A comparison between noise measurements and conventional electromigration reliability testing

Experiments designed to compare conventional median-time-to-failure (MTF) data with those obtained through the use of noise measurements are reported. Comparisons are made of aluminum and aluminum-copper alloy films from identical wafers fabricated with varying electromigration-sensitive parameters. The preliminary data indicate that noise measurements might be able to provide a quick, nondestructive, and sensitive method for characterizing thin film metallizations used as interconnects in integrated circuits. Furthermore, noise measurements offer the opportunity to characterize fully the kinetics of electromigration, once the source of the noise is well understood.<>