Growth Mechanism of Epitaxial NiSi_2 Layer in the Ni/Ti/Si(001) Contact for Atomically Flat Interfaces

摘要

The crystalline structure and electrical properties of an epitaxial Ni silicide film formed in a Ni/Ti/Si system were investigated. The {111} facets at the Ni silicide/Si interface disappears with increasing the annealing temperature. As the result, the film morphology is improved and the sheet resistance of the film is reduced. Pseudomorphic metastable-NiSi_2 is formed after annealing at 350°C, and that transforms to pseudomorphic NiSi_2 with the CaF_2-type structure at 650°C. The epitaxial NiSi_2 film after annealing at 850°C has the in-plane tensile strain on the Si substrate.