Systems, apparatuses, and methods related to the design, fabrication, and manufacture of gallium arsenide (GaAs) integrated circuits are disclosed. Copper can be used as the contact material for a GaAs integrated circuit. Metallization of the wafer and through-wafer vias can be achieved through copper plating processes disclosed herein. Various protocols can be employed during processing to avoid cross-contamination between copper-plated and non-copper-plated wafers. GaAs integrated circuits can be singulated, packaged, and incorporated into various electronic devices.