PULSED-LASER MELTING AND RESOLIDIFICATION OF METAL SILICIDE LAYERS

Ti, Fe, and Co silicide layers, 80-200 nm thick, on top of single crys tal silicon substrate have been melted by 25-ns ruby laser pulses and the resolidified structures have been analyzed by transmission electro n microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Rurtherford backscattering spectr ometry. Metastable phases and/or epitaxial layers are obtained upon so lidifcation, The transient molten layer has been monitored by means of time-resolved optical measurements with nanosecond resolution; in all cases solidification velocity of the order of 1 m.s-1 was observed, a nd in one case liquid undercooling as much as 800 K was estimated.