Topics

Wire and via structures Wire parasitics Transistor parasitics

Wires and vias

metal 3

metal 2

vias
metal 1 poly n+ p-tub n+ poly

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern Interconnect

Metal migration
Current-carrying capacity of metal wire depends on cross-section. Height is fixed, so width determines current limit. Metal migration (electromigration)
When current is too high, electron flow pushes around metal grains High-energy collision can move metal grains can move metal wire

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Metal migration problems and solutions

Marginal wires will fail after a small operating periodinfant mortality.
Reliability bathtub curve

Diffusion wire capacitance

Capacitances formed by p-n junctions:
sidewall capacitances n+ (ND) depletion region

Normal wires must be sized to accommodate maximum current flow

Imax = 1.5 mA/m of metal width

Mainly applies to VDD/VSS lines

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

substrate (NA)
Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

bottomwall capacitance
Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Diffusion wire capacitance (cont.)

Channel-stop implant N A1 Side wall W Source ND Bottom

Depletion region capacitance

How to compute Cj? Zero-bias depletion capacitance:
Cj0 = si/xd.

Depletion region width:

xd0 = sqrt[(1/NA + 1/ND)2siVbi/q] Vbi=(kT/q)*ln[NA.ND/ni2]
Channel Substrate N A

xj

Side wall LS

Junction capacitance is function of voltage across junction:

Cj(Vr) = Cj0/sqrt(1 + Vr/Vbi)

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Poly/metal wire capacitance

Two components:
Parallel plate
Parallel wires in the same layer or two layers

Metal coupling capacitances

Can couple to adjacent wires on same layer, wires on above/below layers:
metal 2

Fringe
To take into account changes in the electrical field at the edges of the plate

fringe plate metal 1 metal 1

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Example: parasitic capacitance measurement

n-diffusion:
Bottomwall = 0.6 fF/um2 Sidewall = 0.2 fF/um

Example: parasitic capacitance measurement

n-diffusion:
Bottomwall = (0.75*3 +1*1)*0.6 = 3.25*0.6 = 1.95 fF sidewall= (0.75+3+0.25+1+1+4)*0.2 = 2 fF N-diffusion cap = 2+1.95 = 3.95 fF

metal:
Plate=0.04 Ff/um2 Fringe=0.09 fF/um

1.5 m 3 m

metal:
Plate=(2.5*1.5)*0.04=0.15 fF Fringe=(2*2.5+2*1.5)*0.09=0.72 fF Metal cap = 0.15+0.72 = 0.87 fF

1.5 m

3 m 1 m 2.5 m

0.75 m

1 m

2.5 m

0.75 m
Total wire cap
3.95+0.87 = 4.82 fF

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Wire resistance
Resistance of any size square is constant:

Wire resistance (example)

Metal1: 0.08 ohm/square 90 degree bend: electron can move faster as the distance is shorter
Half a square

(4 + + 2)*0.08 = 0.52 ohm

4 m

1 m

2 m
Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Mean-Time-To-Failure
Everything will fail
Nothing will last forever except ? Chips, disk drives, mechanical devices

Skin effect
At low frequencies, most of copper conductors cross section carries current. As frequency increases, current moves to skin of conductor.
Back EMF (electromagnetic field) induces counter-current in body of conductor.

MTF or MTTF for metal wires

Time required for 50% of testing sites to fail

Depends on current density:

proportional to j-n e Q/kT j is current density n is constant between 1 and 3 Q is diffusion activation energy or energy barrier e.g. 0.7 eV for grain boundary diffusion in aluminum

Skin effect most important at Giga-Hertz frequencies

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Skin effect, contd

Cross-section of an isolated conductor:

Skin depth
Skin depth is depth at which conductors current is reduced to 1/3 = 37% of surface value:
= 1/sqrt( f )
f = signal frequency = magnetic permeability = wire conductivity

Low frequency

High frequency
Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2 Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR

Effect on resistance
Low frequency resistance of wire:
Rdc = 1/ wt w: wire width, t: wire height

High frequency resistance with skin effect:

Rhf = 1/[2 (w + t)]

Resistance per unit length: Typically = 1.2

Modern VLSI Design 3e: Chapter 2

Rac = sqrt(Rdc 2 + Rhf 2)

Copyright 1998, 2002 Prentice Hall PTR