Kinetics of growth and consumption of Ni rich phases

•The kinetics of growth and consumption of Ni-rich phases are investigated.•The life time of θ-Ni2Si depends on the initial Ni thickness.•A slow kinetic of consumption of θ-Ni2Si is observed for thin Ni film.•A fast rate of consumption of θ-Ni2Si is observed when θ-Ni2Si is a transient phase.•The results are interpreted in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics.

In situ X-ray diffraction measurements performed during isothermal annealing show that the life time of θ-Ni2Si depends on the initial Ni thickness. A slow kinetic of consumption of θ-Ni2Si is observed during the reaction of 50 nm Ni with Si substrate, while a fast rate of consumption of θ-Ni2Si is observed when θ-Ni2Si is a transient phase. The kinetics of growth and consumption of Ni-rich phases is discussed.

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