Interlevel dielectric failures in copper/low-k structures

Failure modes for inter-level dielectric layers under accelerated test conditions have been evaluated for a range of dielectric diffusion barriers in copper/low-k structures. The dominant failure mechanism for both constant voltage tests and ramped voltage tests was mechanical cracking at the dielectric barrier/low-k interface. Few occurrences of copper diffusion through the bulk ILD were observed. A simple model for the dominant failure mechanism is proposed which hypothesizes crack formation due to the electrostatic force between interdigitated lines followed by copper extrusion into the cracks. The proposed model is consistent with measurements of interfacial adhesion strengths in Cu/low-k stacks.