Research on the electromigration failure of W interconnects under high-temperature environment

The aviation, aerospace, oil and gas exploration, automotive electronics and nuclear industries are increasingly demanding electronic components such as sensors, signal processors and specialized integrated circuits (IC) that can withstand high-temperature environments. This paper comprehensively analyzes the failure mechanisms of electromigration of copper (Cu) and tungsten (W) interconnects based on atomic density integration algorithms, taking into account multiple driving mechanisms such as ‘electronic wind’, temperature gradient, and stress gradient. It conducts in-depth research on the failure mechanisms of metal interconnect electromigration under high temperature, and provides guidance for the design of high-temperature interconnect structures resistant to electromigration. The results show that, under the joint action of a current density of 3.18×10
⁶
A/cm
²
and a high-temperature environment of 250℃, W has a more excellent ability to resist electromigration than Cu. The joule heating generated by the interconnects under higher current densities (3.18×10
⁷
A/cm
²
) broke through the environmental temperature of 250 ℃ and accelerated the failure of electromigration. At low temperatures, W interconnects are difficult to happen electromigration, but the phenomenon becomes more pronounced as the environmental temperature increases. Moreover, the driving effect of mechanisms such as ‘electronic wind’ and stress gradients is more severe with increasing environmental temperature.