Electromigration of TiPdAu Conductors

Electromigration is a momentum transfer process which can cause electrical opens in conductors. The seriousness of this problem increases as the conductor line width and thickness decreases leading to increases in current densities. There has been much data reported on aluminum conductors, but very little work has been reported on gold metal-lizations. The object of this work was to determine the lifetimes of gold conductors defined into realistic geometries. Two different test patterns were used: One was the collector to ground conductor in an experimental oscillator having line widths ranging from 2 to 5 mils. The second pattern used was a straight line pattern 125 mils long and 2 mils wide. These conductors were tested using glass, glazed ceramic and partially glazed ceramic substrates.