Kinetics of Silicide Formation in Artificially Multilayered Chromium-AmorphousSilicon Thin Films

摘要

Silicide formation in multilayered thin films of chromium and amorphous siliconwas investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC traces gave a large main peak that was associated with the growth of the silicide. The growth kinetics followed a linear rate law, with an activation energy of 2.6 eV and a pre exponential factor of 7.5 x 10(7) m/sec for the rate constant. An explosive silicide reaction, observed in other metal silicon multilayered films, could not be induced in this system. Multilayered thin films were prepared by sequential electron beam evaporation of chromium and silicon onto microscope slides coated with a photoresistant. X ray diffraction analysis of the deposited films indicated that the chromium was polycrystalline and the silicon was amorphous. As is discussed below, analysis of the reaction kinetics indicates there was also an interfacial layer of (amorphous) silicide, as has been observed in as deposited nickel amorphous silicon and vanadium-amorphous silicon multilayered thin films.