Silicide

It is commonly implemented in MOS/CMOS processes for ohmic contacts of the source, drain, and poly-Si gate.

Silicide thin films have applications in microelectronics due to their high electrical conductivity, thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and compatibility with photolithographic wafer processes.

[4] For example silicides formed over layers of polysilicon, called polycides, are commonly used as an interconnect material in integrated circuits for their high conductivity.

[5] Silicides formed through the salicide process also see use as a low work function metal in ohmic and Schottky contacts.

For this reason low forward-voltage Schottky diodes and ohmic interconnects between a semiconductor and a metal often utilize a thin layer of silicide at the metal–semiconductor interface.