A Decade of Chasing the Origin of Nano-Whisker/Dendrite Defects from Reliability Qualification into Customer Returns

An extensive review has been provided for the first time in backtracking the reliability risks of defective metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors a decade ago. An improved process drastically reduced the nano-whisker-encapsulated dendrite-like defects and consequently enabled the technology release. A field return vividly confirmed the origin of nanowhiskers growing from the AlCu surface. After the top-metal deposition, the nano Al-whisker defects can be monitored using in-line optical microscopes beyond the instrument limitation.