Electromigration: the time bomb in deep-submicron ICs

Electromigration results from the movement of metal ions as current flows through power wires in integrated circuits, causing voids and hillocks in the wires. The voids increase resistance or even cause opens in the wires, while hillocks can cause shorts to adjacent wires. This paper describes how electromigration is a ticking time bomb in IC designs, which can trigger a system failure at some undefined future time. The phenomenon is particularly likely to afflict the thin, tightly spaced power-distribution lines of deep-submicron designs.