Reaction of Iron with Amorphous Silicon and Crystal Silicon for the Fabrication of Iron Silicides

Iron silicide films with two different structures were fabricated by electron beam evaporation (EBE) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were carried out to describe the characteristics and structures of the films. It was found that after annealing at 800oC for 5 h, the β-FeSi2 film formed in the sample with the structure of Si/Fe film on silicon substrate, while only FeSi film generated in the sample with the structure of Si/Fe/Si films on silicon substrate. It is considered that the different iron silicides may be due to the different reaction of iron with crystal silicon or amorphous silicon, which is related to diffusion of iron or silicon atoms.