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The effect of a small amount of Pt (5 at. %) on the thermal stability of NiSi film on (100) and (111) Si substrates has been investigated both by in situ annealing inside an x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system and by ex situ rapid thermal annealing. The addition of platinum increases the disilicide nucleation temperature to 900 °C leading to a better stability of NiSi at high temperatures. In the presence of Pt, NiSi films on both (111)Si and (100)Si substrates develop a texture with the relationship (100)NiSi∥(111)Si and (010)NiSi∥(100)Si. The increase in thermal stability has been explained in terms of the nucleation concept.

In the atom probe microanalysis of steels, inconsistencies in the measured compositions of solutes (C, N) have often been reported, as well as their appearance as molecular ions. Here we propose that these issues might arise from surface migration of solute atoms over the specimen surface. Surface migration of solutes is evidenced by field-ion microscopy observations, and its consequences on atom probe microanalysis are detailed for a wide range of solute (P, Si, Mn, B, C, N). It is proposed that directional walk driven by field gradients over the specimen surface and thermally activated is the prominent effect.Comment: 30 pages , 10 figure