Effects of a carbon implant on thermal stability of Ni0.95（Pt0.05）Si

The effects of a carbon implant on thermal stability of Ni0.95（Pt0.05）Si films are investigated by im- planting carbon of different doses into Si substrates before silicidation with two steps of rapid thermal annealing. Compared with the Nio.95（Pt0.05）Si films without carbon implanting, the thermal stability of Ni0.95（Pt0.05）Si films with two carbon implant doses are improved 100 ℃ （1 × 1015 cm-2） and 150 ℃（3 × 1015 cm-2）, respectively. Through sheet resistance measurement, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, we conclude that car- bon atoms precipitated at Ni（Pto.05）Si grain boundaries and Nio.95（Pt0.05）Si/Si interface account for the improved thermal stability of Ni0.95（Pt0.05）Si films. Furthermore, the presence of C in Nio.95（Pt0.05）Si films changes the preferred orientation of polycrystalline NiSi which will benefit the practical application of this material.