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Modeling the Mechanisms of Cu-Enhanced Median Time to Failure in Al-Cu Interconnects Under Electromigration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

K. S. Low ,
W. C. Shih ,
A. L. Greer ,
A. Ghiti  and
A. G. O'Neill
K. S. Low
Affiliation:
University Of Newcastle, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne NEI 7RU, U.K.
W. C. Shih
Affiliation:
University Of Cambridge, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, U.K.
A. L. Greer
Affiliation:
University Of Cambridge, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, U.K.
A. Ghiti
Affiliation:
University Of Newcastle, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne NEI 7RU, U.K.
A. G. O'Neill
Affiliation:
University Of Newcastle, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne NEI 7RU, U.K.
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Abstract

A finite-element model is used to simulate electromigration voiding and failure in Al-Cu interconnects. The modeling includes the fluxes of Al and Cu atoms in the grain-boundary network, and is used to study the mechanisms by which Cu as a solute improves the reliability of Al metallization. A possible mechanism for the Cu to reduce the grain-boundary diffusiv-ity of Al is explored, and it is shown that with appropriate parameters this can reproduce the observed increases in lifetime. Also investigated are the effects of electromigration-induced non-uniformity in the Cu distribution and the role of Al2Cu precipitates as reservoirs for Cu.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 473: Symposium J – Materials Reliability in Microelectronics VII , 1997 , 317
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

REFERENCES

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