Formation of Low-Resistivity Nickel Germanide Using Atomic Layer Deposited Nickel Thin Film

Nickel germanide (NiGe) was formed from atomic layer deposition (ALD) Ni on Ge and a subequent annealing process;the Ni film with low resistivity (34 μΩ·cm) at 15 nm was obtained by N
₂
+ H
₂
plasma treatment after Ni precursor injection. The formed NiGe film showed low specific contact resistivity (Pc) values of 9.01 μΩ · cm
²
for an NiGe/n+Ge contact and 3.61 μΩ · cm
²
for an NiGe/p+Ge contact. These values were comparable to those obtained using sputtered Ni. In addition, the ALD process-basedNiGe showed excellent thermal/electrical stability up to 600 °C.