Abnormal Diffusion Behavior of Zn in Cu/Sn-9 wt.%Zn/Cu Interconnects During Liquid–Solid Electromigration

The diffusion behavior of Zn atoms and the interfacial reaction in Cu/Sn-9 wt.%Zn/Cu interconnects undergoing liquid–solid electromigration were investigated under a current density of 5.0 × 10³ A/cm² at 230°C. A reverse polarity effect was revealed, in which the interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the cathode grew continuously and were remarkably thicker than those at the anode. This behavior resulted from the directional migration of Zn atoms from the anode towards the cathode, which was induced by the positive effective charge number (Z ^*) of the Zn atoms rather than by back-stress. Consequently, at the anode, dissolution and massive spalling of the Cu-Zn IMCs occurred, and the depletion of Zn atoms resulted in the transformation of initial interfacial Cu₅Zn₈ IMC into (Cu₆Sn₅ + CuZn); at the cathode, the interfacial Cu₅Zn₈ IMC gradually transformed into (Cu₅Zn₈ + CuZn); in the solder, the Zn content reduced continuously from 9 wt.% to 0.9 wt.%. A growth model is proposed to explain the reverse polarity effect, and the average Z ^* of Zn atoms in Cu₅Zn₈ was calculated to be +0.25 using this model.     

Low cycle fatigue performance of ball grid array structure Cu/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu solder joints

Low cycle fatigue performance of ball grid array (BGA) structure Cu/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu joints with different standoff heights (h, varying from 100 to 500 μm) and two pad diameters (d, d = 320 and 480 μm) under displacement-controlled cyclic loading was studied by experimental method and finite element (FE) simulation. A prediction method based on the plastic strain energy density and continuum damage mechanics (CDM) framework was proposed to evaluate the initiation and propagation of fatigue crack in solder joints. The results show that fatigue failure of solder joints is a process of damage accumulation and the plastic strain energy density performs a power function correlation with the cycle numbers of crack initiation and propagation. Crack propagation rate is affected by the stress triaxiality, which is dependent on the loading mode and increases dramatically with decreasing h under tensile loading, while the change of standoff height has very limited influence on the stress triaxiality under shear loading mode. Moreover, crack growth correlation constants identified in Cu/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu joints with a specific geometry (h = 100 μm and d = 480 μm) can be well used to predict the fatigue life of BGA joints with other geometries. Furthermore, the results have also shown that the fatigue life of solder joints increases with decreasing the geometric ratio of h/d under the same nominal shear strain amplitude, while it drops with decreasing h/d under the same shear displacement amplitude in cyclic loading. When the geometric ratio (i.e., h/d ratio) is unchanged, the miniaturization of BGA joints brings about a decrease in fatigue life of the joints.     

Crystal growth in Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O system

We report growth of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ single crystals with dimensions of 6×2×0.03 mm³ using a melt and growth technique. The oxygen content is determined to be δ≈0.13 by iodometric titration. The crystal is shown to be homogeneous and close to stoichiometric cation ratio. The superconducting temperature with a sharp transition width (10–90% level) of 6–8 K was determined to be T_c=92 K from resistivity and dc susceptibility measurements. The predominant impurity phase is a Cu-free crystal, whose composition is identified as Bi₁₀Sr₁₁Ca₅O_x. The crystal structure of Bi₁₀Sr₁₁Ca₅O_x is monoclinic with a=11.108(1) Å, b=5.9487(1) Å; c=19.838 (3) Åand β=101.5° (P2_1/c space group).     

Evidence for Glass–glass Interfaces in a Columnar Cu–Zr Nanoglass

Comprehensive analyses of the atomic structure using advanced analytical transmission electron microscopy-based methods combined with atom probe tomography confirm the presence of distinct glass–glass interfaces in a columnar Cu-Zr nanoglass synthesized by magnetron sputtering. These analyses provide first-time in-depth characterization of sputtered film nanoglasses and indicate that glass–glass interfaces indeed present an amorphous phase with reduced mass density as compared to the neighboring amorphous regions. Moreover, dedicated analyses of the diffusion kinetics by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF SIMS) prove significantly enhanced diffusivity, suggesting fast transport along the low density glass–glass interfaces. The present results further indicate that sputter deposition is a feasible technique for reliable production of nanoglasses and that some of the concepts proposed for this new class of glassy materials are applicable.     

Characterization of a Quantum Well in an Si/Si1–xGex/Si Heterostructure by X-ray Diffractometry

Rocking curves with a pronounced pendulum-solution pattern are obtained for Si_{1 – x} Ge _x /Si specimens with a single quantum well (QW) by double-crystal x-ray diffractometry. These oscillations are typical of the rocking curves for GaAs multilayers with QWs. With Si–Ge multilayers, they are obtained for the first time. The Ge depth profiles of the QW are reconstructed from the rocking curves. As a result, the thicknesses of both QW interfacial layers are estimated.     

Geometry effect on mechanical performance and fracture behavior of micro-scale ball grid array structure Cu/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu solder joints

Solder joint integrity has long been recognized as a key issue affecting the reliability of integrated circuit packages. In this study, both experimental and finite element simulation methods were used to characterize the mechanical performance and fracture behavior of micro-scale ball grid array (BGA) structure Cu/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu solder joints with different standoff heights (h, varying from 500 to 100 μm) and constant pad diameter (d, d = 480 μm) and contact angle under shear loading. With decreasing h (or the ratio of h/d), results show that the stiffness of BGA solder joints clearly increases with decreasing coefficient of stress state and torque. The stress triaxiality reflects the mechanical constraint effect on the mechanical strength of the solder joints and it is dependent on the loading mode and increases dramatically with decreasing h under tensile loading, while the change of h has very limited influence on the stress triaxiality under shear loading. Moreover, when h is decreased, the concentration of stress and plastic strain energy along the interface of solder and pad decreases, and the fracture location of BGA solder joints changes from near the interface to the middle of the solder. Both geometry and microstructure greatly affect the shear behavior of joints, the average shear strength shows a parabolic trend with decreasing standoff height. Furthermore, the brittle fracture of BGA solder joints after long-time isothermal aging was investigated. Results obtained show that, under the same shear force, the stress intensity factors, K_I and K_II, and the strain energy release rate, G_I, at the Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/Cu₆Sn₅ interface and in the Cu₆Sn₅ layer obviously decrease with decreasing h, hence brittle fracture is more prone to occur in the joint with a large standoff height.     

Multi-user receiver scheme and uplink performance of space–time-coded CDMA system in Rician fading channels

The uplink performance of multi-user space–time-coded code-division multiple access (STC-CDMA) system in Rician fading channel is presented. A simple and effective multi-user receiver scheme is developed for STC-CDMA system. The scheme has linear decoding complexity when compared to the existing scheme with exponential decoding complexity, and thus implements low-complexity decoding. Based on the bit error rate (BER) analysis and moment generation function, theoretical BER expressions are derived for STC-CDMA with orthogonal and quasi-orthogonal spreading code, respectively. It is shown that these expressions have more accuracy. Using these expressions and the approximation of error function, closed-form approximate BER expressions are obtained, which can simplify the calculation of the derived theoretical BER. Simulation results show that the developed low-complexity decoding scheme can achieve almost the same performance as the existing scheme. The theoretical BER are in good agreement with the corresponding simulated values. Moreover, the presented approximate expressions are also close to the simulated values due to the better approximation. Under the same system throughput and concatenation of channel code, the presented full-rate STC-CDMA system has lower BER than the corresponding full-diversity STC-CDMA systems.     

Throughput performance of distributed applications in switched networks in presence of end‐system bottlenecks

The steady state throughput performance of distributed applications deployed in switched networks in presence of endsystem bottlenecks is studied in this paper. The effect of various limitations at an endsystem is modelled as an equivalent transmission capacity limitation. A class of distributed applications is characterised by a static traffic distribution matrix that determines the communication between various components of the application. It is found that uniqueness of steady state throughputs depends only on the traffic distribution matrix and that some applications (e.g., broadcast applications) can yield nonunique values for the steady state component throughputs. For a given switch capacity, with traffic distribution that yield fair unique throughputs, the tradeoff between the endsystem capacity and the number of application components is brought out. With a proposed distributed rate control, it has been illustrated that it is possible to have unique solution for certain traffic distributions which is otherwise impossible. Also, by proper selection of rate control parameters, various throughput performance objectives can be realised.     

Lateral polarity control of Ⅲ-nitride thin film and application in GaN Schottky barrier diode

N-polar and Ⅲ-polar GaN and AIN epitaxial thin films grown side by side on single sapphire substrate was reported.Surface morphology,wet etching susceptibility and bi-axial strain conditions were investigated and the polarity control scheme was utilized in the fabrication of Schottky barrier diode where ohmic contact and Schottky contact were deposited on N-polar domains and Ga-polar domains,respectively.The influence of N-polarity on on-state resistivity and I-V characteristic was discussed,demonstrating that lateral polarity structure of GaN and A1N can be widely used in new designs of optoelectronic and electronic devices.     

Transport and electroluminescence mechanism in Au/（Si/ SiO2）/P-Si film

Following the development of information technolo-gy,it has been a tendency to take the place of electronby photon as a carrier of information,since photons canmove thousands ti mes faster than electrons ,which cani mprove the rate of communication.Silico…     

Phase Formation during the Surface-Diffusion Growth of Ti–Co–Si–N and Ti–Co–N Thin Films on Si and SiO2

The kinetics of phase formation in Ti–Co–Si–N and Ti–Co–N thin films on Si and SiO₂is investigated experimentally. With the deposition on Si, rapid thermal annealing (T 900°C) is shown to cause phase separation that ends in a TiN/CoSi₂/Si structure. If SiO₂is used, the alloy reacts with the substrate to produce compounds that are difficult to remove with selective etchants. This limits the potential uses of this process in the fabrication of contact systems for CMOS devices. It is shown that structure- and phase-dissimilar films can be formed on Si and SiO₂by means of the surface-diffusion reactions between a Ti–Co–Si–N or Ti–Co–N alloy and the substrate at 650–700°C. The effect of a TiN, Ti, or CoSi₂thin layer at the alloy–substrate interface on the phase separation is investigated.     

Effect of Prebonding Anneal on the Microstructure Evolution and Cu–Cu Diffusion Bonding Quality for Three-Dimensional Integration

Electroplated copper (Cu) films are often annealed during back-end processes to stabilize grain growth in order to improve their electrical properties. The effect of prebonding anneal and hence the effective initial grain size of the Cu films on the final bond quality are studied using a 300-nm-thick Cu film that was deposited on a 200-mm silicon (Si) wafer and bonded at 300°C. As compared with the control wafer pair with a prebonding anneal at 300°C for 1?h in N₂, the wafer pair without a prebonding anneal showed greater improvement in void density based on c-mode scanning acoustic microscopy (c-SAM). Dicing yield and shear strength were also enhanced when a prebonding anneal was not applied. This improvement is due to substantial grain growth of smaller Cu grains during the bonding process, which leads to a stronger Cu?CCu bond. Our work has identified a Cu?CCu bonding process with a lower total thermal budget, which is seen as a favorable option for future three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) technology.     

MIMO solution for performance improvements of OFDM–CDMA system with pilot tone

In this paper, MIMO OFDM–CDMA downlink scheme is proposed as a solution for improving performance of the OFDM–CDMA downlink system with pilot tone and threshold detection combining (optimum TDC). The new presented system with MIMO included uses space–time block coding applied to two, three and four transmit antennas and it has an arbitrary number of receive antennas. Bit error rate performance in the case of Ricean frequency selective fading is evaluated for the original system as well as for the one with MIMO included. For that reason an adequate simulation model is developed. The results show that the proposed system significantly outperforms the OFDM–CDMA downlink system with pilot tone and optimum TDC.     

Fifteen-Nanometer Ru Diffusion Barrier on NiSi/Si for a sub-45 nm Cu Contact Plug

A ruthenium film on a NiSi/Si substrate was evaluated for barrier performance in Cu contact metallization. The films were deposited by magnetron sputtering using Ni, Ru, and Cu targets. The low-resistivity NiSi film was initially produced from an Ni/Si substrate, and Ru and Cu films were sequentially deposited on the NiSi/Si substrate so that barrier performance could be studied. Barrier properties were elucidated by four-point probe measurement, x-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The stability temperatures of 600°C (Cu/NiSi/Si) and 650°C (Cu/Ru/NiSi/Si) were systematically verified and are discussed. Structural analysis indicated that the failure mechanism involved penetration of the Cu through the Ru/NiSi stacked film at a specific temperature, which induced the accelerated dissociation of the NiSi. Interposition of an Ru layer between the Cu and the NiSi/Si effectively prevented intermixing and substantially improved the thermal stability in the Cu/NiSi/Si stack films.     

Structure–Diffusion Relationship of Magnetron-Sputtered WTi Barriers Used in Indium Interconnections

Tungsten-titanium (WTi) thin films are known as potential adhesion promoters and diffusion barriers. The barrier efficiency of WTi thin films against indium (In) diffusion was experimentally studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements during in situ annealing. Specific multilayered samples were designed to estimate the diffusion barrier properties using the Ni/In system. These diffusion samples were made up of a 100-nm-thick WTi layer prepared by magnetron sputtering from an alloyed target (W:Ti ≈ 70:30 at.%), sandwiched between Ni and Au/In layers. WTi film microstructures were observed to depend on the working pressure. Diffusion barrier breakdown was monitored upon annealing by the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMC) (intermixing between Ni and In). Annealing was performed at temperatures of 573 K, 623 K, and 673 K (homologous temperatures $T/T_{\rm m}^{\rm In} \simeq 1.34, 1.45$ , and 1.57, respectively) and under primary vacuum. The diffusion coefficients of In in WTi were determined. The correlation between WTi film microstructure and diffusion barrier efficiency was established. Better diffusion barrier performance was obtained for WTi films with dense microstructure associated with a compressive residual stress state. Hence, tuning the sputtering conditions allows significant improvement of barrier performance against diffusion through a change of the film microstructure.     

Surface charge and annealing in the Si/SiO2 system †

An examination of the surface charge density resulting from oxygen and nitrogen annealing in the temperature range 700-1200°c has been made. The nitrogen annealing process was found to be irreversible, since at any temperature the nitrogen annealing resulted in either no change or a decrease in the surface charge, but not an increase.     

Lifetime of excess electrons in Cu–Zn–Sn–Se powders

The method of time-resolved microwave photoconductivity at a frequency of 36 GHz in the range of temperatures of 200–300 K is used to study the kinetics of the annihilation of charge carriers in Cu–Zn–Sn–Se powders obtained by the solid-phase method of synthesis in cells. The lifetime of excess electrons at room temperature is found to be shorter than 5 ns. The activation energy for the process of recombination amounted to E _a ~ 0.054 eV.     

Evaluation of the corrosion performance of Cu–Al intermetallic compounds and the effect of Pd addition

Copper wire has become a mainstream bonding material in fine-pitch applications due to the rising cost of gold wire. In recent years, palladium-coated copper (Pd–Cu) wire is being increasingly used to overcome some constraints posed by pure Cu wire. During wire bonding with aluminum bond pads, different intermetallic compound (IMC) phases that have been identified at the bond interface are typically CuAl₂, CuAl and Cu₉Al₄. However, the corrosion susceptibility of these IMCs has not been investigated. This paper compares the electrical impedance and corrosion performance of the three types of Cu–Al IMCs in an acidic chloride medium by employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. The analysis of the potentiodynamic polarization results was performed using Tafel extrapolation. A comparison was made with pure Cu and Al. The effect of Pd alloy on the IMC corrosion performance has also been studied. Among the three Cu–Al IMCs, Cu₉Al₄ was observed to have the largest corrosion rate followed by CuAl₂ and CuAl. For the metals, Cu was observed to have the lowest corrosion rate and Al is the most easily corroded. The addition of Pd of up to 10 wt.% replacement of the Cu in the alloys slightly improves the corrosion resistance of the metals and IMCs.     

Effects of post-lift-off annealing conditions on contact oxidation of Ti–Au top-contacts in In-Sn–Zn–O TFT

Thin film transistors (TFT) with an indium based mixed oxide semiconductor are investigated for titanium–gold top-contacts. It is noticed that upon post annealing, in order to remove chemical residuals from top-contact lift-off steps, oxidation of titanium occurs depending on the annealing conditions. Mobility of the TFT is strongly affected by contact oxidation arising from this post lift-off annealing process. Oxidation of the top-contact is facilitated by adsorbed surface oxygen or out-diffusing oxygen from the semiconductor depending on the post lift-off annealing conditions. A passivation layer that binds effectively to surface vacancies and removes adsorbed oxygen species from the semiconductor surface is demonstrated. The combinations of this passivation layer with relatively low temperature and short post lift-off annealing in an oxygen deficient environment result in significantly reduced contact oxidation and subsequently better transistor performance. Contact resistance as low as 90 Ω cm and mobility as high as 5.3 cm²/V s are obtained for solution processed mixed metal oxide semiconductor in top-contact geometry.