The formation of copper silicide by reaction of silane with sputtered copper films has been observed at temperatures as low as 300 °C. The growth kinetics have been monitored by both sheet resistance and x-ray diffraction techniques. Cu5Si is the first phase to form followed next by Cu3Si, coincident with the loss of the original copper layer. The silicide layer provides significant oxidation protection for the underlying copper up to 550 °C in air.
Silicide formation in Pt-Si bilayers was induced by rapid isothermal annealing using incoherent light from tungsten halogen lamps. The growth sequence of the Pt2Si and the PtSi phases that evolved as the result of the solid state reaction in the bilayers was monitored by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The identification of the phases was confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Activation energies for the formation of the Pt2Si and the PtSi phase were determined to be 1.38 and 1.67 eV, respectively. These values agree with the reported results of the formation of these silicides by furnace anneals. Hence, rapid isothermal anneals do not appear to enhance the solid-state reactions in Pt-Si bilayers. It was also found that even rapid thermal anneals led to the formation of a very thin oxide that provided protection to the underlying silicide during selective Pt etch.
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