MODIFICATION OF NICKEL SILICIDE FORMATION BY OXYGEN IMPLANTATION

A systematic study of the effects of implanted oxygen on the formation of Ni//2Si has been carried out using **4He** plus backscattering spectrometry and the **1**6O(d, alpha )**1**4N nuclear reaction for the analysis. The effect of impurity oxygen is shown to differ depending on the initial location of the oxygen. The results are modeled in terms of the asymmetries that are present in this system with regard to the moving species in the Ni//2Si formation and with regard to the chemical reactivity of oxygen with Ni and Si. Generalizing from these results, a model for impurity effects in metal silicide formation is discussed. This work is relevant to semiconductor device manufacture.