Examination of intragranular microstructure and strain evolution of thermo-mechanically degraded Cu metallization layers

The aim of this proposal is to characterize the crystal mosaicity and strain gradients across individual grains of pre-treated Cu metallization layers, degraded from rapid thermal cycling. Dark field X-ray microscopy (DFXM) at the ID03 beamline will be applied to study the crystal orientation and evolution over the lifetime and across grains in the virgin state and over four more steps in the lifetime of a device.This proposal aims to deepen the understanding of subgrain strain development in Cu metallizations, directly following the footsteps of the ESRF DFXM experiments published by Hlushko et. Al. and furthering the research with new Cu layouts, thicknesses, and deterioration states, supplemented by previous lab-based nanoXCT experiments of the same samples. Thereby, it will create a unique bridge between lab-based and synchrotron-based X-ray experiments to develop a better understanding of the severe thermal fatigue damage limiting the capabilities of novel semiconductor devices.