Study of reaction process on Ni/4H-SiC contact

• Published in: Materials science and technology Vol. 22; no. 10; pp. 1227 - 1234
• Main Authors: Cao, Y., Nyborg, L., Yi, D.-Q., Jelvestam, U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Taylor & Francis 01.10.2006; SAGE Publications; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Annealing; Chemical reactions; INTERFACIAL REACTION; METAL CONTACT; SILICON CARBIDE; Spectrum analysis; Thin films; SILICON CARBIDE; INTERFACIAL REACTION; METAL CONTACT
• ISSN: 0267-0836; 1743-2847
• DOI: 10.1179/174328406X118276

The present study deals with mechanisms of the reaction process of fabricated thin film Ni/SiC contacts by means of XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. After annealing SiC samples sputter coated with Ni at 800 and 950°C in vacuum for 20 min, the dominant silicide is textured Ni 2 Si. Its formation consists of two stages: initial reaction rate and subsequent diffusion controlled stage. For ultra thin initial Ni layer (∼3-6 nm), islands formation of Ni 2 Si is observed after heat treatment. Increasing the Ni film thickness prevents this phenomenon. The C released owing to the Ni 2 Si formation reaction forms a thin graphite layer on the top of the surface and also tends to form cluster inside the reaction layer. The overall degree of graphitisation is higher at 950°C than that at 800°C.