SIMPLE, EXTREMELY LOW RESISTANCE CONTACT SYSTEM TO N-INP THAT DOES NOT EXHIBIT METAL-SEMICONDUCTOR INTERMIXING DURING SINTERING

Contact formation to InP is plagued by the violent metal-semiconductor intermixing that takes place during the contact sintering process. We have discovered a truly unique contact system, involving Au and Ge, w hich is easily fabricated, which exhibits extremely low values of cont act resistivity, and in which there is virtually no metal-semiconducto r interdiffusion, even after extended sintering. We present a descript ion of this contact system and suggest possible mechanisms to explain the observed behavior.