Nickel silicides include several intermetallic compounds of nickel and silicon. Nickel silicides are important in microelectronics as they form at junctions of nickel and silicon. Additionally thin layers of nickel silicides may have application in imparting surface resistance to nickel alloys.
Compounds
Nickel silicides include Ni3Si, Ni31Si12, Ni2Si, Ni3Si2, NiSi and NiSi2.[5] Ni31Si12, Ni2Si, and NiSi have congruent melting points; the others form via a peritectic transformation.[citation needed]
The silicides can be made via fusion or solid state reaction between the elements, diffusion at a junction of the two elements, and other methods including ion beam mixing.[citation needed]
Properties
Nickel silicides are generally chemically and thermally stable.[citation needed] They have low electrical resistivity; with NiSi 10.5–18 μΩ·cm, Ni2Si 24–30 μΩ·cm, NiSi2 34–50 μΩ·cm; nickel-rich silicides have higher resistivity rising to 90–150 μΩ·cm in Ni31Si12.[citation needed]
Uses
Microelectronics
Nickel silicides are important in microelectronic devices – specific silicides are good conductors, with NiSi having a conductivity approaching that of elemental nickel.[citation needed]
With silicon carbide as the semiconductor nickel reacts at elevated temperatures to form nickel silicides and carbon.[citation needed]
^P. Ryabchuk, G. Agostini, M.-M. Pohl, H. Lund, A. Agapova, H. Junge, K. Junge and M. Beller, Sci. Adv., 2018, 4, eaat0761 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat0761
Further reading
Lavoie, C.; d’Heurle, F.M.; Detavernier, C.; Cabral, C. (Nov 2003), "Towards implementation of a nickel silicide process for CMOS technologies", Microelectronic Engineering, 70 (2–4): 144–157, doi:10.1016/S0167-9317(03)00380-0