LOW-TEMPERATURE FORMATION OF THE PTSI LAYER BY CODEPOSITION OF PT AND SI IN A MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY SYSTEM

Pt and Si were codeposited on Si(100) substrates to form polycrystalline PtSi layers in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. Properties of codeposited Pt silicide layers depended on the substrate temperature and the ratio of evaporated Pt and Si. The film codeposited at the substrate temperature of 200-degrees-C with the stoichiometric ratio (Pt/Si = 1/1) had a similar crystallized grain structure (oriented to [110]) and the same resistivity (approximately 35-mu-OMEGA. cm) as those of the PtSi layer formed by the thermal reaction at 500-degrees-C. The film codeposited at a lower temperature (80-degrees-C, Pt/Si = 1/1) or under a Si-rich condition (Pt/Si = 3/4, 200-degrees-C) showed a smaller grain size and a higher resistivity.