Formation of Nickel Silicides on Ion-Amorphized Silicon

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe formation of NiSi and NiSi2 upon annealing of an ion-amorphized Ni/Si structure has been studied by various surface analytical techniques to characterize the morphology, stoichiometry and interface sharpness of the NiSi2 layer. In comparison with reactions of nickel on crystalline silicon (c-Si), sharpening 0ofthe NiSi2/C-Si interface is obtained for appropriate amorphization depths. Moreover, the surface roughness of the NiSi2 films is significantly reduced by implantation. The NiSi2 formation temperature is, however, not reduced as observed for structures with nickel deposited on amorphous silicon prepared by evaporation. This dissimilarity can be explained by an unexpected low crystallization temperature or the ion-amorphized structure, where Ni-ennanced solid phase epitaxy occurs at a temperature as low as 425°C.