Embodiments disclosed herein include semiconductor devices with improved contact resistances. In an embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor channel, a gate stack over the semiconductor channel, a source region on a first end of the semiconductor channel, a drain region on a second end of the semiconductor channel, and contacts over the source region and the drain region. In an embodiment, the contacts comprise a silicon germanium layer, an interface layer over the silicon germanium layer, and a titanium layer over the interface layer.