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

Sputtered gold film conductors 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 density J are presented. In this study, a corrosion‐resistant Ti: W–Au metallization system is used. The microstructure and resistivity of the sputtered gold films have been examined and the observed excess resistivity of the sputtered gold films is attributed to gaseous impurities in the film. The average grain size of the sputtered films is 2000 A. The MTF‐vs‐J data are compared with those of aluminum film conductors and an activation energy of 0.90 eV has been estimated for electromigration in sputtered gold films.

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