Pure Ag layers were cladded with thin alloy (Ag with 3 at. % aluminum) layers to form a [Ag(Al)∕Ag∕Ag(Al)] structure on SiO2. The effective resistivity of the cladded Ag metallization is slightly greater than pure silver and less than the Ag(Al) alloy metallization. The clad structures showed a nearly 38 times enhancement in electromigration resistance when compared to pure Ag and seven times greater than the Ag(Al) alloy. The enhancement in lifetime of the clad structure was attributed to enhanced thermal stability due to segregation of Al2O3 at the Ag grain boundaries leading to reduced grain size and changes in thermodynamic properties and also reduced atomic mobility because of the topmost layer acting as a passivation layer.
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