RF heating of conducting film/silicon substrate structure: The heat explosion theory approach

Heating by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field can be successfully applied in technological processes of fabrication of films and layers of metal, silicide, boride or nitride on silicon substrates. In the present work the heating kinetics is analyzed as a function of film thicknesses, sheet resistances of the conducting layers, specimen dimensions, their thermal parameters, as well as the amplitude and frequency of applied RF magnetic field. It was shown that, depending on the relation between the structure parameters and applied field, two regimes of the heating can be realized. The first one is characterized by heating of the structure up to a finite temperature determined by equilibrium between dissipated power loss due to eddy-currents and heat transfer to environment. The second regime corresponds to fast unlimited temperature increase (heat explosion). The criterion of realization of one of regimes is obtained in analytical form. Growth of a new phase (silicide) is analyzed and it is shown that new phase formation in metal film-silicon structures occurs during heat explosion.