Patent ID: 11965236
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Surface technology, coating (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 17:
18. A substrate processing system, comprising:
a physical vapor depositing chamber configured for physical vapor depositing a first nickel silicide seed layer on a substrate at a temperature of about 15° C. to about 27° C., and physical vapor depositing a second nickel silicide layer atop the first nickel silicide seed layer at a temperature of about 15° C. to about 27° C. to form a nickel silicide material; and
a thermal processing chamber configured for annealing the first nickel silicide seed layer, independently of the second nickel silicide layer, at a temperature over 350° C. for a duration sufficient to increase a grain size of a seed grain of the first nickel silicide seed layer to at least 200 nm, wherein depositing the first nickel silicide seed layer and annealing the first nickel silicide seed layer are performed without vacuum break between depositing the first nickel silicide seed layer and annealing the first nickel silicide seed layer.