ABSTRACT
Conductors, for example, aluminum (Al), AlCu, and Cu, in microelectronic circuits can fail from the diffusion of atoms along the electron flow direction due to the momentum exchange with the electrons resulting in void creation and open circuit failure, or failure due to a short circuit caused by a metal filament growing between two conductors [1]. The traditional method used to characterize electromigration failures involves an accelerated stress test where a number of structures are subjected to high current densities and high temperatures until failure [2]. Microcircuit components and conductors are built smaller for higher speed resulting in higher current densities and temperatures [3].
