Transient processing of titanium silicides on single-crystal Si in a non-isothermal reactor provides high quality films. Heat from quartz-hal?gen tungsten lamps and a small temperature gradient act as driving forces for the reaction. The temperature gradient, small compared to the concentration gradient, shows negligible influence on the formation process. The influence of sample reflectivity on the other hand is appreciable. From Xe+ marker experiments, Si atoms are found to be the moving species either up or down the temperature gradient. Small amount of TiSi as an intermediate phase is found to be coexistent with TiSi2. The silicide formation of the implanted wafers is somewhat slower than that of the unimplanted wafers.

This paper presents the results obtained from the optimization of disk design parameters to achieve the less acoustic emission (AE) signal and take-off velocity (TOV), and the steady and less stiction performance by using Taguchi experimental design with a four-factor three-level (L9) orthogonal array. The factors considered were laser bump height (BH), bump spacing (BS), overcoat type, and lubricant thickness. BH is the most significant factor and its percentage contribution is 86% on AE signal and 72% on TOV, respectively. The lower AE signal was obtained from the higher BH, lower BS, and lower lubricant thickness, over the design range. On the other hand, the lower TOV was obtained from the lower BH and lower BS. Overcoat type is not a significant factor to affect the AE signal and TOV.

Palladium silicide is formed through contact reaction of an electron‐deposited Pd thin film and single‐crystal <100> Si substrate by rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The sample temperatures are carefully measured by both optical pyrometer and thermocouples. The annealed samples are analyzed by four‐point probe measurements, x‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning Auger microprobe analysis (SAM). is the first and only phase detected in the temperature range 310°–460°C. The temperature at which starts to form is 320°C, and the activation energy for the diffusion‐controlled silicide growth is found to be . These results show that the growth mechanism of is the same in both rapid thermal annealing and conventional furnace annealing.

Thin films of tungsten silicides have been formed on samples of W(50 nm)/Ti(5 or 10 nm)/Si〈100〉 by rapid-thermal annealing. The results of the experiments show that by interposing a thin layer of Ti at the W-Si〈100〉 interface, the temperature at which WSi2 is first detected is lowered to 570–600 °C, and the W-Si reaction rate is increased, as compared to the W/Si〈100〉 samples. The resulting WSi2 film has an electrical resistivity of about 115 μΩ cm with a smooth surface. Neither the W-rich silicide phase, W5Si3, nor the hexagonal WSi2 phase is found in the annealed samples. The growth kinetics are monitored using a four-point probe, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning Auger analysis.

W-Ti bilayers on Si have been processed by fast thermal annealing in air, in N2/H2(5%), and vacuum (1 E-3 and 1 E-6 Torr). The results indicate that the W layer on top of Ti acts as an effective protection barrier against oxidation of Ti in all atmospheres except air. Titanium-rich silicides are formed after 500 °C, while TiSi2 is completed at about 600 °C. At 700 °C a bilayer of WSi2/TiSi2 is found. Silicon is found to be the diffusing specie during the formation of WSi2. Finally, a ternary silicide, Ti0.6W0.4Si2, starts to form after 780 °C. The final ternary silicide phase has’an Mlectrical resistivity of about 60 μΩ-cm.

A fast radiative processing technique using quartz-halogen tungsten lamps is employed for the formation of titanium silicides on either high purity single crystal or undoped polycrystalline Si substrates. Characterization techniques such as four-point probe, x-ray diffraction, SEM, and backscattering spectrometry (BS) show complete TiSi2 formation after 17 s exposure to 18 W/cm2 radiation. Electrical characterization was performed by galvanomagnetic measurements. The results show a metallic and highly conductive silicide whose resistivity varies linearly with temperature in the temperature interval from 80 to 300 K. Films grown on (111) oriented single crystals and (110) textured polycrystalline Si showed both electrons and holes, with the holes as the predominant carriers at low temperature.

High intensity quartz-halogen tungsten lamps with power densities of 10, 15, and 25 W/cm2 were used to form palladium silicide films. Metal films of 83–200 nm were evaporated on (100)-oriented single-crystal silicon and subsequently processed in vacuum for time intervals from 5 to 60 s. The electrical characteristics and the microstructure of the silicide films were studied by four-point probe, x-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. A nonuniform PdSi film with dendritelike surface topography is formed at 25 W/cm2. A somewhat discontinuous low resistance film of predominantly PdSi is formed at 15 W/cm2. The same power density, for contaminated samples, induces agglomeration upon processing. A uniform Pd2Si film with a resistivity of 27 μΩ cm is obtained at 10 W/cm2. Longer processing times result in nucleation and growth of PdSi from Pd2Si.

Titanium silicide thin films were formed after short-time processing of thin films of metallic titanium over single-crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon. Radiation from high intensity lamps provided a directional driving force for the reaction, which was carried out both in the presence of oxygen in the reactor and under vacuum. The effect of oxygen on the reaction was monitored using sheet resistance, X-ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements. The film quality was found to be strongly influenced by an oxygen partial pressure in the reactor. The effect of the processing time was also assessed and the optimum time and power input interval were determined. High quality, low resistivity films with TiSi2 as the major phase were obtained after 10 s under a roughing vacuum. AES studies indicated that most of the oxygen and other contaminants remained in a narrow surface layer after processing.

Titanium silicide films were grown under roughing vacuum on single crystal silicon wafers using high power quartz-halogen tungsten lamps to provide the thermal driving force. After processing for various time intervals, ranging from 5 to 25 s, the samples were characterized by measuring their sheet resistance. Major phases were detected with x-ray diffractometry. Elemental composition and film thickness were measured using Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectroscopy. These techniques consistently indicated that silicide formation was completed after 10–12 seconds processing time. The quality of these films and its potential usefulness are evidenced by their low resistivity of 21 μΩ cm.

Titanium disilicide thin films were obtained after fast radiative processing of Ti metal thin films deposited on singlecrystal silicon wafers. The driving force for the reaction was provided by radiation from a bank of high-intensity quartz— halogen tungsten lamps, while the samples were kept in a vacuum of 10−7 Torr. The samples, processed for 1 to 15 s, were characterized by four-point probe, X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These measurements showed that the sheet resistance increased in the first 2 s. After 3 s the disilicide film started to form quickly and the reaction was completed after 5 to 8 s. No appreciable surface contamination layer was detected. The quality of the disilicide film is demonstrated by its low resistivity of 14 μΩ cm and its smooth surface with feature size of 0.5 μm.