Electrical analyses of nickel silicide formed on Si nanowires with 10-nm-width

Ni silicide with the nanowire line width down to 15 nm was formed by the reaction of Ni thin films with Si nanowires. The electrical analyses revealed that Ni₂Si was formed on all Si nanowires having width in the range from 15 to 80 nm. However, a drastic increase in the resistivity was observed for the width smaller than 35 nm. The reason for this increase is discussed in terms of roughness in line width and electron scattering on the surface of nanowires.