Abstract
Thin interposing Ni layers between Fe thin films and substrate Si have been shown to be very effective in inducing the growth and improving the quality of epitaxial FeSi 2 on silicon. The formation of a transition layer with graded concentration is conceived to facilitate the epitaxial growth of FeSi 2 on silicon. The thin interposing layer scheme may be extended to promote the epitaxial growth of a number of refractory silicides on silicon.