Formation of Low-Resistivity Nickel Germanide Using Atomic Layer Deposited Nickel Thin Film.

Nickel germanide (NiGe) was formed from atomic layer deposition (ALD) Ni on Ge and a subequent annealing process; the Ni film with low resistivity ( 34~\mu \Omega \cdot \text cm ) at 15 nm was obtained by N2 + H2 plasma treatment after Ni precursor injection. The formed NiGe film showed low specific contact resistivity ( \rho c) values of 9.01 \mu \Omega \cdot \text cm^2 for an NiGe/n+Ge contact and 3.61 \mu \Omega \cdot \text cm^2 for an NiGe/p+Ge contact. These values were comparable to those obtained using sputtered Ni. In addition, the ALD process-based NiGe showed excellent thermal/electrical stability up to 600 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]