EARLY-STAGE DIFFUSION-PROCESSES AT SI ME AND ME/ME INTERFACES/

The beginning of interfacial reactions at the Si/Me and Me/Me interfac es of thin-film structures (Me = Ni, Cr, or Al) was studied. To activa te and to control the reactions, most of the samples were dynamically heated in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) instrument and som e of them were treated isothermally. After dynamic heat treatment at a heating rate of 40 degrees C min(-1) between room temperature and dif ferent higher temperatures, the samples were characterized by using AE S depth profiling. The results were compared with those for as-deposit ed samples. The main migrating elements in the early stage of the diff usion processes were disclosed by observing the interface movement and the different changes in the shape and the depth resolution of the AE S depth profiles. In the heat-treated thin-film structures, the interd iffusion coefficient can be determined from the rate of change of the interface width with increasing temperature.