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:
Sep. 22, 2015
Filed:
Feb. 28, 2014
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Austin, TX (US);
Mehul D. Shroff, Austin, TX (US);
Douglas M. Reber, Austin, TX (US);
Edward O. Travis, Austin, TX (US);
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) device includes a plurality of metal layers having metal traces, and a plurality of vias interconnecting the metal traces. The presence of vacancies within the metal layers may disrupt the functionality of the IC device if the vacancies migrate to the vias interconnecting the metal layers. To mitigate vacancy migration, stressor elements are formed at the metal traces to form stress effects in the metal traces that, depending on type, either serve to repel migrating vacancies from the via contact area or to trap migrating vacancies at a portion of the metal trace displaced from the contact area. The stressor elements may be formed as stress-inducing dielectric or conductive material overlying the metal traces, or formed by inducing a stress memory effect in a portion of the metal trace itself.