High-temperature degradation of NiSi films: Agglomeration versus NiSi{sub 2} nucleation
- Vakgroep Vaste-stofwetenschappen, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S1, 9000 Gent (Belgium)
The thermodynamical and morphological stability of NiSi thin films has been investigated for layers of thickness ranging from 10 to 60 nm formed on either silicon-on-insulator (SOI), polycrystalline silicon, or preannealed polycrystalline silicon substrates. The stability of the films was evaluated using in situ x-ray-diffraction, sheet resistance, and laser light-scattering measurements. For NiSi films that are thinner than 20 nm, agglomeration is the main degradation mechanism. For thicker films, the agglomeration of NiSi and nucleation of NiSi{sub 2} occur simultaneously, and both degradation mechanisms influence each other. Significant differences were observed in the degradation of the NiSi formed on different substrates. Surprisingly, agglomeration is worse on SOI substrates than on poly-Si substrates, suggesting that the texture of the NiSi film plays an important role in the agglomeration process. As expected, preannealing of the polycrystalline silicon substrate prior to metal deposition results in a significant improvement of the thermal stability of the NiSi layers.
- OSTI ID:
- 20714019
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 98, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2005380; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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