J.V. Harzer, B. Hillebrands, et al.
Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
The mass-transport mechanisms that are responsible for the early stages (resistance change <1%) of electromigration damage in metals are poorly understood. A deeper understanding of these processes is important both for the direct application to metal lines in electronic devices and for expanding our basic knowledge of these complex phenomena. A major reason for our lack of understanding is that the structural changes that must take place during early-stage electromigration occur at extremely small length scales that are beyond the resolution capabilities of conventional electromigration experiments. We report in situ studies of early-stage electromigration using scanning tunneling microscopy. A single 2-μm square region of a 2100- Ag film was studied under UHV conditions for over 200 h with current densities up to 4.5×104 A/cm2. Although the temperature and resistivity of the sample remained nearly constant throughout this period, significant small-scale morphology changes occurred that were a result of the applied current. © 1993 The American Physical Society.
J.V. Harzer, B. Hillebrands, et al.
Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
J.K. Gimzewski, T.A. Jung, et al.
Surface Science
U. Wieser, U. Kunze, et al.
Physica E: Low-Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures
Dipanjan Gope, Albert E. Ruehli, et al.
IEEE T-MTT