Superior aluminum for interconnection of monolithic integrated circuits

An aluminum-aluminum-oxide alloy conductor has been developed that has a higher resistance to electromigration than does a normal aluminum conductor. The electrical resistivity of this alloy is similar to that of normal aluminum. Also, because of the extremely fine and uniform grain size, the alloy shows superior land etching characteristics as well as uniformity and ease of opening via-holes in the insulating glass layer over the conductor. These advantages make possible dramatic improvement in product life and in circuit density for interconnections of monolithic integrate circuits. Also, the absence of hillocks on the conductor film make it attractive for devices using multilevel metallization.