Abstract
Interconnects for integrated circuits now have widths which are of the same order as the grain size. Consequently, their reliability is sensitive to the specific grain boundary properties and configurations rather than being averaged over many grains as in earlier technology when the line width was much greater than the grain diameter. From the point of view of electromigration resistance a bamboo grain structure is desirable. However, the conditions for forming a bamboo structure are not established. Walton et al. developed a model which predicts that the grain structure of aluminum lines becomes a bamboo structure, which is stagnant, upon annealing after particular time at specific temperature when the width to height ratio of the line is lower than a critical ratio (2.1-3.0). The precise value of the critical ratio depends on the ratio of the surface and grain boundary energies. Based on the modeling, we expect that the grain structure of pure aluminum stagnates after annealing at 500 °C for 2.3 hrs.
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