Resistivity of Thin Films of MoSi2-Si Composites

Thin films of the composite of molybdenum silicate (MoSi2) and silicon (Si) were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a target made of a powder mixture of MoSi2 and Si. The composite thin film consisted of two types of molybdenum silicate with hexagonal and unknown crystal structures. The temperature dependence of the resistivity of a thin film was measured using the four-probe method. The sign of the temperature coefficient of the resistivity changed from positive to negative with increasing molar ratio of Si to Mo. It was suggested that molybdenum silicate with the hexagonal structure had both positive and negative temperature coefficients of resistivity, whereas the unknown structure showed only a negative temperature coefficient of resistivity.