Local epitaxy of TiSi2 on (111)Si: Effects due to rapid thermal annealing and to the annealing atmosphere

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Abstract
Localized epitaxial TiSi2 was grown on (111)Si by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in Ar ambient. The best epitaxy was obtained in samples annealed at 1100 °C for 20 s. Almost full coverage of TiSi2 (epitaxial and nonepitaxial) on silicon surface was found. The epitaxial regions, about 20 μm in average size, were observed to cover 70% of the surface area. Some of the epitaxial regions were observed to be as large as 40 μm in size. Dominant mode and average size of TiSi2 epitaxy in RTA samples were found to be different from those in vacuum furnace annealed specimens. Ambient gas induced silicide surface and/or silicide/Si interface energy changes are suggested to promote the growth of differently oriented grains. The main advantages of RTA in inducing TiSi2 epitaxy appear to be better control of the annealing ambient, temperature, and time for short‐time anneals in the small RTA apparatus than in a furnace.