Abstract
Enhanced formation of C54-TiSi 2 in high-temperature deposited Ti thin films on preamorphized (001)Si has been investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with autocorrelation function analysis. The increase in the thickness of the amorphous TiSi x layer is due to the preamorphization implantation for the most part. The dominant effect of high-temperature sputtering is to increase the density of crystallites in the amorphous TiSi x layer. The enhanced formation of C54-TiSi 2 in high-temperature deposited samples is attributed to the more extensive presence of suicide crystallites, which serve as nucleation sites, in the amorphous TiSi x layer than that in samples deposited at room temperature. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.