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Simulation of the Effect of Dielectric Air Gaps on Interconnect Reliability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

L. C. Bassman ,
R. P. Vinci ,
B. P. Shieh ,
D.-K. Kim ,
J. P. McVittie ,
K. C. Saraswat  and
M. D. Deal
L. C. Bassman
Affiliation:
Division of Mechanics and Computation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
R. P. Vinci
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
B. P. Shieh
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
D.-K. Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
J. P. McVittie
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
K. C. Saraswat
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
M. D. Deal
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309 email: bassman@am-sun2.stanford.edu
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Abstract

We present a modeling strategy for assessing the reliability cost for improved performance from modified interconnect structures. We have studied air gaps which have been deliberately introduced in the passivation between aluminum interconnect lines as a means for increasing transmission speed by decreasing dielectric capacitance. The models allow examination of tradeoffs between improved circuit performance and decreased reliability due to dielectric cracking. Stresses in the dielectric due to electromigration in the metal were modeled using finite element analysis. These stresses were used to compute an estimate of the mean time to failure relative to the case with no air gap using an electromigration failure model from MIT.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 473: Symposium J – Materials Reliability in Microelectronics VII , 1997 , 323
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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References

REFERENCES

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