Epitaxial nickel and cobalt suicide formation by rapid thermal annealing

Thin films of epitaxial NiSi₂ and CoSi₂ were formed by short-duration incoherent light exposure of evaporated Ni or Co films on <111> Si single crystals. The crystalline quality of these suicides is comparable to what has been obtained for long-duration furnace annealed suicides, as deduced from channeling measurements. NiSi₂ is of high crystalline quality at all temperatures at which it is formed whereas the CoSi₂ films recrystallize at a temperature of 980°C.