NiSi, with its low resistivity and wide processing window (350 - 750 deg C), is an attractive candidate for use as a gate contact material. In order to follow the interface reaction that leads to the formation of NiSi in real time, ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study changes on the surface resulting from the reaction between Ni and Si for various times and temperatures, and Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS) to determine compositional changes in the forming silicides. We report that ellipsometry can be used to monitor the various Ni-Si phases forming in real time, and we have observed agglomeration of the silicide, which has been reported to occur at 1000 deg C, at temperatures, as low as 550 deg C for long time anneals.
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