Formation of transition metal silicides by high energy ion beam mixing in Mn/Si and Ni/Si single and multilayer samples

Metal silicides are produced by high energy heavy ion (120 MeV Au9+, fluence-1 x 10(13) ions/cm(2)) irradiation in transition metal/silicon (Mn/Si single layer and Ni/Si single and multilayer) samples. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) studies are carried out on both the virgin and irradiated samples to find out the presence of silicides at the interfaces between the metal and the silicon layers. The formation of crystalline metal silicides is confirmed and phases identified by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) studies. The enhancement of intermixing and silicide formation as a result of irradiation is established in both the Mn/Si and Ni/Si samples. The results are analyzed and interpreted following the thermal spike model where the interaction between the high energy ion and the lattice is determined by processes like electron-phonon and phonon-phonon couplings. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.