Gallium arsenide based device having a narrow band-gap semiconductor contact layer

A device includes a semiconductor die. The semiconductor die includes a plurality of semiconductor layers disposed on a GaAs substrate, including a first semiconductor layer having a first band-gap and a second semiconductor layer having a second band-gap. The semiconductor die further includes a contact layer disposed epitaxially upon the first semiconductor layer. The contact layer has a thickness that is less than a critical thickness. The second semiconductor layer is epitaxially disposed upon the contact layer. The contact layer has a third band-gap that is less than the first band-gap and the second band-gap. The semiconductor die further includes a conductive layer disposed upon the contact layer to form an ohmic contact. The conductive layer comprises one or more metal layers compatible with silicon processing techniques.