Synthesis of nickel disilicide nanocrystal monolayers for nonvolatile memory applications

Abstract

Nickel silicide nanocrystals (NCs) were formed by thermally annealing SiOxNy films either implanted with Ni or coated with an evaporated Ni film. It is observed that the NCs grow into well-defined single crystalline structures embedded in a SiOxNy matrix, and that their size can be directly controlled by adjusting the concentrations of either silicon or nickel in the SiOxNy layer. The formation of well-defined NC monolayers was also demonstrated by depositing an ultra-thin Ni layer between two SiOxNy layers. These structures are shown to exhibit characteristic capacitance-voltage hysteresis suitable for nonvolatile memory applications. Show more