Overview of the kinetics of the early stages of electromigration under low (= realistic) current density stress

Abstract

The early stages of electromigration (EM) have been studied under realistic, i.e. low current densities (j<0.5 MA/cm(2)) using a high resolution resistance measurement technique. I,ow current densities initiate EM and discard other masking mechanisms allowing an accurate observation of the EM kinetics, revealing fundamental features such as incubation time and subsequent linear resistance increase, important for modelling and life time extrapolation purposes. Current and temperature dependences are investigated and compared with the results obtained with high current density tests. For the first time it is shown that the processes responsible for the incubation time are reversible in nature. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. tall rights reserved.