Foreword |
|
vii | |
Preface |
|
xiii | |
1 Introduction |
|
1 | (10) |
|
1.1 What is Electromigration? |
|
|
1 | (1) |
|
1.2 Importance of Electromigration |
|
|
2 | (4) |
|
1.3 Outlines of this Book |
|
|
6 | (5) |
2 History of Electromigration |
|
11 | (26) |
|
2.1 Understanding the Physics of Electromigration |
|
|
11 | (11) |
|
2.1.1 Quantum mechanical theory of electromigration |
|
|
11 | (5) |
|
2.1.2 Practical engineering electromigration formulation |
|
|
16 | (4) |
|
2.1.3 Concept of flux divergence |
|
|
20 | (2) |
|
2.2 Electromigration Lifetime Modeling |
|
|
22 | (7) |
|
2.3 Electromigration Lifetime Improvement |
|
|
29 | (1) |
|
2.4 Electromigration Aware IC Design |
|
|
30 | (7) |
3 Experimental Studies of Al Interconnections |
|
37 | (106) |
|
|
37 | (1) |
|
3.2 Process-Induced Failure Physics |
|
|
38 | (16) |
|
3.2.1 Microstructural inhomogeneities of metallization |
|
|
38 | (4) |
|
|
40 | (1) |
|
3.2.1.2 Grain size distribution |
|
|
40 | (1) |
|
3.2.1.3 Texture of a metal line |
|
|
41 | (1) |
|
3.2.2 Presence of impurity |
|
|
42 | (1) |
|
3.2.3 Mechanical stress in the film |
|
|
43 | (2) |
|
|
45 | (1) |
|
3.2.4.1 Length dependence of lifetime |
|
|
45 | (1) |
|
3.2.4.2 Length dependence of the standard deviation of EM lifetime distribution |
|
|
46 | (1) |
|
3.2.5 Temperature gradient |
|
|
46 | (5) |
|
3.2.6 Material differences |
|
|
51 | (1) |
|
|
52 | (2) |
|
3.3 Design-Induced Failure Mechanisms |
|
|
54 | (9) |
|
3.3.1 Proximity of metal lines |
|
|
54 | (1) |
|
3.3.2 Inter-metal dielectric (IMD) thickness between metal lines and oxide thickness underneath the first metallization |
|
|
54 | (1) |
|
3.3.3 Number of metallization levels |
|
|
54 | (1) |
|
3.3.4 Use of barrier layers |
|
|
55 | (3) |
|
3.3.5 Via separation length |
|
|
58 | (1) |
|
3.3.6 Cornering of metal line and Step height of metal lines |
|
|
59 | (1) |
|
3.3.7 Use of passivation layer |
|
|
59 | (2) |
|
3.3.8 Metal width variation |
|
|
61 | (1) |
|
|
61 | (2) |
|
3.4 Self-Induced Process During EM |
|
|
63 | (4) |
|
3.4.1 Self-induced stress gradient |
|
|
63 | (1) |
|
3.4.2 Self-induced temperature gradient |
|
|
64 | (1) |
|
3.4.3 Microstructure change of interconnect |
|
|
65 | (2) |
|
3.5 Electromigration Test Structure Design |
|
|
67 | (10) |
|
3.5.1 NIST test structure |
|
|
68 | (5) |
|
3.5.2 Test structure for multi-level metallization |
|
|
73 | (4) |
|
3.5.3 Test structure for bamboo structure |
|
|
77 | (1) |
|
3.6 Package-Level Electromigration Test (PET) |
|
|
77 | (2) |
|
3.7 Rapid Electromigration Test |
|
|
79 | (24) |
|
|
80 | (3) |
|
3.7.2 Standard Wafer-level Electromigration Accelerated Test (SWEAT) |
|
|
83 | (2) |
|
3.7.3 Wafer-level isothermal Joule-heated electromigration test (WLTET) |
|
|
85 | (2) |
|
3.7.4 Wafer level constant current electromigration test (Lee, Tibel and Sullivan 2000) |
|
|
87 | (1) |
|
3.7.5 Breakdown energy of metal (BEM) |
|
|
87 | (3) |
|
|
90 | (9) |
|
3.7.7 Potential pitfalls of constant current test method |
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
3.7.8 Potential pitfall of breakdown energy method (BEM) |
|
|
100 | (1) |
|
3.7.9 Potential pitfalls of WLTET |
|
|
100 | (1) |
|
|
101 | (1) |
|
3.7.11 Highly accelerated electromigration test |
|
|
101 | (2) |
|
3.8 Practical Consideration in Electromigration Testing |
|
|
103 | (10) |
|
3.8.1 Failure criteria used in EM testing |
|
|
103 | (2) |
|
3.8.2 Interpretation of the measured area |
|
|
105 | (3) |
|
3.8.3 Actual temperature of test strips |
|
|
108 | (1) |
|
3.8.4 Test structure used |
|
|
109 | (1) |
|
3.8.5 Current density used |
|
|
109 | (1) |
|
3.8.6 Short length effect |
|
|
109 | (2) |
|
3.8.7 Failure model used in EM accelerated testing (deviation from Black equation) |
|
|
111 | (2) |
|
3.9 Failure Modes in Electromigration |
|
|
113 | (2) |
|
3.9.1 Open/resistance increase |
|
|
113 | (2) |
|
|
115 | (1) |
|
|
115 | (10) |
|
3.11 Failure Analysis on EM Failures |
|
|
125 | (8) |
|
|
133 | (10) |
4 Experimental Studies of Cu Interconnections |
|
143 | (100) |
|
4.1 Different in Interconnect Processing and its Impact on EM Physics |
|
|
144 | (8) |
|
4.2 Process-induced Failure Physics |
|
|
152 | (50) |
|
4.2.1 Interface between Cu and surrounding materials |
|
|
152 | (10) |
|
4.2.1.1 Surface engineering |
|
|
153 | (3) |
|
4.2.1.2 Alternative cap-layer materials |
|
|
156 | (6) |
|
|
162 | (11) |
|
4.2.3 Presence of impurity |
|
|
173 | (7) |
|
|
180 | (11) |
|
|
191 | (8) |
|
4.2.6 Presence of defects |
|
|
199 | (1) |
|
4.2.7 Temperature gradient |
|
|
200 | (1) |
|
4.2.8 Material differences |
|
|
200 | (1) |
|
|
201 | (1) |
|
4.3 Design-Induced Failure Mechanism |
|
|
202 | (23) |
|
4.3.1 Line width dependence of EM lifetime |
|
|
202 | (6) |
|
|
208 | (3) |
|
4.3.3 Line width transition |
|
|
211 | (1) |
|
|
212 | (5) |
|
4.3.5 Current direction dependence of EM lifetime |
|
|
217 | (4) |
|
4.3.6 Blech short length effect |
|
|
221 | (3) |
|
4.3.7 Via structure design |
|
|
224 | (1) |
|
4.4 Electromigration Testing |
|
|
225 | (3) |
|
4.5 Statistics of Cu Electromigration |
|
|
228 | (15) |
5 Numerical Modeling of Electromigration |
|
243 | (26) |
|
5.1 1D Continuum Electromigration Modeling |
|
|
245 | (1) |
|
|
246 | (7) |
|
5.2.1 Sharp interface model |
|
|
248 | (3) |
|
|
251 | (2) |
|
5.3 Electromigration Simulation Using Atomic Flux Divergence and Finite Element Analaysis |
|
|
253 | (7) |
|
5.3.1 Computation methods for Atomic Flux Divergence (AFD) |
|
|
254 | (6) |
|
5.3.1.1 Formulation of AFD |
|
|
254 | (3) |
|
5.3.1.2 Voiding mechanism simulation |
|
|
257 | (1) |
|
5.3.1.3 Lifetime prediction |
|
|
258 | (2) |
|
5.4 Monte Carlo Simulation of Electromigration |
|
|
260 | (4) |
|
5.4.1 Monte Carlo simulation of the movement of atoms during EM |
|
|
260 | (2) |
|
5.4.2 Monte Carlo simulation of void movement during EM |
|
|
262 | (1) |
|
5.4.3 Holistic EM simulation |
|
|
263 | (1) |
|
5.5 Resistance Change Modeling |
|
|
264 | (5) |
6 Future Challenges |
|
269 | (16) |
|
6.1 Electromigration Modeling |
|
|
269 | (2) |
|
|
271 | (3) |
|
6.3 Physics of Electromigration |
|
|
274 | (1) |
|
6.4 Electromigration Testing |
|
|
274 | (1) |
|
6.5 New Failure Mechanism for Interconnects |
|
|
275 | (2) |
|
6.6 Alternative Interconnect Structure |
|
|
277 | (1) |
|
6.7 Alternative Interconnect System |
|
|
278 | (7) |
Index |
|
285 | (6) |
Biography |
|
291 | |