Study of biaxial stress induced by cosputtered thin molybdenum silicide films in silicon single-crystal substrates

Bending of 25 mm-diameter (100) silicon wafers produced by 100 nm-thick cosputtered molybdenum-silicon films has been investigated just after deposition, after rapid thermal annealing and after etching of the deposits. Values of biaxial stress in the films were determined by the use of a widely used relation. The Mo:Si ratio in the as-deposited films was 89:11. Radii of curvature of substrates were measured by a double-crystal X-ray diffractometer. Blank wafers with three widely different radii of curvature (33, 62 and 250 m) were chosen as specimens and their curvatures were taken into account in the determination of the value of biaxial stress in wafers with deposits. All the wafers were convex when viewed from the polished surface side on which the films were deposited. Values of a for wafers with as-deposited films were in the range 3 x 10(8) to 14 x 10(8) N-2 (tensile). Wafers with higher initial bending showed higher values of stress. Deposition led to degradation of perfection, as revealed by broadening of the diffraction curves and the contrast in the topographs. Rapid thermal annealing at 1273 and 1373 K (3-4 min) led to formation of the MoSi2 phase and to a notable relaxation of stress. The values of sigma were in the range 1 x 10(7) to similar to 6 x 10(8) N m(-2) (tensile). The value of the stress was lowest for the blank wafer with smallest bending. Annealing also improved the degree of crystalline perfection of the silicon. Experiments performed after etching of the annealed specimens showed no significant change in the radii of curvature.