ESD phenomena in interconnect structures

Interconnect forms a part of all ESD protection networks. ESD discharges can cause both latent and permanent damages in interconnect structures. ESD discharges, that barely affect the resistance of a structure, can reduce the electromigration lifetime of metal structures by more than a factor 100. Also snapback behavior, which limits the ESD robustness of silicon based interconnect structures, is observed. With this knowledge designs can be optimized for area and robustness.