ABSTRACT
In saying "environment," we are really referring to the forces that are imposed on a device and the processes that lead to its deterioration and failure. Numerous theories and models have been proposed and very many heated debates have centered on the various points of view concerning the nature of failure processes. Most of the models developed are based on the idea that electronic device degradation processes are essentially chemical conversion reactions within the materials that comprise the devices. A substantial portion of the scientific and engineering effort that has constituted the evolution of the reliability discipline has been focused on the study and modeling of component degradation processes. For the specific case of integrated circuits, J. L. Stevenson and J. A. Nachlas suggest that metallization lines contain both macroscopic and microscopic flaws and that these two flaw types both contribute to device failure.
