In Situ Tem Analysis of TiSi2 C49-C54 Transformations During Annealing

Abstract

AbstractIn situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations of TiSi2 C49-to-C54 phase transformations were recorded on video tape and photographic negatives, and transformation front velocities (vTF) were measured from the data. The samples studied in this work include: C49-TiSi2 blanket films and 0.2 μm wide, 7 mm long lines on undoped poly-Si and 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long lines on either B- or As-doped poly-Si. The in situ TEM analysis showed that blanket TiSi2 films on undoped poly-Si fully transformed at 830°C and had an average vTF of 0.5 ± 0.2 μm/s. The transformation occurred from a sparse nucleation density of ˜0.1 site/μm2. The 0.2 μm wide lines transformed at temperatures greater than 885°C, and the average vTF was 1.1 ± 0.2 μm/sec. Agglomeration started for both the blanket film and the 0.2 μm wide lines at temperatures above 900°C. In situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of C49-TiSi2 on B- and As-doped poly-Si showed that blanket films completely transformed to C54-TiSi2 at T = 835–843°C, but 0.13 μm wide, varying length lines did not fully transform, even when rapid thermal annealed to 1025°C. From in situ TEM analysis of 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long C49-TiSi2 lines on B-doped poly-Si, a distinct transformation was not observed. Instead, the lines slowly agglomerated, and electron diffraction of the agglomerated regions showed that the film had transformed to C54-TiSi2. An individual line either 1) completely transformed and agglomerated or 2) remained as C49-TiSi2 and did not agglomerate. Approximately 85% of all lines transformed. In situ TEM analysis of 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long lines of C49-TiSi2 on As-doped poly-Si also showed an indistinct transformation to the C54 phase along with agglomeration, and 100% of the lines transformed.