The oxidation behavior of reactively sputtered normalTiN and normalHfN thin films was investigated for oxide formation in dry and wet oxidizing ambient in the temperature range of 425°–800°C. For both cases, formation of a single‐oxide phase, rutile TiO2 for oxidized normalTiN and monoclinic HfO2 for oxidized normalHfN , was observed. The oxidation process is thermally activated, and it has a parabolic time dependence, except in the case of wet oxidized normalHfN where nonuniform oxidation behavior was observed. The parabolic time dependence of the oxide growth is attributed to a transport‐controlled process which is limited by the diffusivity of the oxidant in the oxide. The dry oxidation of normalTiN is much faster than the dry oxidation of normalHfN at a given temperature. The oxidation rate is always higher in a wet than in a dry ambient.

The Kirkendall effect in thin-film Co/Si couples is investigated by He backscattering using diffusion markers. The couples contain the compounds Co2Si and CoSi. The markers used are Xe implanted into Si, C, or Co2Si and a discontinuous W film between Si and Co. In the case of Xe implantation into Co, the experiments can be explained by dragging of Xe bubbles by the moving Co/Co2Si phase boundary. Xe implanted into Si is located at the Si/CoSi interface after the reaction and W is found at the Co/Co2Si interface after the reaction. The same applies to Xe implanted through Co into Co2Si. The results are evidence for predominant Co diffusion in Co2Si growth and Si diffusion in CoSi growth. Grain-size measurements suggest that grain-boundary diffusion plays a role in the growth of the silicide layers. The results of a Xe implantation into Co2Si without Co suggests that at the Co2Si/CoSi interface both Si and Co diffusion currents flow.

No abstract

Channeling-effect measurements have been used to investigate the lattice location of boron atoms implanted into silicon at an energy of 56 keV and with doses in the interval 1014–1015 ions/cm2. Measurements have been made as a function of implantation temperature and subsequent anneal treatment. The effect of post-bombardment with different doses of 680-keV protons has also been investigated.

The behavior of amorphous Si in contact with Ag films and Ge in contact with Al films has been studied at temperatures well below those at which any liquid phase is present. MeV 4He+ ion backscattering techniques, transmission electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe analysis have been used. We find that of the many possible reactions which carry the amorphous Si or Ge into their crystalline forms the reaction predominating under our experimental conditions consists of dissolution, diffusion, and crystal growth. During isothermal heat treatment, the semiconductor film is dissolved into the metal film where it diffuses and precipitates as crystalline Si or Ge. These processes are solid-solid reactions, since this behavior is observed over temperatures of 300°C to as low as 100°C for GelAI, compared to the 424°C eutectic in this system. In Sil Ag, this behavior was observed from 700 to 400°C, compared with the 840°C eutectic.