Thermal Stability Improvement Induced by Laser Annealing for 50-Å Ni(Pt) Film Silicidation

The significant thermal stability improvement induced by laser annealing (LA) is demonstrated for 50-Å Ni(Pt) film silicidation. For the first time, it is revealed that LA may induce less stress in ultrathin Ni(Pt)Si film during silicidation, which can directly improve the thermal stability of the film. The local area annealing model is proposed to discuss the origin of stress relief. Besides, it is discovered that LA can result in a higher Pt concentration at the Ni(Pt)Si film surface, which will also enhance the resistance of Ni(Pt)Si film agglomeration.