Call to Participate in Second Interlaboratory Electromigration Experiment

The first interlaboratory experiment was conducted by NIST in the middle eighties to assess the industry's measurement capability, using their own test methods, for measuring electromigration t,, and sigma, and to identify sources for variability. This effort resulted from recommendations that were made to NIST at the 1983 Wafer Level Reliability Workshop. The results of that experiment were published [l] and used in the preparation of an ASTM standard method, ASTM F1260 121. The method now requires a determination of the interlaboratory precision of the method -otherwise it will soon be discontinued as an ASTM standard. Plans are underway to conduct a second interlaboratory experiment, where the participating laboratories will use the standard method to make their measurements. The purposes of the experiment are to determine the precision of the method, re-evaluate the sources for variability, refine the standard, and permit calibration with the reference laboratory, NIST. In preparation, a NIST test station for packagelevel testing has been assembled and new test and analysis software has been written in a collaborative effort with NIST guest researcher E.T. AchCe, of AMD. Ehren T. Achke AMD Austin, TX Tel: 512-602-5657 ehren.achee@amd.com