700 C, with specific contact resistance values , which depend on the thickness of the Ti layer.Although the formation of a TiN interfacial layer is independent of the Ti thickness, different contact structures, i.e. the phases and grain location, were found as a function of the Ti layer, which were crucial for the nanoscale current transport through the contact stack. In particular, conductive atomic force microscopy combined with the resistivity measurement of the main phases formed upon annealing (AlNi, AlAu₄, Al₂Au) indicated that the low resistivity Al₂Au phase provides preferential conductive paths for the nanoscopic current flow through the contact.     

Reactive resistance welding of Ti6Al4V alloy with the use of Ni(V)/Al multilayers

The freestanding Ni(V)/Al multilayer foil was applied as a filler material in order to join Ti6Al4V alloy with the use of reactive resistance welding (RRW) technique. Present investigations, performed with the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method, allowed to show that an application of high current (I = 400 A for 2 min in vacuum conditions ～10^–1 mbar) transformed the Ni(V)/Al multilayers into fine grain (<300 nm) NiAl phase. It also showed that the RRW process led to the formation of firm connection with nanoporosity limited only to the original contact plane between base material and the foil. Simultaneously, the formation of a narrow strip of crystallites of Ti₃Al intermetallic phase elongated along the joint line (average size of ～200 nm) was observed. The base material was separated from the joint area by a layer of up to ～2 μm thickness of nearly defect free α‐Ti and β‐Ti grains from a heat affected zone (HAZ). The performed experiment proved that Ni(V)/Al multilayer could serve as a filler material for joining of Ti6Al4V alloys even without additional solder layer. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Use of graphene for forming Al-based p-type reflectors for near ultraviolet InGaN/AlGaN-based light-emitting diode

We demonstrated the improved performance of near UV (365 nm) InGaN/AlGaN-based LEDs using highly reflective Al-based p-type reflectors with graphene sheets as a diffusion barrier. The use of graphene sheets did not degrade the reflectance of ITO/Al contacts, viz. ∼81% at 365 nm. The ITO/graphene/Al contacts annealed at 300 °C exhibited better ohmic behavior with a specific contact resistance of 1.5 × 10⁻³ Ωcm² than the ITO/Al contact (with 9.5 × 10⁻³ Ωcm²). Near UV LEDs fabricated with the ITO/graphene/Al contact annealed at 300 °C showed a 7.2% higher light output (at 0.1 W) than LEDs with the ITO/Al reflector annealed at 300 °C. The SIMS results exhibited that, unlike the ITO/graphene/Al, the ITO/Al contacts undergo a significant indiffusion of Al atoms toward the GaN after annealing. Furthermore, both Ga and Mg atoms were also more extensively outdiffused in the ITO/Al contacts after annealing. On the basis of the SIMS and electrical results, the possible explanations for the annealing-induced degradation of the ITO/Al contacts are described and discussed.     

Hall Mobility of As‐Grown Cu2O Thin Films Obtained Via Electrodeposition on Patterned Au Substrates

Hall measurement of an electrodeposited Cu₂O film is rendered difficult as the bilayer structure of semiconductor on top of a conductive substrate obviates the measurement. Here, we propose the use of a patterned Au on glass substrate in line/space configuration for the Hall measurement of electrodeposited Cu₂O. A continuous, (111) oriented Cu₂O film was electrodeposited on 8 μm/2 μm Au‐line/space on glass substrate and Hall measurement was performed. The room temperature Hall measurement of the Cu₂O film on the patterned substrate indicates p‐type conduction with a hole concentration of 2.2 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3 and mobility of 4.7 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1. Additionally, the temperature dependent resistivity exhibits a negative slope that is characteristic of a semiconductor. Therefore, the measured electrical characteristics can be attributed to the electrodeposited Cu₂O semiconductor film rather than the conductive substrate. This method can be applied for the Hall measurement of any other electrodeposited semiconductor by optimizing the line/space geometry of the conductive substrate.     

Electrical, structural and surface morphological properties of thermally stable low-resistance W/Ti/Au multilayer ohmic contacts to n-type GaN

A W/Ti/Au multilayer scheme has been fabricated for achieving thermally stable low-resistance ohmic contact to n-type GaN (4.0 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³). It is shown that the as-deposited W/Ti/Au contact exhibits near linear I-V behaviour. However, annealing at temperature below 800 °C the contacts exhibit non-linear behaviour. After annealing at a temperature in excess of 850 °C, the W/Ti/Au contact showed ohmic behaviour. The W/Ti/Au contact produced specific contact resistance as low as 6.7 × 10⁻⁶ Ω cm² after annealing at 900 °C for 1 min in a N₂ ambient. It is noted that the specific contact resistance decreases with increase in annealing temperature. It is also noted that annealing the contacts at 900 °C for 30 min causes insignificant degradation of the electrical and thermal properties. It is further shown that the overall surface morphology of the W/Ti/Au stayed fairly smooth even after annealing at 900 °C. The W/Ti/Au ohmic contact showed good edge sharpness after annealing at 900 °C for 30 min. Based on the Auger electron spectroscopy and glancing angle X-ray diffraction results, possible explanation for the annealing dependence of the specific contact resistance of the W/Ti/Au contacts are described and discussed.     

X‐ray fluorescence analysis of Co,Ni, Pd,Ag, and Au in the scrapped printed‐circuit‐board ash

A method for the quantitative analysis of Co, Ni, Pd, Ag, and Au in the scrapped printed‐circuit‐board ash by X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry using loose powder was developed. The printed‐circuit‐board samples were converted to ash pyrolytically in porcelain crucibles by sequential heating using a gas burner and electric furnace, and then were ground with a ball mill. The calibrating standards were prepared by adding the appropriate amounts of NiO powder and aqueous standard solutions containing Co, Pd, Ag, and Au to the base mixtures of Al₂O₃ (5.0 mass%), SiO₂ (49 mass%), CaCO₃ (11 mass%), Fe₂O₃ (3.3 mass%), and CuO (30 mass%) as a matrix. Then, 10 g of the resulting mixtures were dried and homogenized for 90 min with a V‐type mixing machine. Specimens for XRF analysis were prepared from the so‐called loose‐powder method in which powder samples were compacted into a hole (12.0‐mm diameter and 5.0‐mm height) in an acrylic plate and covered with a 6‐µm thickness of polypropylene film. Matrix effects were corrected using the intensity value of Compton scattering for PdKα, AgKα, and AuLβ₂, and that of background scattering at 35.8° (2θ) for CoKα and NiKα. The detection limits corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank intensity were 2.5–45 µg g^?1. The proposed method was validated against the pressed‐powder‐pellet method by comparing the calibration curves. Moreover, the concentrations of Co, Ni, Pd, and Ag determined using the proposed XRF method were approximately the same as those resulting from an atomic‐absorption‐spectrometric analysis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

组合材料方法研究膜厚对Ni/SiC电极接触性质的影响

采用组合材料方法研究了金属Ni膜厚对Ni/SiC接触性质的影响.16个膜厚均为18 nm的Ni/SiC电极具有较为一致的肖特基接触性质;膜厚从10 nm增加到160 nm,肖特基接触的电流-电压（I-V）曲线随膜厚发生显著变化.分析表明这种变化源于膜厚对理想因子n和有效势垒高度Ф_B的影响.1000℃快速退火后,这些肖特基接触都转变为欧姆接触,Ni₂Si是主要的生成物.I-V曲线测 关键词： 碳化硅 肖特基接触 欧姆接触 组合材料方法