The Effect of SiO₂ Dielectric Passivation on the Grain Growth of Al-Cu Film

The effect of the SiO₂ dielectric passivation on the reliability of an Al-Cu metallization of microelectronic devices was observed and analyzed. As it turned out, the grain size and morphology of Al-Cu interconnects are influenced by the SiO₂ passivation:the temperature rise and the grain grows from 0.5~1.0μm to 2~3μm, and in turn, theelectromigration lifetime of the Al-Cu film is effectively improved under the conditions of 1.2×10⁶ A/cm² and a the temperature of 300℃ in N₂ ambient.