Stress migration phenomenon in narrow copper interconnects

Abstract

Stress migration (SM) behavior in Cu damascene interconnects was investigated in detail using different kinds of test patterns. SM failure was found in narrow lines that are very long, or connecting to a wide line. In the pattern in which narrow lines are connected to wide metal, the failure rate decreased as the narrow metal becomes longer. It was found that the failure rate in minimum 0.14 μm wide lines is more than that in 0.2-0.42 μm wide lines. The result of the test patterns with different via arrangements clarified that the placing of the vias at the edge of the M1 line plays an important role in the SM phenomenon in narrow copper lines. Failure analysis using scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed voiding beneath the via at the failure points for all test patterns. It is shown that the enhanced failure rate in the minimum wide lines and the via arrangement effect cannot be understood by the previous diffusion mechanism. Based on these results, the effect of the via arrangement close to the edge of the lower lines on SM failure in narrow lines is discussed. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.