The formation of the silicide MnSi1.7 by reactive deposition of Mn onto Si(001) has been studied using Sb as a surfactant. The growth was performed under UHV conditions by simultaneous or consecutive exposure of the Si substrates, held at high temperatures (550°C, 600 °C), to a flux of Sb and Mn atoms. The presence of Sb during the growth strongly increases the island density and changes the crystalline orientation of the MnSi1.7 grains. The morphology and the orientation of the resulting silicide are the same both for the deposition of Mn on a Sb terminated Si(001) surface and for the co-deposition of Mn and Sb on Si(001). A residual Sb coverage close to one monolayer (ML) at the sample surface has been determined for both of the preparation modes at Tsub = 550 °C. The transition from the growth mode without Sb to the surfactant-controlled growth has been studied for Tsub = 600 °C. It has been found that the silicide morphology and orientation strongly depend on the thickness of Sb pre-coverage, which was increased from 0 to about 0.7 ML (1 ML = 6.78·1014 atoms cm-2).

The preparation of buried epitaxial layers of a compound ABx in a matrix of the material A can be performed by allotaxy [1]. In the first process step a distribution of ABx precipitates is prepared in the matrix A by codeposition of A and B. This contribution reports on the spatial distribution and the crystallographic orientation of NiSi2precipitates in the Si- matrix. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy was utilized to characterize the samples. The observed depth distribution of Ni in the Si matrix differs remarkably from the calculated distribution given by the deposition rates of Si and Ni. This redistribution of Ni results in two well distinguishable bands of NiSi2precipitates - a narrow one and a broad one - in the Si matrix. The narrow band consists of epitaxial NiSi2 precipitates; and a mixture of epitaxially and twinned grown NiSi2precipitates is formed in the broad band. Under certain deposition conditions self-ordering of the NiSi2precipitates in the narrow band has been observed parallel and perpendicular to the growth direction. In these cases the diameter of the epitaxial NiSi2precipitates varies between 12 and 50 A and the distance between them is in the order of some 10 Å.

A buried epitaxial IrSi3 layer has been produced in (111) oriented Si by high dose Ir+- implantation (1 MeV, 1.7× 1017 Ir+/cm2, 550°C) and subsequent annealing (5 h at 1100°C). Transmission electron microscopy and ion channeling show that the hexagonal IrSi3 prefers to form with its (2110) plane oriented parallel to Si(111). while its [0001] direction is parallel to either [112], [121], or [211]. Thus, the IrSi3 film is made up of three differently oriented crystals, each occupying about 1/3 of the silicide volume.

A dose of 3.5× 1016 1r+/cm2 leads to the formation of a band of large, isolated precipitates. They have the same epitaxial relationship to Si, but the Si(111) plane is no longer the only one to which the (2110) of IrSi3 is parallel. Instead precipitates are also observed oriented parallel to (111), (111), and (111) in Si in roughly equal numbers. Consequently, there are now 12 possible orientations of lrSi3 crystals. We assume that strain relief and interface area minimization are the main factors suppressing the additional orientations in the continuous lrSi3 films formed by the coalescence of precipitates at higher doses.

A buried epitaxial IrSi3 layer has been produced in (111) oriented Si by high dose Ir+-implantation (1 MeV, 1.7×1017 Ir+/cm2, 550°C) and subsequent annealing (5 h at 1100°C). Transmission electron microscopy and ion channeling show that the hexagonal IrSi3 prefers to form with its (2110) plane oriented parallel to Si(111), while its [0001] direction is parallel to either [112], [121], or [211]. Thus, the IrSi3 film is made up of three differently oriented crystals, each occupying about 1/3 of the suicide volume.

A dose of 3.5×1016 Ir+/cm2 leads to the formation of a band of large, isolated precipitates. They have the same epitaxial relationship to Si, but the Si(111) plane is no longer the only one to which the (2110) of IrSi3 is parallel. Instead precipitates are also observed oriented parallel to (111), (111), and (111) in Si in roughly equal numbers. Consequently, there are now 12 possible orientations of IrSi3 crystals. We assume that strain relief and interface area minimization are the main factors suppressing the additional orientations in the continuous IrSi3 films formed by the coalescence of precipitates at higher doses.

The formation of a Si/IrSi3/Si heterostructurie by 1-MeV Ir ion implantation and subsequent annealing has been studied for different doses (0.1-2.25 × 1017 Ir/cm2), substrate temperatures (450°-600°C) and annealing temperatures (1000°-1200°C) using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, ion channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The heterostructure formation is observed to depend strongly on the processing conditions. The best structure, nearly continuous and precipitate-free, is obtained by implanting 1.8-2.0× 1017 1r/cm2 at a substrate temperature of 550°C and annealing at 1100°C for 5 h. A stoichiometric IrSi3 layer can also be produced by furnace annealing at 1150°C for 1 h or by rapid-thermal-annealing at 1200°C for 3 min. Other substrate temperatures generally lead to a structure with a discontinuous IrSi3 layer frequently interrupted by large surface precipitates or islands. The origin of these islands, as well as the dependence of the heterostructure on processing parameters, is discussed.

The formation of a Si/IrSi3/Si heterostructure by 1-MeV Ir ion implantation and subsequent annealing has been studied for different doses (0.1-2.25 × 1017 Ir/cm2), substrate temperatures (450°-600°C) and annealing temperatures (1000°-1200°C) using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, ion channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The heterostructure formation is observed to depend strongly on the processing conditions. The best structure, nearly continuous and precipitate-free, is obtained by implanting 1.8-2.0 × 1017 Ir/cm2 at a substrate temperature of 550°C and annealing at 1100°C for 5 h. A stoichiometric IrSi3 layer can also be produced by furnace annealing at 1150°C for 1 h or by rapid-thermal-annealing at 1200°C for 3 min. Other substrate temperatures generally lead to a structure with a discontinuous IrSi3 layer frequently interrupted by large surface precipitates or islands. The origin of these islands, as well as the dependence of the heterostructure on processing parameters, is discussed.

The formation of a buried IrSi3 layer in (111) oriented Si by ion implantation and annealing has been studied at an implantation energy of 2 MeV for substrate temperatures of 450–550°C. Rutherford backscattering (RBS), ion channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy showed that a buried epitaxial IrSi3 layer is produced at 550°C by implanting ≥ 3.4 × 1017 Ir/cm2 and subsequently annealing for 1 h at 1000°C plus 5 h at 1100°C. At a dose of 3.4 × 1017 Ir/cm2, the thickness of the layer varied between 120 and 190 nm and many large IrSi3 precipitates were present above and below the film. Increasing the dose to 4.4 × 1017 Ir/cm2 improved the layer uniformity at the expense of increased lattice damage in the overlying Si. RBS analysis of layer formation as a function of substrate temperature revealed the competition between the mechanisms for optimizing surface crystallinity vs. IrSi3 layer formation. Little apparent substrate temperature dependence was evident in the as-implanted state but after annealing the crystallinity of the top Si layer was observed to deteriorate with increasing substrate temperature while the precipitate coarsening and coalescence improved.