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Diffusion Processes in Silicides: A Comparison Between Bulk and Thin Film Phase Formation.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Patrick Gas and
Francois D'Heurle
Patrick Gas
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Métallurgie, associé au CNRS, Fac. St Jérôme, case 511, 13397 Marseille, F.
Francois D'Heurle
Affiliation:
IBM Research, 10598 Yktwn Hghts, NY - 10598, USA and KTH-FTE, 16440-Kista, Sweden
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Abstract

Diffusion processes in silicide thin films play a key role both during their formation by reactive diffusion or during their use. However our unique source of information was provided by indirect analysis: growth of thin films and dopant redistribution which are quite difficult to analyse in terms of diffusion mechanisms. Recent tracer experiments conducted in bulk silicides are presented. They allow a determination of both volume (v) and grain boundary (gb) diffusion coefficients. Contrary to what is observed in certain intermetallic compounds no fast volume diffusion mechanism was found. The main difference with the behaviour of pure metals is a slightly higher value of the ratio Qgb/Qv which makes gb diffusion an efficient process in a wider temperature range.

A quantitative analysis of diffusion processes during silicide formation is then possible. As an example we propose a comparison between the kinetics of growth of thin films and bulk diffusion couples in the Co/Si and Ti/Si systems. Providing that attention is paid to: i) the laws of growth which are slightly different for a phase growing simultaneously with others (bulk) and one phase growing alone (thin films), and ii) the grain size of the growing phase which is strongly dependant on temperature and thicknesses excellent agreement is obtained between the two sets of measurements. Moreover the growth rates may be calculated quite accurately from the values of the volume and gb tracer diffusion coefficients. This stresses and quantifies the role of interfacial diffusion in thin films behaviour.

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