Observations of stresses in thin films of palladium and platinum silicides on silicon

The silicides of Pt (PtSi) and of Pd (Pd2Si and PdSi) were formed by the interaction of metallic thin films with single crystal substrates of Si. The stresses in the silicide films were measured at room temperature from the bending of the Si substrates, obtained via an x-ray diffraction technique. The stresses vary approximately linearly with the heat treatment temperatures, without pronounced relationship with the different phase formations. For both Pd2Si and PtSi, the stress levels are correlated with the measured lattice parameter. Approximate values of elastic constants and expansion coefficients are derived.