Phase-field simulation of conductive inclusion evolution in highly symmetric oriented single crystal metal interconnects under anisotropic interface diffusion induced by electromigration

The research on the electromigration behavior of inclusions has a significant impact on extending the lifespan of interconnects and tuning the required nanopatterns or nanostructures. The electromigration behavior of conductive inclusions in highly symmetric oriented single crystal metal interconnects is studied in this paper utilizing phase-field simulation combined with adaptive mesh technology and the finite element method. Facet-central-cubic metal allows us to investigate the effects of misorientation and anisotropic strength on the morphological evolution of inclusions under highly symmetric orientation. Meanwhile, the relationship between the above two parameters is explored by establishing the morphological evolution maps. The results indicate that three main evolution patterns and their combination patterns emerge during the electromigration process: steady migration, complex splitting, oscillation, splitting before steady migration and splitting before oscillating. Furthermore, the velocity of a steady migration of inclusions, the frequency of oscillation, and the number of splitting generation inclusions decrease as anisotropic strength increases.