Resistivity percolation of co-sputtered amorphous Si/Ti films

Amorphous silicon/titanium (a-Si/Ti) composite was deposited by co-sputtering techniques at room temperature with a view to explore its potential applications for monolithic integration of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and integrated circuits. The electrical resistivity of the films was successfully controlled over a range of magnitudes and the electrical transport mechanism was studied, based on percolation conduction theory of a three dimensional random network. The stability of the nanostructures and thus the percolation threshold was also observed at annealing temperatures below 300 °C, while the percolation threshold decreased with annealing temperature above 300 °C. Surface morphology and dry etching feasibility of the composite are also discussed for the potential applications of using it as the structural device layer for MEMS.