Ni silicide thermal stability is improved by the use of a Ni-V (nickel vanadium) alloy target.The relationship between the formation temperature and the thermal stability of Ni silicide is investigated.The sheet resistance after the formation of Ni silicide with the Ni-V shows stable characteristics up to a rapid-thermal-process temperature of 700℃,while degradation of sheet resistance starts at that temperature in the case of pure-Ni.Moreover,the thermal stability improvement is demonstrated by the post-silicidation annealing.It is considered that the thermal robustness of Ni-V silicide is highly dependent on the formation temperature.With the increasing silicidation temperature (around 700℃),more thermally stable Ni silicide is formed in comparison to the low-temperature case using the Ni-V.A Ni-V alloy target is utilized to form Ni silicide.The V and the V-trap complexes are explained to block the transformation from NiSi to NiSi2 so as to improve the Ni silicide thermal stability.