Tungsten contacts to Zn‐doped In0.53Ga0.47As have been formed by rapid thermal processing. Contacts to layers with a Zn doping concentration of 5×1018cm−3were rectifying as sputter deposited as well as after heat treatments at temperatures lower than 450 °C. Higher processing temperatures caused a linear decrease of the contact resistivity values from 0.6 as deposited to 0.15 &OHgr; mm after heating at 550 °C. Rapid thermal processing at these higher temperatures stimulated the Schottky‐to‐ohmic contact conversion with a minimum contact resistance value of 8.5×10−5&OHgr; cm2and a sheet resistance value of 150 &OHgr;/&laplac; as a result of heating at 600 °C for 30 s. By increasing thep‐InGaAs doping level to 1×1019cm−3, the specific resistance of this contact was dropped to the minimum of 7.5×10−6&OHgr; cm2as a result of heating at 600 °C for 30 s. The W/p‐In0.53Ga0.47As contact showed excellent thermal stability over the temperature range of 300–750 °C, with an abrupt and almost unreacted metal‐semiconductor interface. Heating at temperatures of 800 °C or higher caused degradation of the contact. This was reflected by a distinct increase in the heterostructure sheet resistance as a result of the intensive interfacial reaction which took place at the contact, accompanied by outdiffusion of both In and As.