Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2011
Titanium disilicide was formed by multiply-scanned electron beam irradiation of titanium films of nominal thickness 1200Å on silicon substrates. Samples were annealed at power densities of 2 to 52.5Wcm−2 using times in the range of 1 to a few hundreds seconds. Rutherford backscattering analysis was used to study the metal redistribution and to estimate the approximate compositions and thicknesses of the films. Compounds were identified by X-ray and electron diffraction. Sheet resistance was measured by the four probe technique and surface topography inspected by scanning electron microscopy.
The silicide thickness achieved depends only on annealing time for power densities in the range of 20 to 50Wcm−2 and hence is independent of heating rate and peak temperature during the heating cycle.