Structural, magnetic and electrical properties of Fe/Si system

Interface studies in metal/semiconductor systems are important due to their potential technological application in microelectronics. A total of 80 nm Fe film was deposited on Si(1 1 1) substrate using electron beam evaporation technique at a vacuum of 2×10−7 Torr. The samples were annealed at temperatures 500 and 600 °C for 1 h in 3×10−5 Torr for the formation of silicide phases. GIXRD results show a stable disilicides FeSi2 formation at the interface at annealing temperature 600 °C. The coercivity determined from MOKE hysteresis curves for as-deposited and annealed samples are 14.91, 29.82 and 31.01 Oe. The Schottky barrier height, as estimated by the current–voltage measurement is 0.59, 0.54 and 0.49 eV for pristine and annealed samples at 500 and 600 °C, respectively, and concludes that the barrier height values as a function of the heat of formation of the silicides.