The interaction of rhodium thin films with singlehyphen;crystal substrates of silicon leads to the formation of four silicides. RhSi forms by diffusionhyphen;controlled kinetics at temperatures of about 350thinsp;deg;C with an activation energy of 1.9 eV. For long annealing times one observes the layered formation of Rh2Si at the RhSihyphen;Rh interface. At higher temperatures, in the vicinity of 825thinsp;deg;C, Rh4Si5forms in the same way as IrSi3: it grows as islands with no measured composition gradient through the thickness of the films. Between 925 and 950thinsp;deg;C Rh4Si5transforms to Rh3Si4. Oxidation experiments provide useful information about the stability of the Sihyphen;rich phases, Rh4Si5and Rh3Si4, and their mode of formation. The large number of silicides, four, formed in a single metalhyphen;silicon system provides the opportunity to examine various modes of thinhyphen;film interactions. Some striking differences in behavior in the otherwise similar systems, Irhyphen;Si and Rhhyphen;Si, are briefly discussed.
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