Patent ID: 7897513

Claim:
A method for forming a nickel silicide layer, the method comprising: providing a substrate comprising silicon; depositing a nickel layer on the substrate; annealing the nickel layer in a first anneal within a first temperature range of about 280° C. to about 350° C. for a first dwell time of about 10 milliseconds or less, to react at least a portion of the nickel layer with the silicon to form a nickel silicide layer; removing an unreacted portion of the nickel layer from the silicon substrate; and after removing the unreacted portion, annealing the nickel silicide layer in a second anneal within a second temperature range of about 400° C. to about 550° C. for a second dwell time of about 10 milliseconds or less; wherein the first anneal comprises ramping up to the first temperature range, dwelling within the first temperature range for the first dwell time, and ramping down from the first temperature range, wherein the ramp up occurs at a rate of about 50,000 to about 200,000° C./second and the ramp down occurs at a rate of about 50,000 to about 200,000° C./second.