Development of a CMOS-compatible contact technology for III–V materials and Si photonics

In this progress review, an overview of the CMOS-compatible contact technology developed at the CEA-Leti for Si photonics applications is proposed. The elaboration of III–V/Si hybrid lasers implies the development of ohmic contacts on n-InP and p-InGaAs III–V materials. In this way, a contact technology fully compatible with a Si-Fab line was developed. The results presented in this manuscript cover a wide scope: from surface preparation and solid-state reaction to electrical results and integration guidelines. The metallurgy of several systems including Ni/InGaAs, Ni/InP, Ti/InGaAs and Ti/InP was studied. The direct metallization of III–V materials using Ni2P was also introduced. Most of the studied metallizations provided efficient solutions for achieving ohmic contacts on n-InP and p-InGaAs. Finally, the contact technology developed in the framework of this study was successfully integrated on 200 mm CMOS-compatible III–V/Si hybrid lasers.