High-throughput and combinatorial materials science methods were used to investigate the dependence of the work function in the Ni-Si system on the B content (0-30 at. %). Alloying of NiSi is used to adapt its properties to suit the needs as a gate electrode material. Thin-film materials libraries were fabricated and investigated with respect to their structural and electrical properties. Further the work function values of selected samples in the region of interest were analyzed. The results show that the work function can be adjusted between 4.86 eV (B = 4.2 at. %) and 5.16 eV (B = 29.2 at. %) for (NiSi)B x.
Keywords: silicides; sputtering; structure−property relationships; thin films; work function.