The equilibrium phases and thermodynamic stabilities in transition metal silicide systems of importance in micro electronics will be studied. The titanium-silicon system will be investigated by high temperature knudsen cell mass spectrometry, and the cobalt-silicon and copper-silicon systems will be studied by means of high temperature solid state galvanic cells. Enthalpies of reaction of metals with amorphour silicon in multilayer composites and enthalpies of reaction of metals with crystalline silicon in bilayers will be studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Heat capacities in all three systems will be measured between 14K and 1000K by differential scanning calorimetry in order to obtain standard molar entropies and other thermal functions for the titanium, cobalt, and copper silicides. The titanium and cobalt silicides are materials of choice for interconnect applications in micro electronics. The results are expected to be of the importance in dealing with questions of stability and compatibility in both the fabrication of devices and in their use.
