Intrinsic properties of NiSi

NiSi is a promising material for applications in Si microelectronics. A good understanding of its fundamental physical properties is, however, necessary in order to obtain the best use possible. We present here resistivity, Hall effect and low-temperature specific heat of high quality single crystals. The resistivity of NiSi follows a classical metallic behaviour with a room temperature resistivity of ∼ 10 μΩ cm. The Hall coefficient at 300 K is approx. − 1.0 × 10 −10 m 3 C −1, changes sign at around 40 K and becomes positive: + 0.5 × 10 −10 m 3 C −1 at 4.2 K. Specific heat shows a classical metallic behaviour, i.e. it follows a γ T + β T 3 law with γ = 1.73 mJ mol −1 K −2 and β = 0.0317 mJ mol −1 K −4. It also exhibits an anomaly likely of magnetic origin at the lowest temperatures.