Abstract
The applications of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to the characterization of metal thin films on silicon are reviewed. A historical perspective and an account of the contribution of TEM to the study of interfacial reactions of metal thin films on silicon are given. Recent developments in the growth of transition metal silicides on silicon including (1) the formation and growth of amorphous interlayers between metal thin films and silicon, (2) the effects of lateral confinements, doping impurities, and rapid thermal annealing on the formation of silicides, and (3) the elimination of end-of-range defects in ion-implanted silicon by silicide formation are described. c 1990.