IIRW 2005 discussion group summary: interconnects

The major themes of discussion focused on the range of validity of wafer-level reliability (WLR) isothermal electromigration testing (ISOT-EM), and the interpretation of stress-induced voiding (SIV) data for aluminum technologies. Participants generally regarded WLR EM testing as a useful tool for monitoring metallization quality, but felt that there were still too many questions about the behavior of the metallization under the extreme temperature and current conditions to be able to use the technique for lifetime projections. A portion of this discussion involved the details of test structures and minimum line dimensions, and only a few participants were involved. The participants were polled to determine the technology nodes of interest, and only a few participants were focused on 45 or 65 nm, while the remainder of the attendees were focused on 90 or 135 nm