The role of composition and microstructure in Ni-W silicide formation and low temperature epitaxial NiSi2 growth by premixing Si

We report on an extensive and detailed study of the silicide reaction of Ni-W alloys on Si(100). The solid phase reaction when studied over the full composition range reveals the substantial impact of composition and microstructure on the silicide reaction properties, such as the phase formation sequence and formation temperatures. It was found that the microstructure of the as-deposited film depends crucially on the alloy composition, being polycrystalline below 45 at.% W and amorphous above 45 at.% W. The microstructure affects the elemental mobility substantially, resulting in a drastic increase in the silicide reaction temperature in the case of an amorphous thin film. To further investigate the effect of elemental mobility, Si was premixed in the as-deposited alloy, thereby excluding the need for long-range diffusion. As a result, the silicide reaction temperatures were lowered. However, what was more striking was the observation of a bilayer structure for epitaxial NiSi2 in contact with the Si substrate and a W-rich layer residing at the outermost layer at a temperature of only 300 degrees C. The results stress the importance of the composition and crystalline nature of the as-deposited film, with these being decisive for the reaction sequence