Stress measurements on vacuum evaporated cobalt silicide films on silicon substrates

Abstract

The stress of thin film cobalt disilicide was measured as-deposited and after sintering. The cobalt metal and the silicon films were evaporated at a gas pressure of ∼ 10 −11 Pa on to a silicon (100) substrate. The silicidation reaction was performed by means of rapid thermal processing or by the use of a conventional furnace. Structure and composition in the films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and by X-ray diffraction techniques. The stresses in the film were determined by measuring the curvature of the as-deposited Si(100)/Co/Si layered structure and of the CoSi 2 at room temperature. The stress in both cases is tensile and is 1.13 and 1.28 GPa, respectively.