Title :
Composition analysis of nickel silicide formed from evaporated and sputtered nickel for microsystem devices
Author :
Bhaskaran, M. ; Sriram, S. ; Du Plessis, J. ; Holland, A.S.
Author_Institution :
Microelectron. & Mater. Technol. Centre, RMIT Univ., Melbourne, Vic.
Abstract :
Nickel silicide (NiSi) is highly suitable for microsystem fabrication, exhibiting suitable mechanical properties and good resistance to bulk micromachining etchants. Conditions for the formation of nickel silicide by vacuum annealing thin films of nickel deposited on silicon substrates are investigated. Nickel silicide thin films formed using sputtered and evaporated nickel films were analysed using Auger electron spectroscopy, which has shown that evaporated thin films of nickel tend to form nickel silicide more readily and with less thermal effort
Keywords :
annealing; micromachining; nickel compounds; semiconductor thin films; sputter deposition; vacuum deposition; Auger electron spectroscopy; NiSi; bulk micromachining etchants; evaporated nickel films; mechanical properties; microsystem devices; microsystem fabrication; nickel silicide thin films; sputtered nickel films; vacuum annealing thin films;
Journal_Title :
Electronics Letters
DOI :
10.1049/el:20070203
