Standardizing EM structures for evaluation and qualification of aluminum alloys with barrier metals

Barrier metal interconnects are the most used metal systems in the semiconductor industry. Barrier metal electromigration (EM) performance and characteristics are significantly different than "old" aluminum alloy systems, and different EM structures are needed to properly evaluate the EM performance. A proposed EM structure for barrier metal reliability evaluation takes into account via interfaces, ion reservoirs, line width, and line length.