Formation of smooth interfaces during silicide growth utilizing a diffusion barrier

Certain silicide phases are not very suitable as interconnects or contacts, since they normally grow non-uniformly with rough interfaces. In certain c ases this limitation can be surmounted when the normal growth mechanism is altered by the use of a particular diffusion barrier layer. It is the purpo se of this paper to show how an understanding of the basic silicide growth mechanisms together with the effect of the diffusion barrier on them, would extend the range of suitable silicides available for device fabrication. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.