Pure and conformal CVD nickel and nickel monosilicide in high-aspect-ratio structures analyzed by atom probe tomography

Low-resistance and uniform contacts are needed for modern 3-D silicon transistors. The formation of high-quality and conformal nickel silicide at the interface between silicon and metal contacts is a possible solution. Direct-liquid-evaporation chemical vapor deposition is used to deposit nickel films conformally inside narrow silicon trenches. The deposited Ni is then reacted with a silicon substrate to form nickel monosilicide. Atom probe tomography (APT) is used to find and count the atoms in nanoscale regions inside these 3-D structures. APT shows that these NiSi films are stoichiometrically pure, single-phase, and conformal even inside trenches with high aspect ratios. The APT technique measures all impurities, including carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, to have concentrations less than 0.1 at. %.