Kinetics of diffusion growth of silicides in silicon-thin-metal-film systems

A kinetic model for diffusional growth of silicides in thin-metal-film–silicon systems is proposed. The time dependence of the growth has been shown to be a function of the morphology of the growing silicide and the controlling diffusion process (diffusion in the film, interface diffusion). If the phase grows only in depth the parabolic dependence of silicide thickness h on time t in most cases follows the relation h≂t0.5. If silicide grows only in width w, then w≂t. In the case of simultaneous change of thickness and width when h/w=const the growth is proportional to t0.33.