Abstract
Localized epitaxial TiSi 2 was grown on (111)Si by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in Ar ambient. The best epitaxy was obtained in samples annealed at 1100 °C for 20 s. Almost full coverage of TiSi 2 (epitaxial and nonepitaxial) on silicon surface was found. The epitaxial regions, about 20 μm in average size, were observed to cover 70% of the surface area. Some of the epitaxial regions were observed to be as large as 40 μm in size. Dominant mode and average size of TiSi 2 epitaxy in RTA samples were found to be different from those in vacuum furnace annealed specimens. Ambient gas induced silicide surface and/or silicide/Si interface energy changes are suggested to promote the growth of differently oriented grains. The main advantages of RTA in inducing TiSi 2 epitaxy appear to be better control of the annealing ambient, temperature, and time for short-time anneals in the small RTA apparatus than in a furnace.