At&t Bell Laboratories

Peter M Thomas

Louis A Koszi

Avishay Katz

William C Dautremont-Smith

Bryan P Segner

Disclosed is a method of making a semiconductor device that exemplarily comprises depositing a Ti/Pt layer onto a AuBe intermediate layer on a p-doped region of a semiconductor body. It also comprises depositing a Ti/Pt layer onto a n-doped region of the semiconductor body, or onto a AuGe intermediate layer on the n-doped region, followed by rapid thermal processing. Exemplarily, the device is a semiconductor laser, the n-doped region is InP, the p-doped region is InGaAs or InGaAsP, and RTP involves heating in the range 425.degree.-500.degree. C. for 10-100 seconds. The method comprises fewer processing steps than typical prior art methods, reduces the danger of fabrication error and of wafer breakage and, significantly, results in contacts that can be relatively thermally stable and can have very low specific contact resistance (exemplarily as low as 10.sup.-7 .OMEGA..multidot.cm.sup.2).

Method of making a semiconductor device

The inventive method of producing a device having non-alloyed ohmic contacts of common composition to both an n-doped and a p-doped region of a semiconductor body comprises deposition of a Ti/Pt layer on the p-doped as well as the n-doped region, followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP). Exemplarily, the device is a semiconductor laser, the n-doped region is InP, the p-doped region is InGaAs or InGaAsP, and RTP involves heating in the range 425.degree.-475.degree. C. for 10-100 seconds. The method comprises fewer processing steps than typical prior art methods, reduces the danger of fabrication error and of wafer breakage and, significantly, results in contacts that can be relatively thermally stable and can have very low specific contact resistance (exemplarily as low as 10.sup.-7 .OMEGA..multidot.cm.sup.2).

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Berkeley Heights, NJ, United States of America

Peter M Thomas