Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The direct nucleation and growth of Ti silicide on the surfaces of Si(100) and amorphous Si were studied. Silicide phase formation depended on the temperature and the stoichiometry of deposition and the crystallinity of the substrate. A very low temperature, − 500°C, for the nucleation of the low-resistivity C54-TiSi2 phase was observed on amorphous Si. Stoichiometric and uniform TiSi2 layers were grown with the depositions of pure Ti. On crystalline Si, uniform TiSi2 layers were also grown at ∼ 500°C with a co-deposited template layer. The much reduced C54 formation temperature is discussed in terms of a possible circumvention of precursor amorphous silicide phases during surface nucleation.