Real-time TEM imaging of the formation of crystalline nanoscale gaps

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Feb 8;100(5):056805. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.056805. Epub 2008 Feb 7.

Abstract

We present real-time transmission electron microscopy of nanogap formation by feedback controlled electromigration that reveals a remarkable degree of crystalline order. Crystal facets appear during feedback controlled electromigration indicating a layer-by-layer, highly reproducible electromigration process avoiding thermal runaway and melting. These measurements provide insight into the electromigration induced failure mechanism in sub-20 nm size interconnects, indicating that the current density at failure increases as the width decreases to approximately 1 nm.