Electromigration lifetime and critical void volume

Abstract

We study electromigration in copper lines encapsulated in an organosilicate glass. A line fails when a void near the upstream via grows to a critical volume. We calculate the void volume as a function of time. The statistical distribution of the critical volume (DCV) is taken to be independent of testing variables, such as line length and electric current density. By contrast, the distribution of the lifetime (DLT) strongly depends on these testing variables. We deduce the DCV from the experimentally measured DLT. Once deduced, the DCV can predict the DLT under untested conditions.