Abstract: Manganese silicide MnSi2-x thin films have been prepared on n-type silicon substratesthrough solid phase reaction. The heterostructures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction,Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared transmittance spec-troscopy and the four-point probe technique. The results show that two manganese sili-cides have been formed sequentially via the reaction of thin layer Mn with Si substrateat different irradiation annealing stages, i.e., MnSi at 450℃ and MnSi1.73 at 550℃.MnSi1.73 phase exhibits preferred growth after irradiation with infrared. In situ four-point probe measurements of sheet resistance during infrared irradiation annealingshow that nucleation of MnSi and phase transformation of MnSi to MnSi1. 73 occur at410℃ and 530℃, respectively; the MnSi phase shows metallic behavior, while MnSi1.73exhibits semiconducting behavior. Characteristic phonon bands of MnSi2-x silicides,which can be used for phase identification along with conventional XRD techniques,have been observed by FTIR spectroscopy.

Key words: manganese silicide, in situ sheet resistance, solid phase reaction, infrared spectra