The formation of cobalt silicides using 200 keV Ar** plus ion beam mixing has been studied as a function of subsequent vacuum optical annealing at temperatures in the range 500-700 degree C. Elemental intermixing and silicide stoichiometry were studied using Rutherford alpha backscattering. The effects of Ar** plus ion dose on cobalt films thermally evaporated in poor vacuum (10** minus **5 torr) and high vacuum (5 multiplied by 10** minus **9 torr) have been investigated. Dose dependence studies showed that whilst the high-vacuum deposited films formed stoichiometric silicides with zero bombardment dose over the whole temperature range, the contaminated Co film samples required a minimum bombardment dose dependent on temperature.