Effects of stress on the formation and growth of nickel silicides in Ni thin films on (0Â 0Â 1)Si

Effects of stress on the formation and growth of nickel silicides in Ni thin films on (0 0 1)Si have been investigated. Compressive stress induced by backside SiO2 film on the silicon substrate was found to retard significantly the formation of Ni2Si, NiSi and NiSi2 on (0 0 1)Si. On the other hand, tensile stress induced by backside Si3N4 and CoSi2 films was found to enhance the formation of nickel silicides on (0 0 1)Si. The thickness of growing nickel silicide thin films was found to increase and decrease with tensile and compressive stress level, respectively. The effects of stress on the formation and growth of nickel silicides are attributed to the variation in the diffusion of nickel atoms through Ni/Si and nickel silicide/Si interfaces.