Advanced experimental and computational tools for robust evaluation of on-chip interconnect reliability

Two technologies are introduced that, together, provide a platform for robust evaluation of interconnect reliability. One is the DISMAP technology, which provides plots of the displacement and strain fields of cross-sectioned interconnect structures under various loading conditions. Measurements provided by DISMAP reveal how multilevel-interconnect structures interact structurally, for example what type of strain fields exist during thermal cycling. A complimentary technology, known as probabilistic analysis, is also described and, applied using the NESSUS software. Probabilistic analysis combines statistical uncertainty with physics-based models to predict the probability of failure and also to reveal the relative importance of the various uncertainties associated with interconnect manufacturing. By comparing the. predictions of physical models to DISMAP measurements, the validity of those models are evaluated.