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Epitaxial Ag wires with a single grain boundary for electromigration
S Sindermann1, C Witt, D Spoddig
1Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany. simon.sindermann@uni-due.de
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|January 10, 2012
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to create specific electromigration test structures using focused ion beam (FIB) milling and silver (Ag) island growth. This technique allows for precise control over grain boundaries in Ag wires for advanced materials research.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Solid State Physics
Background:
- Electromigration is a critical failure mechanism in microelectronic interconnects.
- Fabricating test structures with controlled grain boundaries is essential for understanding electromigration.
- Focused ion beam (FIB) milling offers high precision but can introduce doping effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel method for fabricating electromigration test structures with defined grain boundary configurations.
- To enable the creation of silver (Ag) wires with isolated, arbitrary-oriented grain boundaries.
- To demonstrate a technique that minimizes substrate doping effects.
Main Methods:
- Combining epitaxial growth of Ag islands on Si(111) surfaces with FIB milling.
- Utilizing silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates to prevent gallium (Ga) FIB doping.
- Employing deep trench etching in the SOI device layer for electrical isolation of Ag wires.
- Characterizing the fabricated structures using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Main Results:
- Successfully grew bi-crystalline Ag islands on Si(111).
- Structured these islands into wires using FIB milling.
- Demonstrated the electrical isolation of Ag wires from the substrate using deep trenches.
- Confirmed the feasibility of assembling Ag wires with a single, isolated grain boundary of arbitrary direction.
Conclusions:
- The presented approach effectively combines epitaxial growth and FIB milling for controlled fabrication of electromigration test structures.
- The use of SOI substrates and deep trench isolation successfully mitigates doping effects and ensures electrical separation.
- This method provides a reliable pathway for creating Ag wires with precisely defined grain boundaries, crucial for electromigration studies.
