Electromigration and microchip production work

This diagram shows a schematic flow of a circuit-level design optimization with an EM assessment. At the first step all needed electrical and geometrical parameters should be extracted by implementing a standard circuit simulator such as SPICE and a layout reader, which accepts files in GDS II format. At the next step a circuit level reliability analysis should be performed on a basis of a corresponding EM compact model, which should discriminate interconnect segments suspicious to early failure. Then preselected segments should be analyzed with the full-scale EM model based on a combined finite element method (FEM), which provides a recommendation regarding the adjustment of segment geometry or local architecture, which should be done to avoid the early failure.

UniPro EM Tool

3D numerical simulation of voids formation is original UniPro R&D. UniPro EM Tool implements modeling with real physical parameters to predict an electromigration(EM)-induced voids nucleation and growth in dual-inlaid interconnects. Incorporation of all important atom migration driving forces into the mass balance equation and its resolving together with the coupled electromagnetics, heat transfer and elasticity problems allows one to simulate EM-induced degradation. Variety of dual-inlaid interconnect segments characterized by different dominant mass transport channels can be modelled. The interface bonding strengths, significantly influencing the interface diffusivity and consequently the mass transport along interfaces, result in completely different degradation and failure pictures for the weak and strengthened copper capping layer interfaces. Strengthening of the top-interface in the inlaid interconnect metal line is a promising way to prolong the effective active lifetime of the whole structure.