Peter Ercius
Tecnai

Three-dimensional realization of the tantalum electromigration barrier layer coating a copper interconnect structure. Electromigration leads to the failure of wires in micro-electronics through void creation. The image was reconstructed using electron tomography, a technique similar to the medical CAT scan that differentiates between materials within the depth of a specimen. Construction of this structure requires the deposition of two tantalum thin films and results in surface roughening. This roughening is apparent and quantifiable, and a cut away of the high resolution reconstruction shows the double tantalum thin film structure.

Dept: Applied and Engineering Physics
PI: David Muller