Schottky Barrier Height of Nickel Silicide Contacts Formed on $\hbox {Si}_{1 - x}\hbox {C}_{x}$ Epitaxial Layers

Embedded Si_{1 -} xCx source/drain junctions are currently considered to achieve electron mobility enhancement in nMOSFETs by inducing uniaxial tensile strain in the channel region. To utilize the mobility advantage of this technology, it is imperative to form low-resistivity contacts to Si_{1 -} xCx alloys. In this letter, the electron and hole barrier heights at the NiSi/Si_{1 -} xCx interface were measured up to a carbon concentration of 1.2%. The results indicate that the NiSi Fermi level moves away from the valence-band edge with increasing carbon concentration such that the hole barrier height increases by 68 meV in spite of the upward movement of the valence band. Within the same carbon concentration range, the electron barrier height decreases by as much as 170 meV, which is significant considering the exponential dependence of contact resistivity on barrier height.