Electrical Methods for Mechanical Characterization of Interconnect Thin Films

Published

September 1, 2005

Author(s)

Robert Keller, Cynthia A. Volkert, Roy H. Geiss, Andrew Slifka, David T. Read, Nicholas Barbosa, Reiner Monig

Abstract

We describe the use of electrical methods for evaluating mechanical reliability and properties of patterned copper and aluminum interconnects on silicon substrates. The approach makes use of controlled Joule heating, which causes thermal strains in the materials system due to differences in thermal expansion between the metal and constraining substrate and passivation. Our efforts concentrate on understanding damage formation in the interconnects and on the development of meaningful test methods. We make use of alternating currents in a frequency range (100 Hz to 10 kHz) that does not lead to electromigration but instead causes extensive thermal fatigue damage and failure in the metal interconnects.

Proceedings Title

Advanced Metallization Conf., Proc.

Volume

21

Conference Dates

September 26-29, 2005

Conference Location

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Conference Title

Advanced Metallization Conf.

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

aluminum interconnects, copper interconnects, electrical testing, interconnect reliability, mechanical properties, thermal fatigue

Citation

Keller, R. , Volkert, C. , Geiss, R. , Slifka, A. , Read, D. , Barbosa, N. and Monig, R. (2005), Electrical Methods for Mechanical Characterization of Interconnect Thin Films, Advanced Metallization Conf., Proc., Colorado Springs, CO, USA, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=50210 (Accessed October 2, 2025)