Kinetics Of Silicide Formation Research Articles

In situ study of film stress and kinetics of platinum silicide formation on silicon

In situ measurements of the film stress and the film reflectivity were carried out when samples of platinum film on silicon were sintered in an inert gas ambient. The reflectivity of the film dropped in two stages when the reaction between platinum and silicon transformed the platinum film to a Pt 2Si film and then to a PtSi film. The kinetics of the silicide formations were studied by monitoring the film reflectivity in situ while the reaction was progressing. The activation energies for the Pt 2Si phase and the PtSi phase formations were derived to be 1.2 eV and 1.7 eV respectively. The stress of the as-deposited platinum films is 1 × 10 8 Pa. The room temperature stress of the final PtSi film is 1.5 × 10 9 Pa in which the thermal stress component is far greater than the intrinsic component.

Formation Kinetics of Niobium and Molybdenum Silicides Induced by Ion Bombardment

Kinetics of silicide formation induced by ion bombardment was investigated in Nb-deposited-on-Si (Nb/Si) and Mo/Si systems by using a backscattering technique in order to elucidate formation mechanisms. The kinetics was observed to be different in these systems. In Mo/Si, the amount of Si atoms intermixed into the silicide is proportional to (dose)1/2 and independent of the properties of the Si substrate; in Nb/Si, it is proportional to the nuclear energy deposition by the ion at the silicide/Si interface and is affected depending on whether the substrate is amorphous or crystalline. From these results and the temperature dependence observed, it is concluded that defects produced by the ion cause the silicide growth by inducing the reaction at the silicide/Si interface and atomic diffusion in the silicide layer; in Nb/Si the former process is rate limited and in Mo/Si it is the latter.

Kinetics of silicide formation by thin films of V on Si and SiO2 substrates

The reaction rate of vacuum-evaporated films of V of the order of 1000 Å thick is investigated by MeV He backscattering spectrometry. On substrates of single-crystal Si and for anneal times up to several hours in the temperature range 570–650°C, VSi2 is formed at a linear rate in time. The activation energy of the process is 1.7±0.2 eV. The presence of oxygen in amounts of 10% can significantly decelerate the reaction. On substrates of SiO2 in the temperature range 730–820°C and anneal times of several hours or less, V3Si is formed at a square-root rate in time. The activation energy of this process is 2.0±0.2 eV.