Current redistribution by intermetallic compounds in Through-Silicon-Via (TSV)

Bi-metallic thin film redistribution layers, deposited in the Through-Silicon-Via (TSV), were stressed by electrical current for failure analysis. A new mechanism suggested that the formation of intermetallic compounds, at the corners of the vias, redistributed and reduced the electrical current at the current crowding region. This study proposes a model and deduces a kinetic analysis to demonstrate the effect of the current distribution caused by the volume of the compound. A simulation was used to substantiate the experimental and analytical results.