Abstract: A structure and method are described for forming different metal silicide phases, using the same metallurgy and the same processing steps. A layer of metal is deposited on a silicon substrate and is heated to thermally convert the metal-silicon combination to a metal silicide. The metal silicide phase which forms is strongly dependent upon the dopant and doping level in the silicon substrate, for various combinations of metal and dopant. Thus, different metal silicides can be formed on different regions of the substrate in accordance with the dopant and doping levels in those different regions, even though the process steps and metallurgy are the same. These different metal silicides can be tailored for different applications, including ohmic contacts, diode barrier contacts, interconnection lines, gate contacts, and diffusion barriers.