The formation process of a CoSi2 layer after vacuum Co film deposition on an Si single crystal surface was investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscope, SEM and RHEED. The pinholes which cause different kinds of film roughness showed marks of melting processes. It was shown that in the limits of the theory of mechano-chemical activity the activation energy of the silicide formation was lower inside the defect than in the bulk Si. Therefore, the exothermic reaction of silicidation starts earlier which leads to a heating of the CoSi product. The time dependences of the temperature inside the defect were calculated for different areas of its surface using the layer growth diffusion model, and it was proved that the temperature increased up to the melting point at a certain critical area.

Cobalt Silicide Formation inside Surface Defects of a Silicon Substrate. I.Belousov, A.Grib, S.Linzen, P.Seidel: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 2002, 186[1-4], 61-5