Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Tsu Shi

Ming Hsien Tsai

Sheng Hsiung Chen

As current densities through wiring in integrated circuits increases, so too do failures due to electromigration. Such failure almost always occur in vias located at the ends of long lines. The present invention solves this problem by introducing, as part of the wiring, local back-diffusion sources that serve to increase back pressure on the metallic ions that makes up the wire, thereby reversing the trend towards electromigration. These sources are located close to the vias in question and may take the form of discrete local areas where the wiring is wider or they may be introduced in the form of dummy vias.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Tsu Shi