Stabilization of Ni monosilicide thin films in CMOS devices using implantation of ions before silicidation

A method of forming a stabilized metal silicide film comprising:

• implanting ions into a surface of a Si-containing layer after standard device doping and activation, said ions are capable of attaching to defects within the Si-containing layer and said ions are selected from the group consisting of Si, H, Cl, Br, Pt, Re, Pd, Rh, W, In and mixtures thereof;
• forming a metal layer atop the surface of the Si-containing layer containing said ions;
• and
• siliciding the metal layer and the Si-containing layer containing said ions to form a metal silicide film, said metal silicide film exhibits little or no agglomeration during subsequent thermal processing.