We report here on the preparation and characterization of InAs substrates for in situ deposition of ferromagnetic contacts, a necessary precursor for semiconductor devices based on spin injection. InAs has been grown on InAs(111)A and (100) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy and then metalized in situ in order to better understand the mechanisms that inhibit spin injection into a semiconductor. Initial x-ray characterization of the samples indicate the presence of nickel arsenides and indium–nickel compounds forming during deposition at temperatures above room temperature. Several temperature ranges have been investigated in order to determine the effect on nickel-arsenide formation. The presence of such compounds at the interface could greatly reduce the spin-injection efficiency and help elucidate previous unsuccessful attempts at measuring spin injection into InAs
