Lateral diffusion of titanium disilicide as a route to contacting hybrid Si/organic nanostructures

Abstract

We characterized microscopic patterns of TiSi2 using atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, to test the possibility of using silicide contacts for experiments on the nanoscopic scale. We observed the effect on the morphology of incomplete formation of the disilicide, and studied the growth of lateral extension due to atomic diffusion. Upon diffusion, the silicide forms a neat and clean interface some hundreds of nanometers from the bulk electrode. That spreading phenomenon is our central focus, as we believe it may be useful in future efforts to make narrowly spaced contacts.