DocumentCode :
2706154
Title :
Resistance change at copper contacts with thin and thick oxide films under a zero force liquid gallium probe
Author :
Liu, D. Ron ; McCarthy, Shaun
Author_Institution :
Sci. Res. Lab., Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI, USA
fYear :
2000
fDate :
25-27 Sept. 2000
Firstpage :
183
Lastpage :
189
Abstract :
Experiments were performed to investigate the contact resistance behavior and breakdown characteristics of the oxidized copper surface. In order to eliminate the influence of the mechanical pressure on the contact resistance, a gallium liquid metal drop was used as the probe. Current was varied from 0.1 mA to 1 A and then ramped back down to 0.1 mA. The voltage across the contact between a gallium drop and the oxidized copper was recorded. The contact resistance was then computed and plotted against the voltage. It was discovered that the A-fritting voltage of the contact was about 2.0 V when the film thickness was about 55 nm, which was consistent with the results of Holm (1967). It was also observed that the film could break down and then recover partially for several cycles before the film was finally broken down completely to settle at a lower voltage. When the film thickness was 8 nm or less, the measured contact voltage at the fritting stage was always less than 0.4 V. In such cases, it was not possible to observe the typical ´avalanche´ A-fritting (breakdown), even though the film had not been ruptured by mechanical load.
Keywords :
contact resistance; copper; dielectric thin films; electric breakdown; electrical contacts; gallium; oxidation; probes; 0.1 mA to 1 A; 0.4 V; 2 V; 55 nm; 8 nm; A-fritting voltage; avalanche A-fritting breakdown; breakdown characteristics; contact resistance; copper contacts; current ramp; current variation; film final breakdown; film thickness; gallium drop; gallium drop/oxidized copper contact voltage; gallium liquid metal drop probe; measured contact voltage; mechanical load; mechanical pressure; oxidized copper; oxidized copper surface; partial recovery; resistance change; thick oxide films; thin oxide films; zero force liquid gallium probe; Avalanche breakdown; Breakdown voltage; Contact resistance; Copper; Electric breakdown; Mechanical variables measurement; Probes; Surface resistance; Thickness measurement; Voltage measurement;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Electrical Contacts, 2000. Proceedings of the Forty-Sixth IEEE Holm Conference on
Conference_Location :
Chicago, IL, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5960-7
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/HOLM.2000.889928
Filename :
889928
Link To Document :
بازگشت