Electromigration-Induced Failures in, and Microstructure and Resistivity of, Sputtered Gold Films

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Sputteredgoldfilmconductors have been subjected to high current densities in the range of 2.0–3.5×106 A/cm2 in 150 °C air ambience, and data on the mean time to failure (MTF) vs current densityJ are presented. In this study, a corrosion‐resistant Ti: W–Au metallization system is used. The microstructure and resistivity of the sputteredgoldfilms have been examined and the observed excess resistivity of the sputteredgoldfilms is attributed to gaseous impurities in the film. The average grain size of the sputteredfilms is 2000 Å. The MTF‐vs‐J data are compared with those of aluminumfilmconductors and an activation energy of 0.90 eV has been estimated for electromigration in sputteredgoldfilms.