Electrical characterization of NiSi/Si interfaces formed by a single and a two-step rapid thermal silicidation

This paper investigates the electrical characteristics of NiSi Schottky barrier diodes (SBD). A single-step rapid thermal process (RTP) and a two-step RTP were employed to form the SBDs. The diode structures were designed so as to minimize edge leakage. The two-step silicidation process resulted in a significant reduction of the reverse leakage current density, suggesting an improvement of the interface characteristics. Temperature-dependent current–voltage measurements were used to analyse the interface characteristics. The two-step RTP process reduces the density of non-ideal micro-contacts with low barrier height, which are responsible for the reverse leakage current.