Patent ID: 7208414

Claim:
A method of forming a metal silicide on a surface of a Si-containing material comprising the steps of: providing a structure comprising a metal-containing silicon alloy layer over a Si-containing material; subjecting said structure to a first anneal which comprises a first thermal cycle which is performed at a first temperature of less than about 350° C. that enhances uni-directional diffusion of said metal into said Si-containing material thereby forming an amorphous metal-containing silicide and a second thermal cycle which is performed at a second temperature that converts the amorphous metal-containing silicide into a crystallized metal rich silicide that is substantially non-etchable as compared to the metal-containing silicon alloy layer; removing any unreacted metal-containing silicon alloy layer from the structure; and subjecting said structure to a second anneal at a third temperature that converts said crystallized metal rich silicide into a metal silicide phase that is in its lowest resistance phase.