CESL-Stressor-Induced Morphological Instability of Pt-Dissolved Ni Germanosilicide Formed on Silicon Germanium Epilayer

Abstract

The effect of CESL stressor on the morphological stability of the Pt-dissolved NiSi 1−x Ge x films formed on Si 0.72 Ge 0.28 is demonstrated for the first time. In the CESL stress range studied, no high-resistivity phase is found in the silicide layer, but the R S of the NiSi 1−x Ge x films still increases with the stress boost from the CESL stressor due to the film agglomeration occurring at 400 • C. The tensile CESL stress results in a much steeper trend in the R S increases than the compressive one, which can be connected to the stressor-induced interface energy change manifested by the morphological observation on the film breaches of discrete NiSi 1−x Ge x films. The stressor-induced morphological instability may bring about the integration issue but can be mitigated by an intercalated Si layer between the NiSi 1−x Ge x film and Si 0.72 Ge 0.28 .