title: Silicide layer growth rates in Mo/Si multilayers.
abstract: The thermal stability of sputter-deposited Mo/Si multilayers was investigated by annealing studies at relatively low temperatures (˜ 250-350 °C) for various times (0.5-3000 h). Two distinct stages of thermally activated Mo/Si interlayer growth were found: a primary surge, followed by a (slower) secondary steady-state growth in which the interdiffusion coefficient is constant. The interdiffusion coefficients for the interlayer formed by deposition of Mo-on-Si are higher than those of the interlayer formed by deposition of Si-on-Mo. Assuming that the activation energy is constant, an extrapolation of our results to ambient temperature finds that interlayer growth is negligible, suggesting long-term thermal stability in soft-x-ray projection lithography applications.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Vernon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stearns
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Viliardos
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kassner
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng