Device for evaluating reliability of interconnect wires

• US 5,900,735 A
• Filed: 02/27/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Shigehisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Diep N.
• Application Number:
  US08/807,751
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 324/716, 324/719, 324/537, 324/538, 324/158.1, 324/765, 257/734, 257/758, 257/767, 257/773, 257/774, 257/775, 257/776, 257/920
• US Class Current: 324/537
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2853 Electrical testing of internal connections or -isolation, e.g. latch-up or chip-to-lead connections G01R31/31717 takes precedence; test of chip-to-PCB or lead-to-PCB connections G01R31/66
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2858 Measuring of material aspects, e.g. electro-migration [EM], hot carrier injection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Center-to-center spacings (L₁, L₂, L₃, L₄, . . . ) of adjacent holes (5) in a hole chain (6) are set to values not less than five times a Blech length. This setting causes two parameters (MTF and σ) of a logarithmic normal distribution used as a failure distribution for EM lifetime prediction to be constant independently of the center-to-center spacings, permitting stable EM lifetime prediction of the hole chain. Further, setting the length of each of extension interconnect wires (2) to a value not greater than the Blech length prevents voids from being created in the extension interconnect wires (2).

Claims

1. A device used in evaluating reliability of interconnect wires comprising:

a substrate;

an insulating film formed on said substrate; and

a hole chain formed in said insulating film and comprising a plurality of holes electrically connected in sequential order by interconnection segments;

wherein a center-to-center distance between adjacent holes of said plurality of holes is not less than x times a Blech length, where x is a rational number greater than 1; and

wherein said center-to-center distance corresponds to one value falling within a range of hole-to-hole spacings, when all parameters of a predetermined failure distribution, used for lifetime estimation of said hole chain in a predetermined failure mode and indicated in the form of a function using said hole-to-hole spacings as variables, are determined independently of said hole-to-hole spacings.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1,

wherein said predetermined failure mode corresponds to an electromigration failure.

3. The device in accordance with claim 2,

wherein said predetermined failure distribution is a logarithmic normal distribution, and

wherein said center-to-center distances between said holes of said hole chain are not less than five times said Blech length.

4. A device used in evaluating reliability of interconnect wires comprising:

a substrate;

an insulating film formed on said substrate;

a pad formed in said insulating film and partially exposed;

a hole chain formed in said insulating film and comprising a plurality of holes electrically connected in sequential order by interconnection segments; and

an extension interconnect wire formed in said insulating film for establishing an electrical connection between said pad and a first end of said hole chain which is adjacent said pad;

wherein a length of said extension interconnect wire is not greater than a Blech length.

5. The device in accordance with claim 4, further comprising:

a resistance measuring monitor terminal formed in said insulating film and partially exposed, said resistance measuring monitor terminal being connected to said extension interconnect wire.

6. The device in accordance with claim 4,

wherein said extension interconnect wire corresponds to a first extension interconnect wire,

said device further comprising

a second extension interconnect wire formed in said insulating film for establishing an electrical connection between said pad and said first end of said hole chain, said second extension interconnect wire having a length which is not greater than said Blech length.

7. The device in accordance with claim 6, further comprising:

a resistance measuring monitor terminal formed in said insulating film and partially exposed, said resistance measuring monitor terminal being connected to said first extension interconnect wire.

8. The device in accordance with claim 6,

wherein said first end of said hole chain comprises first, second, and third holes electrically connected to each other,

wherein a center-to-center spacing between said first and third holes is not greater than said Blech length,

wherein said first and third holes are electrically connected to said first and second extension interconnect wires, respectively, and

wherein said second hole is electrically connected to other ones of said plurality of holes constituting said hole chain in sequential order.

9. The device in accordance with claim 4,

wherein said pad comprises:

a pad portion receiving a stress current from the exterior; and

an extension interconnect wire portion extending from a part of said pad portion and electrically connected to a first end of said extension interconnect wire which is adjacent said pad; and

wherein said extension interconnect wire portion has a width set so that an electromigration failure is not caused due to said stress current.

10. The device in accordance with claim 6,

wherein said pad comprises:

a pad portion receiving a stress current from the exterior; and

an extension interconnect wire portion extending from a part of said pad portion and electrically connected to respective first ends of said first and second extension interconnect wires which are adjacent said pad;

wherein said extension interconnect wire portion has a width set so that an electromigration failure is not caused due to said stress current.

11. The device in accordance with claim 4,

wherein a center-to-center spacing between adjacent ones of said holes of said hole chain is not less than five times said Blech length.

12. A device used in evaluating reliability of interconnect wires comprising:

a substrate;

an insulating film formed on said substrate;

a hole chain formed in said insulating film and comprising a plurality of holes electrically connected in sequential order by interconnection segments;

a pad; and

an extension interconnect wire for establishing an electrical connection between said pad and a first end of said hole chain which is adjacent to said pad;

wherein a length of said extension interconnect wire is not greater than a Blech length; and

wherein a center-to-center spacing between adjacent ones of said holes is greater than said Blech length.