Determination of the elastic constants of a cobalt disilicide intermetallic compound

Ultrasonic velocity measurements have been performed on a single crystal of cobalt disilicide by the pulse echo overlap method. The elastic constants have been calculated from the measurements of the propagation velocities of longitudinal and transverse waves in suitable crystallographic directions of the sample. The macroscopic elastic parameters of the cobalt disilicide were deduced from the elastic constants. They allow an estimation of the magnitude of the induced residual thermal stresses when this compound is present in a microelectronic device.