Home Effect of interface strength on electromigration-induced inlaid copper interconnect degradation: Experiment and simulation
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Effect of interface strength on electromigration-induced inlaid copper interconnect degradation: Experiment and simulation

  • Ehrenfried Zschech EMAIL logo , Hans-Jürgen Engelmann , Moritz Andreas Meyer , Volker Kahlert , Anand V. Vairagar , Subodh G. Mhaisalkar , Ahila Krishnamoorthy , Minyu Yan , K. N. Tu and Valeriy Sukharev
Published/Copyright: February 16, 2022
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Author Information
International Journal of Materials Research
From the journal International Journal of Materials Research Volume 96 Issue 9

Abstract

Both in situ microscopy experiments at embedded inlaid copper interconnect structures and numerical simulations based on a physical model provide information about electromigration-induced degradation mechanisms in on-chip interconnects. It is shown that the modification of the bonding strength of the weakest interface results in completely changed degradation and failure mechanisms. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of standard Cu/SiNx interfaces are compared with strengthened interfaces, e. g., after applying an additional metal coating or a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on top of the polished copper lines. The changed degradation mechanisms as observed with the in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiment and as predicted based on the numerical simulations are explained based on TEM images.

Keywords: Electromigration; Interface; Microstructure
Dr. Ehrenfried Zschech Wilschdorfer Landstrasse 101, D-01109 Dresden, Germany Tel.: +49 351 277 4100 Fax: +49 351 277 94100

Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Klaus Wetzig on the occasion of his 65th birthday

References

[1] P.S. Ho, K.D. Lee, E.T. Ogawa, S. Yoon, X. Lu, in: Characterization and Metrology for ULSI Technology, D.G. Seiler et al. (Eds.), AIP Conf. Proc. (AIP: Melville, NY, 2003) 53310.1063/1.1622523Search in Google Scholar

[2] R. Spolenak, E. Zschech,in: K. Wetzig, C. M. Schneider (Eds.), Metal Based Thin Films for Electronics, Wiley-VCH Weinheim (2003) 7.10.1002/3527602534.ch2Search in Google Scholar

[3] E. Zschech, M.A. Meyer, E. Langer: Proc. MRS Spring, 812 (2004) F7.5.1.10.1557/PROC-812-F7.5Search in Google Scholar

[4] C.K. Hu, S.G. Malhotra, L. Gignac: Electrochem. Soc. Proc. 31 (1999) 206.Search in Google Scholar

[5] E.T. Ogawa, K.D. Lee, V.A. Blaschke, P.S. Ho: IEEE Transaction on Reliability 51 (2002) 403.10.1109/TR.2002.804737Search in Google Scholar

[6] C.K. Hu, R. Rosenberg, K.L. Lee: Appl. Phys. Lett. 74 (1999) 2945.10.1063/1.123974Search in Google Scholar

[7] D. Edelstein, C. Uzoh, C. Cabral Jr., P. Dehaven, P. Buchwalter, A. Simon, E. Cooney, S. Malhotra, D. Klaus, H. Rathore, B. Agarwala, D. Nguyen: Proc. of the International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC), Piscataway, NJ (2001) 910.1109/IITC.2001.930001Search in Google Scholar

[8] C.S. Hau-Riege, C.V. Thompson: Appl. Phys. Lett. 78 (2001) 3451.10.1063/1.1355304Search in Google Scholar

[9] K.D. Lee, E.T. Ogawa, H. Matsuhashi, P.R. Justison, K.S. Ko, P.S. Ho, V.A. Blaschke: Appl. Phys. Lett. 79 (2001) 3236.10.1063/1.1418034Search in Google Scholar

[10] C.K. Hu, L. Gignac, S.G. Malhotra, R. Rosenberg: Appl. Phys. Lett. (2001) 904.10.1063/1.1347400Search in Google Scholar

[11] S. Yokogawa, N. Okada, Y. Kakuhara, H. Takizawa: Microelectronics Reliability (2001) 1409.10.1016/S0026-2714(01)00162-7Search in Google Scholar

[12] E. Zschech, H. Geisler, I. Zienert, H. Prinz, E. Langer, M.A. Meyer, G. Schneider: Proc. of the Advanced Metallization Conference (AMC), San Diego (2002) 305.Search in Google Scholar

[13] A.V. Vairagar, A. Krishnamoorthy, K.N. Tu, S.G. Mhaisalkar, A.M. Gusak, M.A. Meyer: E. Zschech, Appl. Phys. Lett. 85 (2004) 2502.10.1063/1.1795978Search in Google Scholar

[14] E. Zschech, M.A. Meyer, H. Prinz, I. Zienert, M. Grafe, E. Langer, in: P.S. Ho et al. (Ed.), Stress-Induced Phenomena in Metal Interconnects, AIP Proc. 741 (2004) 196.10.1063/1.1845850Search in Google Scholar

[15] E. Zschech, V. Sukharev: Proc. Materials of Advanced Metallization (MAM), Dresden, in press (2005).Search in Google Scholar

[16] M.W. Lane, E.G. Liniger, J.R. Lloyd: Appl. Phys. Lett. 93 (2003) 1417.10.1063/1.1532942Search in Google Scholar

[17] M. Lane, R. Rosenberg: Mater. Res. Soc. Proc. 766 (2003).10.1557/PROC-766-E9.1Search in Google Scholar

[18] Y. Schacham Diamand, Y. Sverdlov, N. Petrov, Z. Li, N. Croitoru, A. Inberg, E. Gileadi, A. Kohn, M. Eizenberg: Proc. Electrochem. Soc. 99–34 (2000) 102.Search in Google Scholar

[19] C.K. Hu, L. Gignac, R. Rosenberg, E. Liniger, J. Rubino, C. Sambucetti, A. Domenicucci, X. Chen, A.K. Stamper: Appl. Phys. Lett. 81 (2002) 178210.1063/1.1504491Search in Google Scholar

[20] C.K. Hu, L. Gignac, R. Rosenberg, E. Liniger, J. Rubino, C. Sambucetti, A.K. Stamper, A. Domenicucci, X. Chen: Microelectronic Engineering 70 (2003) 406.10.1016/S0167-9317(03)00286-7Search in Google Scholar

[21] C.K. Hu, L.M. Gignac, E. Liniger, B. Herbst, D.L. Rath, S.T. Chen, S. Kaldor, D.A. Simon, W.T. Tseng: Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (2003) 869.10.1063/1.1596375Search in Google Scholar

[22] M.A. Meyer, M. Grafe, H.J. Engelmann, E. Zschech: Materials for Advanced Metallization Conference (MAM), Brussels (2004).Search in Google Scholar

[23] M.A. Meyer, M. Herrmann, E. Langer, E. Zschech: Microelectronics Engineering 64 (2002) 375.10.1016/S0167-9317(02)00811-0Search in Google Scholar

[24] V. Sukharev, in: P.S. Ho et al. (Ed.), Stress-Induced Phenomena in Metal Interconnects, AIP Proc. 741 (2004) 85.10.1063/1.1845839Search in Google Scholar

[25] V. Sukharev, E. Zschech: 2004 IEEE Int. Integrated Reliability Workshop, Final Report (LakeTahoe, CA) (2004) 79.10.1109/IRWS.2004.1422744Search in Google Scholar

[26] V. Sukharev, E. Zschech: J. Appl. Phys. 96 (2004) 6337.10.1063/1.1805188Search in Google Scholar

[27] G. Ramanath, G. Cui, P.G. Ganesan, X. Guo, A.V. Ellis, M. Stukowski, K. Vijayamohanan, P. Doppelt, M. Lane: Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (2003) 383.10.1063/1.1591232Search in Google Scholar

[28] C.-K. Hu, L. Gignac, E. Liniger, R. Rosenberg: J. Electrochem. Soc. 149 (2002) G408.10.1149/1.1482057Search in Google Scholar

[29] E. Zschech, W. Blum, I. Zienert, P.R. Besser: Z. Metallkd. 92 (2001) 803.10.1515/ijmr-2001-0147Search in Google Scholar

[30] B. Bokstein: Diffusion in metals, Nauka Publ., Moscow (1978)Search in Google Scholar

[31] E. Zschech, M.A. Meyer, I. Zienert, H. Prinz, E. Langer, H. Geisler, H.J. Engelmann: Proc. of the 3rd Int. Conf. on Semiconductor Technology (ISCT), Shanghai (2004) 386.Search in Google Scholar

[32] C.K. Hu, L.M. Gignac, E. Liniger, B. Herbst, D.L. Rath, S.T. Chen, S. Kaldor, A. Simon, W.T. Tseng: Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (2003) 869.10.1063/1.1596375Search in Google Scholar

[33] C.K. Hu, R. Rosenberg, in: P.S. Ho et al. (Ed.), Stress-Induced Phenomena in Metal Interconnects, AIP Proc. 741 (2004) 97.10.1063/1.1845840Search in Google Scholar

[34] N.L. Peterson: J. Nuclear Maters 69&70 (1976) 3.10.1016/0022-3115(78)90234-9Search in Google Scholar

[35] C.A. Macklift: Phys. Rev. B 109 (1958) 1964.10.1103/PhysRev.109.1964Search in Google Scholar
Received: 2005-04-06
Accepted: 2005-06-22
Published Online: 2022-02-16

© 2005 Carl Hanser Verlag, München

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Kösterpreis
  3. Award/Preisverleihung
  4. Editorial
  5. Editorial
  6. Articles Basic
  7. Effect of interface strength on electromigration-induced inlaid copper interconnect degradation: Experiment and simulation
  8. Application of factor analysis in electron spectrometry (AES, XPS) for materials science
  9. Focussing and defocussing effects at radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy analyses of thin films with partly nonconductive components
  10. Semi-flexible star-shaped molecules: conformational analysis of nano-segregated mesogens forming columnar liquid-crystal phases
  11. Articles Applied
  12. Structure, properties and applications of diamond-like carbon coatings prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering
  13. Local texture and back-end defect in hot extruded AZ91 magnesium alloy
  14. A comparison of thermal stability in nanocrystalline Ni- and Co-based materials
  15. Microstructure and phase formation of Heusler thin film compounds
  16. Correlation between the average composition of coherent superlattice and the GMR properties of electrodeposited Co–Cu/Cu multilayers
  17. Articles Basic
  18. Towards a description of complex pearlite structures
  19. Modeling of axial strain in free-end torsion of textured copper
  20. Vacancies in plastically deformed copper
  21. An analytic and generalized formulation of the sin2 ψ-method
  22. Nanoindentation applied on a tungsten–copper composite before and after high-pressure torsion
  23. Articles Applied
  24. The local deformation behaviour of MMCs – an experimental study
  25. X-ray elastic constants determined by the combination of sin2 ψ and substrate-curvature methods
  26. Combining complementary techniques to study precipitates in steels
  27. Precipitation hardening in Mg–Zn–Sn alloys with minor additions of Ca and Si
  28. Notifications/Mitteilungen
  29. Personal
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijmr-2005-0169
Keywords for this article
Electromigration; Interface; Microstructure

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Kösterpreis
  3. Award/Preisverleihung
  4. Editorial
  5. Editorial
  6. Articles Basic
  7. Effect of interface strength on electromigration-induced inlaid copper interconnect degradation: Experiment and simulation
  8. Application of factor analysis in electron spectrometry (AES, XPS) for materials science
  9. Focussing and defocussing effects at radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy analyses of thin films with partly nonconductive components
  10. Semi-flexible star-shaped molecules: conformational analysis of nano-segregated mesogens forming columnar liquid-crystal phases
  11. Articles Applied
  12. Structure, properties and applications of diamond-like carbon coatings prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering
  13. Local texture and back-end defect in hot extruded AZ91 magnesium alloy
  14. A comparison of thermal stability in nanocrystalline Ni- and Co-based materials
  15. Microstructure and phase formation of Heusler thin film compounds
  16. Correlation between the average composition of coherent superlattice and the GMR properties of electrodeposited Co–Cu/Cu multilayers
  17. Articles Basic
  18. Towards a description of complex pearlite structures
  19. Modeling of axial strain in free-end torsion of textured copper
  20. Vacancies in plastically deformed copper
  21. An analytic and generalized formulation of the sin2 ψ-method
  22. Nanoindentation applied on a tungsten–copper composite before and after high-pressure torsion
  23. Articles Applied
  24. The local deformation behaviour of MMCs – an experimental study
  25. X-ray elastic constants determined by the combination of sin2 ψ and substrate-curvature methods
  26. Combining complementary techniques to study precipitates in steels
  27. Precipitation hardening in Mg–Zn–Sn alloys with minor additions of Ca and Si
  28. Notifications/Mitteilungen
  29. Personal
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 26.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijmr-2005-0169/html
Scroll to top button