Abstract
The morphology of zirconium suicide grown on Si(111) is investigated and compared to that of titanium suicide on Si(111) and (100). Zirconium was deposited on atomically clean silicon in UHV, and the suicide was formed by postdeposition annealing. ZrSi2 films formed from ≤100 Å of Zr deposited on Si(111) remained continuous for anneals of 400°C to 700°C. A film formed from 50 Å of Zr on Si(111) remained continuous for anneals up to 800°C, at which point the reappearance of a partial 7×7 LEED pattern indicated island formation. The interfaces of the films, studied by TME, show roughening after suicide formation. These results are compared and contrasted with the islanding behavior of titanium suicides, and analyzed in terms of a liquid-liquid model previously used with TiSi2.

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