Effects of stress on the growth of TiSi2 thin films on (001)Si

Abstract

Tensile stress induced by backside CoSi2 films on a silicon substrate has been found to enhance the growth of C54–TiSi2 on (001)Si. In contrast, compressive stress induced by backside oxide films on the silicon substrate was found to retard significantly the growth of C54–TiSi2 on (001)Si. For Ti on stressed (001)Si after rapid thermal annealing at 800 °C for 30 s, the thickness of the C54– TiSi2 films was found to increase and decrease with the tensile and compressive stress levels, respectively. The retarded growth is attributed to the hindrance of the migration of Si through the Ti/Si interface by the compressive stress. On the other hand, the presence of tensile stress promotes the Si diffusion to facilitate the formation of Ti silicide thin films.