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Articles you may be interested inClassical size effect in oxide-encapsulated Cu thin films: Impact of grain boundaries versus surfaces on resistivity J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 26, 605 (2008); 10.1116/1.2938395Electrical resistivity of Cu films deposited by ion beam deposition: Effects of grain size, impurities, and morphological defect

Plastic deformation was observed in damascene Cu interconnect test structures during an in situ electromigration experiment and before the onset of visible microstructural damage (voiding, hillock formation). We show here, using a synchrotron technique of white beam x-ray microdiffraction, that the extent of this electromigration-induced plasticity is dependent on the linewidth. In wide lines, plastic deformation manifests itself as grain bending and the formation of subgrain structures, while only grain rotation is observed in the narrower lines. The deformation geometry leads us to conclude that dislocations introduced by plastic flow lie predominantly in the direction of electron flow and may provide additional easy paths for the transport of point defects. Since these findings occur long before any observable voids or hillocks are formed, they may have direct bearing on the final failure stages of electromigration.

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