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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The formation of Pt silicide (PtSi) by the thermally activated reaction of a 23 nm Pt layer on Si was monitored in situ by ellipsometry. Characteristic changes in the ellipsometric angles as a function of temperature signal the approach of two reaction fronts to the surface: one belonging to the Pt/Pt2Si and the other to the Pt2Si/PtSi interface. An analysis of the evolution of the ellipsometric angles as a function of temperature for different heating rates allows the accurate determination of the average activation energies of the two reactions. From a modeling of the optical data in terms of a specific reaction model further kinetic parameters such as the reaction rate constants and the actual distribution of activation energies have been deduced.