Metal‐vapor vacuum arc ion source was employed to synthesize Ti silicides by Ti implantation directly into Si or through a deposited titanium film on Si wafers. The implantation was conducted at room temperature at an extracted voltage of 40 kV. In the directly implanted Si wafers, the transition of Ti disilicides from a metastable C49‐TiSi2to an equilibrium phase C54‐TiSi2was observed when the current density was of 125 &mgr;A/cm2at a nominal dose range of 3–5×1017/cm2, while in the Si wafers with a deposited Ti film, C54‐TiSi2was formed when the current density was of 125 &mgr;A/cm2at a fixed nominal dose of 5×1017/cm2. The temperature rise caused by ion implantation was calculated by solving a differential thermal conduction equation and the results were employed to discuss the formation mechanism of Ti silicides. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.