Electrical and structural characterization of ultrathin epitaxial CoSi₂ on Si(111)

We report the fabrication of epitaxial CoSi₂ layers on Si(111) as thin as 1 nm. The crystalline lattice of these layers is coherent with the Si lattice, and the silicide is electrically continuous. There are pronounced structural differences between films which are less than 3 nm thick and those which are thicker. The resistivity of the layers increases sharply with decreasing thickness. This is the first report of the growth of coherent, electrically continuous CoSi₂ layers on Si.