Structural effects on Chip Package Interaction and mechanical reliability of Cu/low-k multi-layer interconnects in flip-chip package

The effects of structural design on the mechanical reliability of Cu/low-k multi-layer interconnects are investigated using finite element method. The Chip Package Interaction (CPI) was analyzed for a model of twelve wiring layers to calculate the energy release rate (ERR). The relations between the feature dimensions, such as copper interconnect width and low-k dielectric thickness, and the interfacial fracture are studied. Also, implications on the design rules for interconnect and reliability are discussed.