Electronic transport and microstructure in MoSi2 thin films

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Abstract
Molybdenum disilicide thin films having the tetragonal crystal structure were prepared by furnace reaction of ion-beam-sputtered molybdenum layers with silicon substrates. The room temperature intrinsic resistivity is ∼20 μΩ cm. The Hall effect indicates predominantly hole conduction. Geometrical magnetoresistance measurements provide a carrier mobility estimate of 90 cm2 /V.s at room temperature. The Hall mobility is much less than this; the large difference between the two mobility values suggests multiband conduction. An isotropic, degenerate, twoband model may be fitted to the data with a comparatively low majority carrier concentration (holes) of ∼ 1.5 × 1021 cm−3 Regarding the effects of microstructure on transport, the residual resistivity for films formed on 1-0-0 silicon wafers is much greater than for those formed on an (LPCVD) polysilicon layer: 92 vs 29 μΩ cm, respectively. A correlation with average grain size for the two sample types suggests that grain boundary scattering is the principal cause of the residual resistivity. electronic materials; electrical properties; thin film