ELECTRICAL AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF THIN-FILMS OF SPUTTERED CRSI2

Thin films of CrSi2 were deposited by r.f. sputtering from a CrSi2 target. The resistivity, the microstructure and the depth profiles of the films were measured with a four-point probe, a transmission electron microscope, and an Auger electron spectrometer. It is shown that the sputtered amorphous CrSi2 film crystallizes at 300-degrees-C, reaching a higher resistivity state compared with that of the amorphous counterpart; the increase in resistivity is due to the formation of wide boundaries between columnar grains of the film after crystallization. A relatively stable resistivity state can be reached by annealing the film at a temperature between 375-degrees-C and 425-degrees-C.