A study of nickel silicide film as a mechanical material

Nickel silicide films, as a mechanical material, are investigated in detail . The film is prepared by high vacuum evaporation and rapid thermal anneali ng (RTA). The structure of the film is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscope (AFM). It is shown that the resistivity of the film depends on the sintering temperature and keeps almo st constant at the temperature from 400 degreesC to 700 degreesC. The stres s of the film formed on c-Si is also measured, and it is found that it vari es from -4.19 x 10(8) to 6.23 x 10(8) dyn/cm(2) (1 dyn/cm(2) = 0.1 N/m(2)) as the formation temperature varies from 250 to 700 degreesC. The Young's m odulus of the film is measured to be 132 GPa, which means that the film has good elasticity. Finally, low stress micron-size NiSi micro-bridges and ca ntilevers have been demonstrated on silicon and oxide substrates. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.