An introduction to Cu electromigration

Electromigration is a major reliability concern in today’s integrated circuits due to the aggressive scaling of interconnect dimensions and the ever-increasing current densities at operation. In addition, the recent introduction of new materials and processing schemes lead to even more challenges in guaranteeing interconnect robustness against electromigration failure. In this article, we review basic electromigration physics in which the main differences between Al- and Cu-based interconnects relevant to electromigration are covered. We also discuss recent process-related advances in electromigration reliability such as the use of alloys and metal caps. Next, the impact of low-k inter-level dielectrics (ILD) on electromigration performance is addressed. Finally, the methodology of electromigration lifetime extrapolation, including reliability assessments of more complex interconnect geometries, is covered.