Abstract
Formation of intermetallic phases upon heating of films composed of alternating layers of metal and amorphous silicon has been studied using power-compensated differential scanning calorimetry, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and thin film x-ray diffractrometry. Results for Ni/amorphous-Si (Ni/a-Si), Ti/a-Si, V/a-Si, and Co/a-Si are reviewed. In the first three cases, an amorphous silicide is the first phase to form. Further heating leads to thickening of the amorphous silicide and eventually to formation and growth of layers of crystalline silicides. In the case of Co/a-Si multilayer films, a crystalline silicide (CoSi) appears to be the first phase to form. In these systems calorimetric measurements suggest that there are barriers to nucleation of the crystalline phases, even though the energy reduction that would accompany their formation from pure components is large. It is suggested that interdiffusion may precede the formation of new phases at the original metal/a-Si interfaces, resulting in a significant decrease in the driving force for nucleation of the crystalline phases.
Similar content being viewed by others
BIBLIOGRAPHY
S. P. Murarka, Silicides for VLSI Applications, Academic Press, New York, NY (1983).
S. Herd, K. N. Tu, and K. Y. Ahn, Appl. Phys. Letts. 42, 597 (1983).
K. Holloway and R. Sinclair, J. Appl. Phys. 61, 1359 (1987).
K. Holloway and R. Sinclair, J. Less-Common Metals 140, 139 (1988).
R. R. De Avillez, L. A. Clevenger, C. V. Thompson and K. N. Tu, J. of Materials Research 4, 1057 (1989).
L. A. Clevenger, C. V. Thompson, A. J. Judas and K. N. Tu, Proceedings of the First Materials Research Society Int’l. Meeting on Advanced Materials 10, 431 (1989).
L. A. Clevenger and C. V. Thompson, J. Appl. Phys. 67, 1325 (1989).
M. Nathan, J. Appl. Phys. 63, 5534 (1988).
L. A. Clevenger, C. V. Thompson, R. R. de Avillez, and E. Ma, to appear in J. Vac. Sci. and Tech.
K. Holloway, K. B. Do and R. Sinclair, J. Appl. Phys. 65, 474 (1989).
E. Ma, W. J. Meng, W. L. Johnson and M. A. Nicolet Appl. Phys. Letts 53, 2033 (1988).
B. M. Clemens and R. Sinclair, MRS Bulletin 15 (2), 19(1990).
W. L. Johnson, Progress in Materials Science 30, 81 (1986).
Solid State Amorphizing Transformations: Proceedings of the Conference on Solid State Amorphizing Transformations, Los Alamos, NM, August 10-13, dy1987, edited by R. B. Schwarz and W. L. Johnson (Elsevier Sequoia S.A., Lausanne, 1988).
U. Gosele and K. N. Tu, J. Appl. Phys. 53, 3252 (1982).
U. Gosele and K. N. Tu, J. Appl. Phys. 66, 2619 (1989).
R. J. Highmore, A. L. Greer, J. A. Leake, and J. E. Evetts, Materials Letters 6, 401 (1988).
E. J. Cotts, W. J. Meng, and W. L. Johnson, Phys. Rev. Letts. 57, 2295 (1986).
R. J. Highmore, R. E. Somekh, J. E. Evetts and A. L. Greer, J. Less-Common Metals 140, 353 (1988).
K. R. Coffey, L. A. Clevenger, K. Barmak, D. A. Rudman, and C. V. Thompson, Appl. Phys. Letts. 55, 852 (1989)
E. Ma, C. V. Thompson and L. A. Clevenger, unpublished research.
E. Ma, L. A. Clevenger, C. V. Thompson and K. N. Tu, this volume.
H. Miura, E. Ma and C. V. Thompson, unpublished research.
L. A. Clevenger, Ph.D. thesis, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA (1989).
L. A. Clevenger, C. V. Thompson, R. R. de Avillez, and K. N. Tu, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 148, 77 (1989).
D. Turnbull, Met. Trans. 12A, 695 (1981).
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank F. Spaepen and K.-N. Tu for useful discussions. This work was supported by IBM Corp. R.R. de Avillez was supported by Conselho Nacional de Resenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologica and Financiadora de Estudos e Projectos.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thompson, C.V., Clevenger, L.A., De Avillez, R. et al. Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Amorphous Silicide Formation in Metal/Amorphous-Silicon Multilayer Thin Films. MRS Online Proceedings Library 187, 61–70 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-187-61
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-187-61