The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 30, 2004
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2002
Christine Hau-Riege, Fremont, CA (US);
Amit Marathe, Milpitas, CA (US);
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A system and method is disclosed for determining a barrier permeability at a via. A test structure is formed having a test barrier between two conductors. A substantially constant current is conducted through the test structure to measure the lifetime of the test structure. A barrier permeability value is assigned to the test barrier of the test structure based on the measured lifetime. The system also includes a test structure having a first conductor, a second conductor forming an interconnect, a no-flux barrier substantially impermeable to mass flux between the first and second conductor, a third conductor, and a test barrier between the second and third conductor, to be assessed for the barrier permeability value. A current source supplies the current through the test structure. A timer measures the lifetime of the test structure, and a processor determines the value of barrier permeability &agr; of the test barrier based on the measured lifetime of the test structure.