Effect of Alloy Additions on Electromigration Failures in Thin Aluminum Films

In earlier work with aluminum thin films, electromigration through grain boundary diffusion has been found to be reduced by the addition of small amounts of copper and not to be affected by additions of silver and gold. Additions of other alloying elements having large atomic-size differences with respect to aluminum, namely, magnesium, nickel, and chromium, have now also been shown to reduce the rate of electromigration.