Numerical simulation of thick metal passivation stress, Part II: Minimizing stress using Response Surface Methodology

In this two-part series of papers, the goal is to reduce thermal stress impact on thick metal passivation. In Part II (this paper), the relationship between passivation thickness and the thermal stress was established using Response Surface Methodology Design of Experiments (RSM DOe). Using RSM DOE, an optimum passivation thickness was determined and validated using the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model used in Part I. The actual simulation results were close to the values predicted using statistical methods.