Reliability study on three-dimensional Au/WSiN interconnections for ultra-compact MMICs

This paper discusses the reliability of three-dimensional Au/WSiN interconnections buried in a polyimide layer. Temperature cycle tests and bias stress tests reveal the high stability of this system. It is found that the enhanced degradation occurs at the Au/WSiN viahole contacts, which strongly depends on the current density. SEM analysis reveals the void formation in the Au layer near the Au-WSiN interface, which can be explained by the dam effect created by the WSiN layer. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.