Active atomic reservoir for enhancing electromigration reliability in integrated circuits
US9818694B2 · kind B2 · utility
2Cited by
8References
20Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 16, 2015 |
| Grant date | Nov 14, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 16, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L23/5329
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) comprises a first conductor in one layer of the IC, a second conductor in another layer of the IC, and a first metal plug connecting the first and second conductors. The IC further comprises an atomic source conductor (ASC) in the one layer of the IC and joined to the first conductor, and a second metal plug connecting the ASC to a voltage source of the IC. The first conductor and the ASC are configured to be biased to different voltages so as to establish an electron path from the second metal plug to the first metal plug such that the ASC acts as an active atomic source for the first conductor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.