Ellipsometry as a tool for studying an intermetallic growth

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Abstract
The sensitivity and usefulness of ellipsometric measurements for studying the intermetallic growth processes and the application of an appropriate algorithm for extracting the information from experimental data is demonstrated. Our new numerical algorithm for depth profiling of inhomogeneous layers is applied to the experimental ellipsometric data of S-H Ko et al. (1992) obtained for the formation of CoSi2 from CoSi during rapid thermal annealing at 650 degrees C. Derived depth profiles of CoSi2 volume fraction in the cobalt silicide layer for different annealing times are interpreted as the result of an Si diffusion along growing CoSi2 grain boundaries. The the grain boundary diffusion coefficient of Si is determined by fitting experimentally obtained Si diffusion profiles with analytical functions predicted by the theory of diffusion in thin films.