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At least 19 records

Temperature-dependent structure and phase variation of nickel silicide nanowire arrays prepared by in situ silicidation

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlight: ► Nickel silicides nanowire arrays prepared by a simple in situ silicidation method. ► Phases of nickel silicides could be varied by tuning the reaction temperature. ► A growth model was proposed for the nickel silicides nanowires. ► Diffusion rates of Ni and Si play a critical role for the phase variation. -- Abstract: In this paper, we report an in situ silicidizing method to prepare nickel silicide nanowire arrays with varied structures and phases. The in situ reaction (silicidation) between Si and NiCl{sub 2} led to conversion of Si nanowires to nickel silicide nanowires. Structures and phases of the obtained nickel silicides could be varied by changing the reaction temperature. At a relatively lower temperature of 700 °C, the products are Si/NiSi core/shell nanowires or NiSi nanowires, depending on the concentration of NiCl{sub 2} solution. At a higher temperature (800 °C and 900 °C), other phases of the nickel silicides, including Ni{sub 2}Si, Ni{sub 31}Si{sub 12}, and NiSi{sub 2}, were obtained. It is proposed that the different diffusion rates of Ni and Si atoms at different temperatures played a critical role in the formation of nickel silicide nanowires with different phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Gas cluster ion beam assisted NiPt germano-silicide formation on SiGe

We report the formation of very uniform and smooth Ni(Pt)Si on epitaxially grown SiGe using Si gas cluster ion beam treatment after metal-rich silicide formation. The gas cluster ion implantation process was optimized to infuse Si into the metal-rich silicide layer and lowered the NiSi nucleation temperature significantly according to in situ X-ray diffraction measurements. This novel method which leads to more uniform films can also be used to control silicide depth in ultra-shallow junctions, especially for high Ge containing devices, where silicidation is problematic as it leads to much rougher interfaces.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Texture in thin film silicides and germanides: A review

Silicides and germanides are compounds consisting of a metal and silicon or germanium. In the microelectronics industry, silicides are the material of choice for contacting silicon based devices (over the years, CoSi{sub 2}, C54-TiSi{sub 2}, and NiSi have been adopted), while germanides are considered as a top candidate for contacting future germanium based electronics. Since also strain engineering through the use of Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} in the source/drain/gate regions of MOSFET devices is an important technique for improving device characteristics in modern Si-based microelectronics industry, a profound understanding of the formation of silicide/germanide contacts to silicon and germanium is of utmost importance. The crystallographic texture of these films, which is defined as the statistical distribution of the orientation of the grains in the film, has been the subject of scientific studies since the 1970s. Different types of texture like epitaxy, axiotaxy, fiber, or combinations thereof have been observed in such films. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that film texture can have a profound influence on the formation and stability of silicide/germanide contacts, as it controls the type and orientation of grain boundaries (affecting diffusion and agglomeration) and the interface energy (affecting nucleation during the solid-state reaction). Furthermore, the texture also has an impact on the electrical characteristics of the contact, as the orientation and size of individual grains influences functional properties such as contact resistance and sheet resistance and will induce local variations in strain and Schottky barrier height. This review aims to give a comprehensive overview of the scientific work that has been published in the field of texture studies on thin film silicide/germanide contacts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase Formation and Texture of Nickel Silicides on Si1-xCx Epilayers

We investigated the phase formation and texture of nickel silicides formed during the reaction of 10 nm sputter deposited nickel with Si1-xCx epitaxial layers on Si(1 0 0) substrates, having a carbon content between 0 and 2.5 atomic percent. It was found that both the formation temperature as well as the texture of the metal-rich phases is influenced by the amount of carbon in the Si1-xCx layer. To determine the influence of the location of the carbon during the silicidation process we also investigated the reaction of 10 nm nickel on Si(1 0 0) substrates, where carbon was either alloyed in the nickel layer or deposited as an interlayer at the interface between the nickel and the substrate. Depending on the location of the carbon, a different thermal stability of the layer was found.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced power factor of higher manganese silicide via melt spin synthesis method

We report on the thermoelectric properties of the Higher Manganese Silicide MnSi₁.₇₅ (HMS) synthesized by means of a one-step non-equilibrium method. The ultrahigh cooling rate generated from the melt-spin technique is found to be effective in reducing second phases, which are inevitable during the traditional solid state diffusion processes. Aside from being detrimental to thermoelectric properties, second phases skew the revealing of the intrinsic properties of this class of materials, for example the optimal level of carrier concentration. With this melt-spin sample, we are able to formulate a simple model based on a single parabolic band that can well describe the carrier concentration dependence of the Seebeck coefficient and power factor of the data reported in the literature. An optimal carrier concentration around 5x10²⁰ cm⁻³ at 300 K is predicted according to this model. The phase-pure melt-spin sample shows the largest power factor at high temperature, resulting in the highest zT value among the three samples in this paper; the maximum value is superior to those reported in the literatures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

The influence of alloying on the phase formation sequence of ultra-thin nickel silicide films and on the inheritance of texture

The controlled formation of silicide materials is an ongoing challenge to facilitate the electrical contact of Si-based transistors. Due to the ongoing miniaturisation of the transistor, the silicide is trending to ever-thinner thickness’s. The corresponding increase in surface-to-volume ratio emphasises the importance of low-energetic interfaces. Intriguingly, the thickness reduction of nickel silicides results in an abrupt change in phase sequence. This paper investigates the sequence of the silicides phases and their preferential orientation with respect to the Si(001) substrate, for both “thin” (i.e., 9 nm) and “ultra-thin” (i.e., 3 nm) Ni films. Furthermore, as the addition of ternary elements is often considered in order to tailor the silicides’ properties, additives of Al, Co, and Pt are also included in this study. Our results show that the first silicide formed is epitaxial h-Ni2Si, regardless of initial thickness or alloyed composition. The transformations towards subsequent silicides are changed through the additive elements, which can be understood through solubility arguments and classical nucleation theory. The crystalline alignment of the formed silicides with the substrate significantly differs through alloying. Finally, the observed textures of sequential silicides could be linked through texture inheritance. Our study illustrates the nucleation of a new phase drive to reduce the interfacial energy at the silicide-substrate interface as well as at the interface with the silicide which is being consumed for these sub-10 nm thin films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ni-Silicide Growth Kinetics in Si and Si/SiO2 Core/Shell Nanowires

A systematic study of the kinetics of axial Ni silicidation of as-grown and oxidized Si nanowires (SiNWs) with different crystallographic orientations and core diameters ranging from {approx} 10 to 100 nm is presented. For temperatures between 300 and 440 C the length of the total axial silicide intrusion varies with the square root of time, which provides clear evidence that the rate limiting step is diffusion of Ni through the growing silicide phase(s). A retardation of Ni-silicide formation for oxidized SiNWs is found, indicative of a stress induced lowering of the diffusion coefficients. Extrapolated growth constants indicate that the Ni flux through the silicided NW is dominated by surface diffusion, which is consistent with an inverse square root dependence of the silicide length on the NW diameter as observed for <111> orientated SiNWs. In situ TEM silicidation experiments show that NiSi{sub 2} is the first forming phase for as-grown and oxidized SiNWs. The silicide-SiNW interface is thereby atomically abrupt and typically planar. Ni-rich silicide phases subsequently nucleate close to the Ni reservoir, which for as-grown SiNWs can lead to a complete channel break-off for prolonged silicidation due to significant volume expansion and morphological changes.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Synthesis of metal silicide at metal/silicon oxide interface by electronic excitation

The synthesis of metal silicide at the metal/silicon oxide interface by electronic excitation was investigated using transmission electron microscopy. A platinum silicide, α-Pt{sub 2}Si, was successfully formed at the platinum/silicon oxide interface under 25–200 keV electron irradiation. This is of interest since any platinum silicide was not formed at the platinum/silicon oxide interface by simple thermal annealing under no-electron-irradiation conditions. From the electron energy dependence of the cross section for the initiation of the silicide formation, it is clarified that the silicide formation under electron irradiation was not due to a knock-on atom-displacement process, but a process induced by electronic excitation. It is suggested that a mechanism related to the Knotek and Feibelman mechanism may play an important role in silicide formation within the solid. Similar silicide formation was also observed at the palladium/silicon oxide and nickel/silicon oxide interfaces, indicating a wide generality of the silicide formation by electronic excitation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Structural and electrochemical properties of nanostructured nickel silicides by reduction and silicification of high-surface-area nickel oxide

Graphical abstract: Nanostructured nickel silicides have been synthesized by reduction and silification of high-surface-area nickel oxide, and exhibited remarkably like-noble metal property, lower electric resistivity, and ferromagnetism at room temperature. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer NiSi{sub x} have been prepared by reduction and silification of high-surface-area NiO. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The structure of nickel silicides changed with increasing reaction temperature. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Si doping into nickel changed the magnetic properties of metallic nickel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer NiSi{sub x} have remarkably lower electric resistivity and like-noble metal property. -- Abstract: Nanostructured nickel silicides have been prepared by reduction and silicification of high-surface-area nickel oxide (145 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}) produced via precipitation. The prepared materials were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, magnetic and electrochemical measurements. The nickel silicide formation involves the following sequence: NiO (cubic) {yields} Ni (cubic) {yields} Ni{sub 2}Si (orthorhombic) {yields} NiSi (orthorhombic) {yields} NiSi{sub 2} (cubic), with particles growing from 13.7 to 21.3 nm. The nickel silicides are ferromagnetic at room temperature, and their saturation magnetization values change drastically with the increase of Si content. Nickel silicides have remarkably low electrical resistivity and noble metal-like properties because of a constriction of the Ni d band and an increase of the electronic density of states. The results suggest that such silicides are promising candidates as inexpensive yet functional materials for applications in electrochemistry as well as catalysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of Zirconium-Silicide Coatings for Improved Performance Zirconium-Alloy Fuel Cladding

There is considerable interest in the development of coatings for zirconium-alloy fuel cladding used in light water reactors (LWR) to improve their oxidation resistance during high temperature accident conditions and to enhance performance under normal operating conditions. These coatings should also enhance the heat transfer characteristics of the cladding surface so that heat from the fuel rod is efficiently transferred into the water coolant. One potential candidate coating material is zirconium-silicide. Transition metal silicides have been generally shown to have outstanding oxidation resistance. Zirconium-silicide is particularly attractive because Zr is strongly oxophilic, so that the Zr-silicide layer is expected to bond more strongly to the inner, native ZrO{sub 2} layer. The relative proximity of the free energy of formation of oxides of Zr and Si can lead to alternating multilayered oxide structures with radiation damage resistance. Additionally, oxidation of zirconium silicide can produce excellent corrosion resistant glassy zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) and silica (SiO{sub 2}), possessing self-healing qualities. This paper reports results of our results of high temperature oxidation tests of bulk zirconium-silicide and coatings of zirconium-silicide deposited on zirconium-alloy test flats and cladding tube configurations using plasma vapor deposition (PVD) process. We also report our initial results on the experimental facility for studying boiling characteristics of coated cladding tubes in prototypic pressurized water conditions. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Kinetics of nickel silicide growth in silicon nanowires: From linear to square root growth

The common practice for nickel silicide formation in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) relies on axial growth of silicide along the wire that is initiated from nickel reservoirs at the source and drain contacts. In the present work the silicide intrusions were studied for various parameters including wire diameter (25-50 nm), annealing time (15-120 s), annealing temperature (300-440 deg. C), and the quality of the initial Ni/Si interface. The silicide formation was investigated by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy. The main part of the intrusion formed at 420 deg. C consists of monosilicide NiSi, as was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy STEM, selected area diffraction TEM, and electrical resistance measurements of fully silicided SiNWs. The kinetics of nickel silicide axial growth in the SiNWs was analyzed in the framework of a diffusion model through constrictions. The model calculates the time dependence of the intrusion length, L, and predicts crossover from linear to square root time dependency for different wire parameters, as confirmed by the experimental data.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗