The effects of stress on the formation of titanium silicide

The effects of stress on the formation of titanium silicide have been investigated. Compressive stress presented in the silicon substrate was found to retard TiSi/sub 2/ formation significantly. On the other hand, tensile stress presented in the silicon substrate was found to promote the formation of TiSi/sub 2/. In addition, the TiSi/sub 2/ film thickness was found to decrease and increase with the compressive and tensile stress levels, respectively. The results indicated that compressive stress hinders Si migration through the Ti-Si interface so that the formation of TiSi/sub 2/ films is retarded. In contrast, tensile stress promotes Si diffusion to facilitate TiSi/sub 2/ formation.