Ion-Beam Induced Silicide Formation: Markers and Moving Species

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe moving species in near-noble metal suicide formation was investigated using embedded markers and Rutherford backscattering. With thermal annealing of Ni-silicides, Ni is the dominant diffusing species while in ion-induced reactions both Ni and Si diffuse across the suicide. This difference in behavior is not a result of the formation of amorphous Si during ion irradiation nor is it caused by release of Si. We propose that the diffusion of Si is associated with the formation of defects in the suicide layer generated within the collision cascade.