This study monitors systematically the evolution of surface roughness during metal (Ti, Co, and Ni) silicides phase transformation and coupling to other physical parameters. During metal/silicon reaction film surface roughness evolves due to the effect of nucleation and growth of metal silicides and is sensitive to different processing conditions. In general, surface roughness increases as new phases are formed and decreases during grain growth. The difference in roughness between processes indicates whether a process is more inferior for new phase formation. The correlation of surface roughness towards sheet resistance, film thickness, and phase transformation are found to be independent of film thickness in C49-to-C54 TiSi2 polymorphic transformation but not for Co and Ni silicides. Any abnormalities from the trend indicate that the film is experiencing a physical degradation. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.