Preparation of Zr-Si thin films by a simultaneous deposition and reaction process using pulsed ion beams

Thin films of Zr were deposited on Si single crystal substrates by a simultaneous deposition and reaction (SDR) process using pulsed ion beams. The thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. One of the thin films with a wavy surface contained not only Zr grains but also polycrystalline ZrSi2 and Si grains. From the results, the mechanism of the SDR process was explained as follows. First, Zr plasma, which had been formed from the ion-beam irradiated Zr target, was applied on a single crystal Si substrate to fuse a part of the single crystal Si substrate. Then, the fused Si layer enhanced the reaction with deposited Zr atoms. The present investigation implied a possibility of formation of thick reaction layers between thin films and substrates to improve the adhesion and the electrical properties.