Low-resistive and homogenous NiPt-silicide formation using ultra-low temperature annealing with microwave system for 22nm-node CMOS and beyond

A novel NiPt-silicide formation using microwave annealing (MWA) is proposed, and superior properties of NiPt silicide in ultra-shallow junction (USJ) are demonstrated for the first time. MWA is suitable for the thin NiPtSi formation with its stable and ultra-low temperature (less than 250 °C) heating. The anomalous Ni diffusion during the NiPtSi formation is considered to be suppressed because MW system heats Si substrates selectively. As a result, low-resistive and homogeneous NiPtSi can be formed, and the increase of the junction leakage current due to the abnormal NiPt-silicide growth is successfully suppressed in USJ. This superior technique is quite promising for achieving 22nm-node CMOS and beyond.