Intermixing and chemical structure at the interface between n-GaN and V-based contacts

The interface between n-type GaN and V-based contacts was characterized by soft x-ray spectroscopy. We have investigated the chemical interface structure before and after a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) step, which is crucial for the formation of an Ohmic contact. X-ray photoelectron and x-ray excited Auger electron spectra suggest that RTA induces an accumulation of metallic Ga at the surface. Using x-ray emission spectroscopy, we find that the probed nitrogen atoms are in a VN-like environment, indicating that vanadium interacts with nitrogen atoms from the GaN to form VN. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2992199]