Inhomogeneous Growth of PtSi Studied by Spatially Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Noble metal silicides are widely used in silicon based microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. Among them, as compared to other silicides, structural and electronic properties of platinum silicide (PtSi) are found to be less sensitive to change in its dimensions. PtSi is known to overcome the junction spiking problems of Al-Si contacts. Present study is regarding the spatial evolution of platinum silicide in Pt/SiOx/Si. Scanning photoelectron emission microscopy (SPEM) was used for this purpose. SPEM images were obtained for pristine samples and after an annealing at $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr. Core-level spectra were recorded at different points in SPEM images contrasted by the intensity of Pt 4f7/2. Both Pt 4f and Si 2p spectra reveal the formation of PtSi after annealing. However, in contrast to earlier reports, PtSi formation is found to be non-uniform confirmed by the SPEM images and from the core level spectra taken at different intensity points.