| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 541847 | Microelectronic Engineering | 2006 | 6 Pages |
Nickel silicides and nickel germanides are under interest for their microelectronic applications. They are often declared to have the same behavior that is usually observed in thin film reactions: sequential growth of some phases. This paper deals with the comparison of phase growth and kinetics in both systems. Our observations using several techniques show that nickel silicides have a sequential growth of Ni2Si, NiSi and NiSi2 as usually reported, whereas two nickel germanides, Ni5Ge3 and NiGe, grow simultaneously until the total consumption of Ni film. This switch from a sequential to a simultaneous growth is potentially important for the microelectronic industry. The kinetics parameters for the Ni rich phase growth (Ni2Si and Ni5Ge3) have been derived using a linear-parabolic law which takes into account both interfacial and diffusion contributions. The determination of these parameters helps to understand the contribution of interfacial phenomena on the thin film reaction.
