Interfacial Segregation of Metal at NiSi/Si Junction for Novel Dual Silicide Technology

It is demonstrated that Schottky barrier height (Phi
_B
) for NiSi/Si junction can be modulated by interfacial segregation of metals. Thin films of rare earth (RE) metals and platinum (Pt) are deposited on NiSi/Si Schottky diodes and annealed. The metals diffuse into NiSi and segregate at NiSi/Si interface, which leads to Phi
_B
modulation by 0.1 eV. Similar technique can be applied to PtSi/Si junction as well for advanced dual silicide process.