Salicide

The term salicide refers to a technology used in the microelectronics industry used to form electrical contacts between the semiconductor device and the supporting interconnect structure.

The description "self-aligned" suggests that the contact formation does not require photolithography patterning processes, as opposed to a non-aligned technology such as polycide.

The salicide process begins with deposition of a thin transition metal layer over fully formed and patterned semiconductor devices (e.g. transistors).

Following the reaction, any remaining transition metal is removed by chemical etching, leaving silicide contacts in only the active regions of the device.

[1] Another challenge facing successful process integration include lateral growth, especially underneath the gate, which will short circuit the device.