Growth and Structure of Thin Pt2Si and PtSi Layers on Si(111) and (001) Characterized with In Situ Grazing Incidence Diffraction

The growth of thin platinum silicide layers on Si(111) and (001) surfaces was studied with in situ grazing incidence diffraction and X-ray reflectivity measurements during the annealing process. The interface roughnesses, layer thicknesses, structures and orientations of the three phases, Pt, Pt2Si and PtSi, were identified and their temperature dependencies observed. In the case of PtSi on Si(111), a plane reaction front was found, growing from the Si substrate towards the sample surface and forming an epitactic PtSi layer. In contrast, PtSi on Si(001) grows upwards locally and forms `islands' of polycrystalline material on the Si surface.