Passivated Interconnect Lines: Thermomechanical Analysis and Curvature Measurements

It is well known that curvature measurements may be used to obtain volume averaged stresses in thin continuous films and unpassivated lines without knowledge of the material properties of the film or lines. However, recently a method was presented which makes it possible to use curvature measurements also for the determination of volume averaged stresses in passivated lines. Since the problem is statically indeterminate the method requires knowledge of the material properties of the lines and passivation. The sensitivity of the method to uncertainties in material properties and curvature data is here investigated by utilizing the finite element method for anisotropic Cu or Al lines embedded in SiO2 passivation. Furthermore, the method is extended to cover the case of different stress-free temperatures for the lines and passivation respectively.