Joule-Heating-Induced Damage in Cu-Al Wedge Bonds Under Current Stressing

Copper wires are increasingly used to replace gold wires in wire-bonding technology owing to their better electrical properties and lower cost. However, not many studies have been conducted on electromigration-induced failure of Cu wedge bonds on Al metallization. In this study, we investigated the failure mechanism of Cu-Al wedge bonds under high current stressing from 4 × 10⁴ A/cm² to 1 × 10⁵ A/cm² at ambient temperature of 175°C. The resistance evolution of samples during current stressing and the microstructure of the joint interface between the Cu wire and Al-Si bond pad were examined. The results showed that abnormal crack formation accompanying significant intermetallic compound growth was observed at the second joint of the samples, regardless of the direction of electric current for both current densities of 4 × 10⁴ A/cm² and 8 × 10⁴ A/cm². We propose that this abnormal crack formation at the second joint is mainly due to the higher temperature induced by the greater Joule heating at the second joint for the same current stressing, because of its smaller bonded area compared with the first joint. The corresponding fluxes induced by the electric current and chemical potential difference between Cu and Al were calculated and compared to explain the failure mechanism. For current density of 1 × 10⁵ A/cm², the Cu wire melted within 0.5 h owing to serious Joule heating.