Reaction of the Si/Ta/Ti system: C40 $TiSi2$ phase formation and in situ kinetics Available to Purchase

The effect of a thin Ta layer at the Si/Ti interface on the intermediate phase formation has been studied in detail by in situ sheet resistance, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy of partially reacted samples. When a Ta layer is deposited at the Si/Ti interface, a new intermediate phase has been detected, i.e., the hexagonal $TiSi2$ C40. This phase grows on the C40 $TaSi2$ that is formed at the interface with silicon. The activation energies of the C40 formation $(1.9±0.3 eV)$ and the C40–C54 phase transition $(3.7±0.5 eV)$ have been determined and compared to the activation energies for the C49 $(1.7±0.1 eV)$ formation and the C49–C54 $(5.1±0.9 eV)$ transition. Both the transformation kinetics and the film morphology are consistent with an increase of the nucleation density with respect to the C49–C54 transition.