Linear growth behaviour of intermetallic compound layer in electronic interconnections

Abstract

We observed a linear behaviour of intermetallic compound (IMC) layer growth in electronic metallurgical interconnections, although the time required was twice that of commercial reliability standards for electronic packaging. This finding contradicts the classical parabolic growth law, which is widely reported to represent growth behaviour. We suggest that the parabolic growth law may be inadequate to thoroughly explain the IMC layer's growth by considering (a) one-directional growth and (b) reactions between elements for formation and growth. Further analysis has been carried out to analyse the logical judgment of the parabolic growth law and support our finding over linear IMC layer growth behavior.