Abstract
Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) combined with in situ sputter etching is used to quantitatively evaluate the growth kinetics of thin films of Pd 2Si on 〈111〉 Si substrates. The growth of Pd 2Si is found to be diffusion limited and to be characterized by an activation energy of 1·4±0·2 eV in close agreement with previous results obtained on thicker Pd 2Si films. AES is also used to uniquely identify the silicide phase Pd 2Si. Measurement of the expansion occurring during Pd 2Si film formation indicates the Pd 2Si film is about 20% thicker than expected. Correlation of the AES results with careful electrical measurements of the Pd 2Si/Si interface reveals that the contact barrier energy φ Bn decreases slightly with increasing thickness of the Pd 2Si film. A 3% decrease in φ Bn was observed for complete conversion of 500 Å of Pd to Pd 2Si.
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