Abstract:
The effect of CESL stressor on the morphological stability of the Pt-dissolved NiSi1-xGex films formed on Si0.72Ge0.28 is demonstrated for the first time. In the CESL str...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
The effect of CESL stressor on the morphological stability of the Pt-dissolved NiSi1-xGex films formed on Si0.72Ge0.28 is demonstrated for the first time. In the CESL stress range studied, no high-resistivity phase is found in the silicide layer, but the RS of the NiSi1-xGex films still increases with the stress boost from the CESL stressor due to the film agglomeration occurring at 400°C. The tensile CESL stress results in a much steeper trend in the RS increases than the compressive one, which can be connected to the stressor-induced interface energy change manifested by the morphological observation on the film breaches of discrete NiSi1-xGex films. The stressor-induced morphological instability may bring about the integration issue but can be mitigated by an intercalated Si layer between the NiSi1-xGex film and Si0.72Ge0.28.
Published in: IEEE Electron Device Letters ( Volume: 32, Issue: 12, December 2011)