Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to locate particles of a predetermined species within a solid, more specifically to form an oxy-nitride dielectric for VLSI applications. A layer (18) of a substance (YZ) is formed upon a solid (10) and a chemical reaction is performed between the substance (YZ) and a gas (X), thereby releasing particles (Z) of a predetermined species which incorporate into the solid (10). This method is used, for example, to form an oxy-nitride dielectric by incorporating nitrogen within a silicon oxide layer (28′).

Abstract: A metal-semiconductor layer (26) is formed over an insulating layer (20) such that the metal-semiconductor layer (26) is graded to have varying amounts of the semiconductor and metal throughout the layer. In one embodiment, the metal-semiconductor layer (26) has relatively higher silicon content near the layer's lower and upper surfaces. At the midpoint, the layer is close to stoichiometric tungsten silicide. In another embodiment, a metal-semiconductor-nitrogen layer is formed having nitrogen nearer the lower surface and essentially no nitrogen near the upper surface. The layer (26) can be formed using chemical vapor deposition or sputtering.