A process for forming a conductive contact having a flat interface. A layer containing niobium and titanium is deposited on a silicon substrate and the resulting structure is annealed in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere at about 500° C. to about 700° C. By this process, a flatter interface between silicide and silicon, which is less likely to cause junction leakage, is formed on annealing. The step of annealing also produces a more uniform bilayer, which is a better barrier against tungsten encroachment during subsequent tungsten deposition. Larger silicide grains are also formed so that fewer grain boundaries are produced, reducing metal diffusion in grain boundaries. The process can be used to form contacts for very small devices and shallow junctions, such as are required for current and future semiconductor devices.