Si/Ni-Silicide Schottky junctions with atomically flat interfaces using NiSi<inf>2</inf> source

Abstract

Si/Ni-silicide Schottky junctions with atomically flat and thermodynamically stable interfaces have been achieved by using NiSi 2 source. The flat interfaces have been obtained from forming thin epitaxial NiSi 2 layer without Si substrate consumption on the interfaces. A robust φ Βn of ~0.66 eV and ideally stable n-factor of ~1.00 were achieved from the Schottky barrier diode formed in the straightforward fabrication process. The facts are very beneficial for designing future nano-scale FETs.

Towards Reconfigurable Electronics: Silicidation of Top-Down Fabricated Silicon Nanowires

“…This process is called the reactive phase formation, which indicates diffusion between two adjacent phases leading to the formation of a single or multiple products along the chemical gradient between those phases [35,36]. Silicidation is governed by diffusion [37,38] and nucleation [35,39] and can be controlled by steps involved in the reaction phase formation.…”

“…Ni-silicide formation on bulk Si substrates has been extensively studied in the past [39][40][41][42][43]. Moreover, Ni-silicided nanowires can be produced by direct synthesis or by solid-state reaction of Ni with SiNWs.…”

“…The most common Ni-silicide phases in SiNWs are Ni 2 Si, NiSi, and NiSi 2 . The phase of silicide can be controlled by a proper choice of Ni quantity and quality [27,39], conditions of the reaction [30], strain in the nanowire [28,49], and crystal orientation of nanowires [26]. In <112> nanowires, the hexagonal θ-Ni 2 Si is formed at 300 • C, whereas this phase is not observed till 800 • C in bulk structures [47].…”

Controlled Silicidation of Silicon Nanowires Using Flash Lamp Annealing

“…The Ni diffuses across the Si, forming single or multiple compounds . This process is known as reaction phase formation. , The Ni–silicide phase can be controlled by the reaction conditions, the Ni quantity and quality, , as well as the strain , and the crystal orientation of the Si nanowires. Various Ni–silicide phases exist.…”

“…Later, Tang et al47 proposed single silicide phase growth based on three distinct mechanisms, which are Ni diffusion through the Ni/Ni-silicide interface, diffusion of Ni across the already silicided segment of the nanowire, and conversion to a new silicide layer at the growth front. Even though researchers have extensively studied3,7,48,49…”