Control of pinholes in epitaxial CoSi2 layers on Si(111)

Abstract

The growth of ultrathin (<50 Å thick) uniform CoSi2 layers at low temperatures (<450 °C) has been reported recently. Pinholes are formed in these silicide layers when the temperature is raised to above ∼550 °C. An important driving force for the generation of pinholes has been identified as a change of the surface structure from CoSi2-C, stable at low temperature, to the high-temperature stable CoSi2-S. Treatment of the surface of CoSi2 facilitates this transition and prevents the formation of pinholes. A few important parameters in the silicide reaction are shown to govern the morphology of the reacted CoSi2 layers.