NOVEL TEST STRUCTURE FOR SPEEDING A STRESS-INDUCED VOIDING TEST AND METHOD OF USING THE SAME

• US 20070109008A1
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Wang, Chien-Jung
• Application Number:
  US11/563,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109008A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/762.50
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633

Abstract

A test structure, comprising a first member having a first roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the first member has a first width dimension, and a first length dimension that is greater than the first width dimension; and a second member having a roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the second member has a second width dimension and a second length dimension that is greater than the second width dimension, wherein the second member is combined with the first member to form a roughly symmetrical cross-shaped test structure, and the test structure is used for testing stress-induced voiding.

Claims

1. A test structure, comprising:

a first member having a first roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the first member has a first width dimension, and a first length dimension that is greater than the first width dimension; and

a second member having a roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the second member has a second width dimension and a second length dimension that is greater than the second width dimension, wherein the second member is combined with the first member to form a roughly symmetrical cross-shaped test structure, and the test structure is used for testing stress-induced voiding.

2. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a first and second metal lines each having opposing ends;

the first and second metal lines being joined at two of their respective opposing ends to form an intersection; and

a via extending from the first and second metal line intersection to the approximate center of the cross-shaped test structure.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein:

the first length dimension of the first member is about twice as great as the first width dimension of the first member; and

the second length dimension of the second member is about twice as great as the second width dimension of the second member.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure is comprised of copper.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure has a thickness of from about 5000 to 10,000 Å

.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure 100 has a thickness of about 5000 Å

.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure is formed on a test wafer or a test site within a product wafer.

8. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure is formed on a test wafer and the cross-shaped test structure occupies an area of from about 0.4 by 0.4 μ

m on the test wafer.

9. The structure of claim 1, wherein the cross-shaped test structure is formed on a test wafer and the cross-shaped test structure occupies an area of from about 1.0 by 1.0 μ

m on the test wafer.

10. A test structure, comprising:

a first member having a first roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the first member has a first side with a first width dimension W1, and a second side with a first length dimension L1 that is greater than the first width dimension W1; and

a second member having a roughly rectangular shape, wherein the roughly rectangular shape of the second member has a third side with second width dimension W2 and a fourth side with a second length dimension L2 that is greater than the second width dimension W2, wherein the second member is combined with the first member to form a roughly symmetrical cross-shaped test structure, wherein W1 is larger than (L2-W1) /2 or (L1-W2)/2, or W2 is larger than (L2-W1)/2 or (L1-W2)/2.

11. The structure of claim 10, wherein W1 is larger than (L2-W1)/2.

12. The structure of claim 10, wherein W1 is larger than (L1-W2)/2.

13. The structure of claim 10, wherein W2 is larger than (L2-W1)/2.

14. The structure of claim 10, wherein W2 is larger than (L1-W2)/2.

15. The structure of claim 10, further comprising:

a first and second metal lines each having opposing ends;

the first and second metal lines being joined at two of their respective opposing ends to form an intersection; and

a via extending from the first and second metal line intersection to the approximate center of the cross-shaped test structure.

16. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a substrate;

a test structure for testing voids in interconnects of the semiconductor device, disposed overlying the substrate and comprising;

a structure having a geometry with smaller area than that of a square test structure, wherein the test structure with the geometry has faster stress induced voiding failure than the square test structure.

17. The structure of claim 16, wherein the test structure is substantially 75% area of the square test structure.

18. The structure of claim 16, wherein the test structure is cross shaped.

19. The structure of claim 18, further comprising:

a first and second metal lines each having opposing ends;

the first and second metal lines being joined at two of their respective opposing ends to form an intersection; and

a via extending from the first and second metal line intersection to the approximate center of the cross-shaped test structure.

20. The structure of claim 18, wherein the cross-shaped test structure is comprised of copper.