Nucleation of thin film Pt2-Si

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Abstract
Thin platinum films are rf sputtered onto a clean, cold, n type (4‐10) ohm‐cm and (100) oriented single crystal silicon substrates. Thin platinum films in the equivalent thickness range 10Å⩽t⩽35Å produce amorphous semiconducting surface regions as shown by transmission electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy and sheet resistance measurements. The present experiments indicate that the stability of this layer is dependent on the thickness of the deposited platinum layer, the glass is stable for thicknesses equal or less than 35 Å and unstable with respect to the nucleation of α‐Pt2Si for greater thicknesses at room temperature with no applied field during deposition. Polycrystalline α‐Pt2Si diffraction rings are found at a minimum deposited metal thickness of 40 Å. In studying the reaction path in the same system while applying a dc current parallel to the thin film during sputtering, our measurements show that the applied field stimulates the solid state transition to the crystalline (α‐Pt2Si). The silicide α‐Pt2Si is formed consistently at platinum layer thicknesses of about 25 Å as compared to 40 Å with no applied dc field.

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