Formation and Schottky behavior of manganese silicides on n-type silicon

The formation of manganese silicides on Si has been studied by using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and glancing-incidence x-ray diffraction; electrical properties of these silicides on n-Si have been studied by current-voltage measurement of Schottky barrier height and four-probe measurement of sheet resistivity. Two silicides have been identified: MnSi formed at 400 °C and MnSi1.7 at 500 °C. The former obeys a parabolic growth in layer form with an activation energy of 1.9 eV, yet the latter grows in patches and is governed by a linear growth. The values of Schottky barrier height on n-type Si of these two silicides are very close: 0.65 and 0.67 eV, respectively, but their sheet resistivities differ significantly: 220 μΩ cm for MnSi and 4100 μΩ cm for MnSi1.7.