Abstract
Both conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy have been applied to study the crystal structures and microstructures of ZrSi and HfSi formed in the interfacial reactions of metal thin films on (111)Si. Both CrB and FeB type monosilicides were observed to form. The theoretically predicted and measured values of lattice parameters were found to be very close. A number of planar defects were detected to be present in ZrSi and HfSi. The textured growth of both monosilicides is explained in terms of preferential growth of these silicides along specific directions of silicon substrates which can be derived from the crystal structures and matching of atomic structures between silicides and silicon.