Phase transformations in platinum silicide thin films

Platinum silicide thin films were prepared using DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature, 275°C and 350°C in order to study the phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline PtSi as well as the changes in film resistance in correlation to Pt composition and film structure. Platinum composition was controlled by placing Pt pellets on the Si sputtering target, film composition was determined via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), and structure was determined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Crystalline platinum silicide (PtSi) films form when platinum accounts for more than 40% of the atomic composition in the films. There is a shift in the preferred orientation of the PtSi crystal structure in the plane of the film surface with increased Pt concentration and deposition temperature which corresponds to a sharp decrease in the resistance of the films.