Spike anneal: RTP processing at reduced thermal budget with applications to TiSi2 formation towards 0.1-mu m linewidths

I report a way out of the narrowing of the temperature process window for f ormation of low resistivity C54-TiSi2 below 0.25-mu m linewidth. On one han d, higher temperatures would be required to overcome the increasing difficu lty of the C54-TiSi2 transformation. On the other hand, temperature should be lowered to avoid the increasing tendency to thermal agglomeration. A spi ke anneal, at higher temperature and shorter duration with high ramp-rate, is found to give full transformation on 0.25-mu m lines without parasitic e ffects and with a tighter resistance distribution. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.