Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate compositional changes, in thin metal-semiconductor systems, which were caused by Ar+ and N+ ion bombardment or by annealing. The investigation was carried out on contacts of Ni-Au-Ge on GaAs, as well as on irradiated and non-irradiated Au-GaAs. The structures were bombarded with Ar+ and N+ ions to doses of between 1014 and 3 x 1016/cm2. The experimental results indicated that the interdiffusion of Au and Ga atoms depended upon the bombardment dose. Upon annealing the samples, blocking of interdiffusion was observed in Au-GaAs structures (which had been deposited on 50keV Ar+ ion-irradiated and pre-treated GaAs) at certain radiation-defect concentrations. This behavior was attributed to Au-Ga bond formation, and appeared to depend upon Ga interstitial atoms.

L.B.Guoba, A.A.Vitkauskas, J.V.Kameneckas, V.R.Sargünas, A.P.Sakalas: Physica Status Solidi A, 1989, 111[2], 507-13