Orientation and Microstructure Dependence of Electromigration Damage in Damascene Cu Interconnect Lines

In the present paper we report the texture and microstructure dependence of electromigration damage in Cu interconnects. This was made possible by ncorporating a sophisticated set of instrumentation within the SEM which enabled in-situ monitoring of the electromigration defects. The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps were obtained before and after the completion of the electromigration tests. Thus, by comparing the maps before and after the failure it was possible to associate the texture and microstructure with both failure sites - voids and hillocks. Results from lines down to 130 nm are included and orientation dependence of the defects is discussed.