Study of the growth kinetics of Ni2Si using a sheet resistance method

The kinetics of silicide growth are usually studied using the Rutherford ion back-scattering technique. The author employed a sheet resistance method to investigate the kinetics for Ni2Si growth. The results confirm that the process is diffusion limited. The resistivity of the Ni2Si layer appears to depend on the substrate type. Ni2Si grown on n-type silicon wafer has a resistivity of 60+or-3 mu Omega cm while that formed on p-type substrate has a resistivity of 32+or-2 mu Omega cm. There is also a dependence of the activation energy for the diffusion on substrate type. A value Ea=1.0+or-0.1 eV is obtained for n-type substrate, and Ea=0.51+or-0.05 eV for p-type substrate. These results further highlight the dominant role played by the substrate in silicon-based technology.