An order of magnitude improvement in the specific contact resistance of gold-based ohmic contacts to p-type GaInAsP (Eg=1.13 eV) is reported. A novel technique using a silicon susceptor has been employed in a rapid thermal processor. A direct comparison between gold-based contacts annealed in a conventional furnace and the rapid thermal processor indicated a specific contact resistance of 4.2×10−5 and 4.1×10−6 Ω cm2, respectively. Auger electron spectroscopy, in depth profile mode, revealed two different metallurgical profiles for the conventional furnace and the rapid thermal processor. The rapid thermal processor was successfully implemented in a p-i-n optical detector process resulting in a reduction in the device series resistance and improved performance.
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