FORMATION OF COPPER AND COPPER SILICIDE THIN FILMS USING MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

We report on the formation of copper silicide nanofilms using different modes of magnetron sputtering [8]. The thickness of the resulting heteroepitaxial Cu/Cu15Si4/Si film was measured using SEM. Also, a Cu15Si4 film was formed by thermally heating Cu/Si(111) nanofilms in vacuum at 800 K for 1.5 h using the DCMS method. The thickness and surface morphology of the obtained samples were studied using SEM. The formation of silicide films is confirmed by the results of energy dispersive spectra. The formation of the copper silicide film depends on the copper crystal size and the substrate temperature, and at 470oC, a 75 nm thick Cu15Si4 film was formed under a 130 nm thick copper layer. The formation of copper and its silicide films during magnetron sputtering was found to depend on the substrate temperature and the post-heating temperature.