Mechanical stress as a function of temperature in aluminum films

Mechanical stress in interconnection is a problem of growing importance in VLSI devices. Open circuits due to metal cracking and voiding and short circuits due to hillocks are stress-related phenomena. The origins of this stress are discussed including intrinsic stresses from the synthesis of the films and thermally induced stresses. A measurement technique based on the determination of wafer curvature with a laser scanning device is utilized to directly measure the film stress in situ as a function of temperature during thermal cycling. The changes in stress observed during thermal cycles are interpreted quantitatively and mechanisms that lead to plastic deformation and their relationship to hillocks are discussed. In the stress vs. temperature measurements, several regions have been identified including elastic and plastic behavior both under compression and tension, the yield strength, recrystallization, gain growth, hardening, and solid-state reactions. The effects of deposition conditions on these regions are also examined