Microtexture analysis in aluminum thin films

Crystallographic texture is a controlling microstructural feature in determining reliability of the interconnect lines processed from aluminum thin-film structures. Orientation imaging microscopy (OIM), a SEM-based imaging technique for analyzing the crystallographic structure of materials, has recently been extended to investigate thin-film structures. In this research, OIM was used to investigate crystallographic structure in thin-film aluminum. Thin films covering a large surface area and thin interconnect lines have each been investigated using this technique. OIM data aid identification of grain boundary types that are prone to electromigration or stress-voiding failures.